Nation
Nation may refer to a large group of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, or history.
Nation can refer to "a people, race, or tribe; those having the same descent, language, and history."
Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary defines
nation as "a community of people composed of one or more nationalities with its own territory and government" and also as "a tribe or federation of tribes ". Nation carries varying meanings, and the connotation of the term has changed over time. The concept of "nation" is related to "ethnic community" or
ethnie. An ethnic community shares a common myth of origins and descent, a common history, elements of distinctive culture, a common territorial association, and sense of group solidarity. A nation is, by comparison, much more impersonal, abstract, and overtly political than an ethnic group. It is a cultural-political community that has become conscious of its coherence, unity, and particular interests. In these terms, a nation has been defined by Benedict Anderson as an "imagined community" or by Paul James as an "abstract community".