Sovereignty and Territoriality

A state is more than a patch of land with a government. What makes it a state is that no outside power rules it. That right has a name.

Key idea

Sovereignty is a state's right to govern its own territory and people without outside control. Territoriality is the way people and states claim, mark and defend space as their own.

Why it works

The modern idea of sovereignty is often traced to the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended decades of war in Europe and set the principle that each ruler governs inside their own borders. Sovereignty has two sides. Inside, the government makes and enforces the laws. Outside, other states accept that it is in charge there, which is called recognition. A place can have the first without the second, and that is where hard cases appear.

Disputed areas are hatched. Tap one, such as Taiwan, Kosovo, Western Sahara or Somaliland, to read how it is governed and who claims it.

Some places govern themselves but are recognized by only some countries. Taiwan is governed by the Republic of China, with its capital at Taipei; the People's Republic of China claims it, and only a small number of countries recognize the Republic of China, while many others keep unofficial ties. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008; more than 100 UN members have recognized it, while Serbia and many others have not. This course describes such places and the claims about them; it does not decide them.

Territoriality in daily life: fences, "Private property" signs, gang or team turf, a towel on a beach chair.
Territoriality of states: border posts, flags, maps, passports and patrols.
Sharing instead: Antarctica has no countries; under the Antarctic Treaty (1959), seven countries' claims are set aside and the continent is used for peace and science.

Worked example: Two sides of sovereignty

A government collects taxes, runs schools and controls its borders, but most countries do not formally recognize it as a state. Which side of sovereignty does it have?

Running its own affairs at home is the inside side.
Being accepted by other states is the outside side, recognition.
It has the first and only partly the second.

Answer: It governs itself (internal sovereignty) but lacks wide recognition, so its status is disputed.

Worked example: Territoriality or not?

Which shows territoriality: (a) a country placing markers along its border, (b) two countries agreeing to study a shared river together?

Territoriality means claiming and marking space as one's own.
Border markers announce "this side is ours."
Joint study is cooperation, not a claim.

Answer: (a), the border markers.

Common mistake

Thinking every place that governs itself is fully sovereign. Recognition by other states matters too. Places like Taiwan and Kosovo run their own affairs but are recognized by some countries and not others, so their status is described as disputed, with each side's claim stated plainly.

Sovereignty and Territoriality

Practice

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Sources and further reading