At the end of the lesson, the learners are able to:

• enumerate the characteristics of a country;

• enumerate and explain the characteristics of the Philippines as a country and state; and,

• explain why the Philippines is a state.

The Philippines is just one of the many countries in the world.  Each country is unique because it has its own name, people, language, and beliefs.

What is the official name of our country?

How do you call the people living here?

What is the official language of our country?

What are the popular beliefs of the people in our country?

CONCEPT OF A NATION

At present, there are around two hundred nations found in the world.  The Philippines is one of these nations.

What is the meaning of the word nation?  According to the UP Filipino Dictionary, a nations is a "community of citizens who share the same race, history, language, culture, and government."  Nation, according to experts who teach Social Science, is made up of people who live in a place bound together by language, tradition, customs, and history.  When a nation has absolute power or independence, it is also called a state.

A country can be classified according to the extent of the territory it covers.  There are countries that are considered small such as Vatican City, Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu, and San Marino.  There is one that is considered to be of medium size such as the Philippines.  Other countries belonging to this group are Japan, Italy, Poland, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, and many others.  The final group is considered large countries such as China, Canada, Brazil, Australia, United States of America, and others.

A country can also be classified according to its land type.  There are countries consisting of only one island such as Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Jamaica, Cuba, and Iceland.  There are also countries made up of islands called archipelagos such as the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.  Others are called peninsulas or countries with a part of the land protruding out into the water such as North and South Korea, India, Spain, and Portugal.  And finally, there are countries whose land area is generally located in the mainland continent.  Some examples of this are Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and many others.

Australia, which is both a country and a continent, is more appropriately called a continental landmass because of its size.

The most important document of a state is its constitution.  This outlines the powers of the government, which are distributed among the branches to protect the rights and safety of the people.

TYPES OF SOVEREIGNTY

1. Internal sovereignty - refers to the power of the state to all people living in its territory.  This power includes the enforcement of laws, providing services to citizens, managing natural resources, keeping the country orderly and peaceful, and maintaining the freedom and rights of citizens.

2. External sovereignty - is the freedom of the state to promote all activities and plans of the country regarding the economy, education, taxes, employment, and other things that will contribute to the well-being of the country without interference from other countries.  An example of this is the control of embassies that are outside the territory of the Philippines, as well as Filipinos living or working abroad who remain covered by Philippine laws.  The flag, currency, and official seal of the country are some of the symbols of its sovereignty.