Challenges of Nation Building The difference between a State and a Nation must first be examined. The State: A State exists where there is a territory, a people, a government and sovereignty, it may lack the feeling of nationality or of oneness among the people and yet remain a State. The sense of belonging together creates a readiness on the part of the members of a State to subordinate their differences to the common good. The Nation: The word nation comes from the Latin and when first coined clearly conveyed the idea of common blood ties.
It was derived the past participle of the verb nasci meaning to be born, and hence the Latin noun nationem connoting breed or race. The term ‘nation’ emphasises the consciousness of unity among its people and according to the older view, a nation need not necessarily be a State.