# State and Nation Throughout history, humankind has worked to define forms of human organization to ensure civil coexistence. They have evolved over the centuries. [The modern nation state is a relatively recent concept, arising only in the past three hundred years.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_state)

A nation is a community that shares a set of common values: **language, norms, tradition, customs, and religion**. Historically nations were defined by an individual's place of birth. The State is a form of human association distinguished for its purpose–– the establishment of order and security; its methods, the laws and their enforcement; its territory, the area of jurisdiction or geographic boundaries; and finally by its sovereignty. State and nation are therefore two different concepts: the state implies the existence of an organized political body which exercises power over citizens of a nation, and to which the citizens confer power. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://gitbook.jur.io/jur-documentation/key-notions/state-and-nation.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.