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A sovereign state is a state that has the supreme sovereignty or ultimate authority over a territory. [1] It is commonly understood that a sovereign state is independent. [2] When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may also refer to a constituent country, or a dependent territory. [3] [4] [5]
Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. [1] [2] [3] Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. [4]In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate authority over other people and to change existing laws. [5]
The following is a list providing an overview of sovereign states around the world with information on their status and recognition of their sovereignty. The 205 listed states can be divided into three categories based on membership within the United Nations System : 193 UN member states , [ 1 ] two UN General Assembly non-member observer ...
There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in the world since several states have disputed sovereignty status, limited recognition and a number of non-sovereign entities are commonly considered countries. [6] [5] The definition and usage of the word "country" are flexible and have changed over time.
Although the Cook Islands are fully self-governing and behave as a sovereign state in international law, their constitutional status is different from that of a fully independent state, considering that all Cook Islands nationals are New Zealand citizens, and the country's head of state is the Monarch of New Zealand.
A monarchy is a form of government in which a group, generally a family representing a dynasty, embodies the country's national identity and its head, the monarch, exercises the role of sovereignty. The actual power of the monarch may vary from purely symbolic ( crowned republic ), to partial and restricted ( constitutional monarchy ), to ...
There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in the world since several states have disputed sovereignty status, limited recognition and a number of non-sovereign entities are commonly considered countries. The definition and usage of the word "country" are flexible and have changed over time.
Sovereign is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French souverain , which is ultimately derived from the Latin superānus , meaning 'above'.