1. State Defination... The term state may means condition of
health or economic condition. The term is sometimes loosely used by
people to mean states of India, or "the United States of America".
Sometimes it mean 'nation' or 'society' or 'government' or
'country'. These uses of the term are not correct at all from the
scientific point, of view. It has in fact, a specific meaning which
is completely different from its various uses noted above. Elements
(1) Population... The most basic characteristic of the state is
population. As a human organization the state cannot be formed
without some people. A desert in which human beings do not live
cannot be regarded as a state. However, there is no limit
prescribed as to the size of population. For an ideal state, it
should be 5,000 and, Aristotle thinks that it should be 10,000
minimum and 100,000 maximum. In modern times, the maximum and
minimum size of population has not been prescribed. It means that
there is no hard and fast rule about the size of the population of
the state. (2) Territory... The second characteristic of the state
is territory or a fixed geographical area on the earth. In the
absence of a fixed territory, a state cannot be constituted. As for
example, the nomadic tribes like Gipsies and others cannot form a
state of their own owing to the absence of a fixed territory, to
reside in. Similarly, the Jews did not from a state till, they
definitely settled down in Israel in 1948. Like population, there
is no limit set for the territory of a state. (3) Government... The
state must possess an organized Government. It is the machinery
through which the state must exercise its supreme power. It
constitutes the brain of the state. A state cannot be thought
2. of without some sort of Government. The state performs its
various functions through the Government. (4) Sovereignty... The
fourth and the most important element, or characteristic of the
state is sovereignty. Sovereignty means supreme power or ultimate
authority against which there can be no appeal. Externally, the
state claims final and absolute authority. It is independent of any
foreign control.
