The four elements of a state are population, territory, government, and sovereignty
- Population A state requires a group of people to exist, but there is no specific number required
. The population can be homogeneous or not
- Territory A state must have a defined geographical territory
- Government A state needs a government to enforce rules, maintain order, and ensure obedience from the population
- Sovereignty A state has to be internally supreme and free from external control, with full authority over its citizens and complete independence from outside influence
. Internal sovereignty means the state has a monopoly on authority within its borders, while external sovereignty means the state is independent of other states
