CONCEPTS OF STATE Meaning of state A state is a community of persons more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of territory,

having a government of their own to which the great body of inhabitants render obedience, and enjoying freedom from external control. Elements of state The modern state has four essential elements. They are: 1. People refers to the mass of population living within the state. Without people there can be no functionaries to govern and no subjects to be governed. 2. Territory includes not only the land over which the jurisdiction of the state extends, but also the rivers and lakes therein, a certain area of the sea which abuts upon its coasts and the air space above it. Thus, the domain of the state may be described as terrestrial, fluvial, maritime, and aerial. 3. Government refers to the agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and carried out. The word is sometimes used to refer to the person or aggregate of those persons in whose hands are placed for the time being the function of political control. This body of men is usually spoken of as administration. 4. Sovereignty defined as the supreme power of the state to command and enforce obedience to its will from people within its jurisdiction and corollarily, to have freedom from foreign control. It has therefore, two manifestations: a. internal, or the power of the state to rule within its territory; and b. external, or the freedom of the state to carry out its activities without subjection to or control by other states. External sovereignty is often referred to as independence. These internal and external aspects of sovereignty are not absolutely true in practice because of the development of international relations and consequently, of international law.