UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2021

Which one of the following best defines the term 'State'?

  1. A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government
  2. A politically organized people of a definite territory and possessing an authority to govern them, maintain law and order, protect their natural rights and safeguard their means of sustenance
  3. A number of persons who have been living in a definite territory for a very long time with their own culture, tradition and government
  4. A society permanently living in a definite territory with a central authority, an executive responsible to the central authority and an independent judiciary

Answer

Correct Answer

A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government

Explanation

The classical elements of a State are population, definite territory, government and sovereignty. Option (a) is the only definition that captures all four, including sovereignty ('independent of external control'), so it defines the State best.

Topics: concept of state, definition and elements of the state, political theory, polity & governance