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North America News:
Bank of America sheds branches
17 May 2012 at 7:15am
Follow this company Corp. closed 154 banking centers and 631 ATMs in the first quarter,...
Obama requesting help to pay for Afghan army
17 May 2012 at 6:56am
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mapping the way out of an unpopular war, the United States and NATO are trying...
Sears Posts Profit On Gains, Plans Partial Spin-off Of Canadian Unit
17 May 2012 at 6:40am
News ) said Thursday gains from sale of certain assets helped it report a profit for the first qu...
Canadian dollar to give Iceland helping hand
17 May 2012 at 6:19am
Before Greece and Portugal, it was Iceland that chilled investors. Now the country's finances are...
Mike Coffman Apologizes For Claiming Obama Is 'Just Not An American'
17 May 2012 at 6:05am
Mike Coffman, a Republican congressman from Colorado, issued an apology on Wednesday after a reco...
Latin America News:
Crossword Puzzle Stirs Controversy in Venezuela
17 May 2012 at 7:25am
LIMA, Peru - Among the answers to a crossword puzzle that ran in a Venezuelan newspaper on Wednes...
Police Arrest 70 in Santiago Clashes [SLIDESHOW]
17 May 2012 at 7:18am
Chilean police arrested more than 70 students in Santiago in the biggest protest so far this year...
Student protest in Chile turns violent
17 May 2012 at 5:59am
Tens of thousands of Chilean students have taken to the streets of Santiago to demand free educat...
Peru's Pontifical University Gets New Vatican Deadline
17 May 2012 at 5:44am
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=24749)LIMA, PERU, April 17 (CNA/EWTN News) .- The Po...
Human rights abuses to be probed in Brazil
17 May 2012 at 3:31am
Brazil’s President has sworn-in members of a Truth Commission, who will investigate human rights ...
South America News:
Crossword Puzzle Stirs Controversy in Venezuela
17 May 2012 at 7:25am
LIMA, Peru - Among the answers to a crossword puzzle that ran in a Venezuelan newspaper on Wednes...
Peru's Pontifical University Gets New Vatican Deadline
17 May 2012 at 5:44am
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=24749)LIMA, PERU, April 17 (CNA/EWTN News) .- The Po...
Human rights abuses to be probed in Brazil
17 May 2012 at 3:31am
Brazil’s President has sworn-in members of a Truth Commission, who will investigate human rights ...
Ecuador Drug Lab Discovered Near Plane Crash Site
17 May 2012 at 12:04am
QUITO, Ecuador -- Ecuador's official news agency says police have found a cocaine-processing lab ...
Historic Day in Ecuador for University Entrance Test
16 May 2012 at 9:07pm
Quito, May 17 (Prensa Latina) Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of...
Africa News:
Intercontinental Cup in Kenya postponed on security concerns
17 May 2012 at 6:35am
Cricket News: Nairobi, Due to security concerns, the Intercontinental Cup match between Kenya and...
Small country with a big crisis
17 May 2012 at 6:33am
Dire times for Gambia's farmers SEREKUNDA/JOHANNESBURG, 17 May 2012 (IRIN) - In 2011, the rains f...
Shell starts repair work in Nigeria
17 May 2012 at 6:13am
A Shell subsidiary in Nigeria announced it started repairs on a crude oil pipeline in the country...
Cameroon federation ditch Milla
17 May 2012 at 5:59am
Cameroon's World Cup legend Roger Milla has been removed as honorary president of his country's f...
Country Fully Behind Dlamini Zuma's Candidature to AU Commission
17 May 2012 at 5:54am
Pretoria - As the July Summit of the African Union draws near, where the next chairperson for the...
Australia/New Zealand News:
Australians have downloaded an astonishing one billion apps
17 May 2012 at 5:15am
Technology News: Melbourne, Latest figures have revealed that Australians have downloaded an asto...
Australian womens boxing champion banned for doping
17 May 2012 at 4:01am
Sports News: Sydney, Bianca Elmir, Australian national women's boxing champion and a top Olympic ...
Australian Stocks Down 2.2 Per Cent in Global Rout
17 May 2012 at 1:43am
(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) Australian stocks shed 2.2 per cent Wednesday as investors responded...
Govt to bailout Forestry Tasmania
17 May 2012 at 1:30am
TAS The Tasmanian Government will spend $110 million over four years bailing out Forestry Tasma...
Dr Victor Chang's murderer to go home
17 May 2012 at 1:17am
More than twenty years after renowned Sydney heart surgeon Victor Chang was killed, the man who s...
Europe News:
Cameron 'told how to treat Murdoch'
17 May 2012 at 8:02am
News International executives briefed David Cameron on "what to say and how to say it" before he ...
Indian couple jailed in British immigration scam
17 May 2012 at 7:53am
New Delhi, May 17 : An Indian couple has been jailed in Britain for involvement in an immigration...
Strauss receives ICC Test Championship mace for England
17 May 2012 at 6:35am
Cricket News: New Delhi, England finished on top of the ICC Test Championship table on the annual...
the day's best news images
17 May 2012 at 6:04am
In our photo coverage of the day's events we say witness the swearing in of the shortest governme...
let's not exploit them, too
17 May 2012 at 6:04am
here on the Daily Mail's ever-resourceful site - shows Philpott weeping copiously as he "talks fo...
United Kingdom News:
Cameron 'told how to treat Murdoch'
17 May 2012 at 8:02am
News International executives briefed David Cameron on "what to say and how to say it" before he ...
Indian couple jailed in British immigration scam
17 May 2012 at 7:53am
New Delhi, May 17 : An Indian couple has been jailed in Britain for involvement in an immigration...
Strauss receives ICC Test Championship mace for England
17 May 2012 at 6:35am
Cricket News: New Delhi, England finished on top of the ICC Test Championship table on the annual...
the day's best news images
17 May 2012 at 6:04am
In our photo coverage of the day's events we say witness the swearing in of the shortest governme...
let's not exploit them, too
17 May 2012 at 6:04am
here on the Daily Mail's ever-resourceful site - shows Philpott weeping copiously as he "talks fo...
Asia News:
Indians’ affinity for gold pushing country into debt
17 May 2012 at 7:24am
View Photo Gallery - India’s gold rush: India is struggling to balance its books partly because I...
Bollywood stars, owners linked to scandal-hit Indian Premier League
17 May 2012 at 6:25am
NEW DELHI: The lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) has been hit by a series of scandals - the l...
Success for Broadband-IP&TV Asia 2012
17 May 2012 at 6:11am
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Broadband-IP&TV Asia 2012 has been hailed a huge success, with well ...
Fewer girls getting married before 14 in South Asia
17 May 2012 at 5:15am
Feature News: Washington, Mostly under force of local tradition and social custom, every year, ov...
Magazine sued over 'coup story'
17 May 2012 at 4:40am
India's Open magazine, being sued for $90m by the Indian Express newspaper, has said it stands by...
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Country:
In geography and politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity. Frequently, but not always, a country is considered a Sovereign territory and is associated with the notations of State, Nation and Government. Formal recognition as a country requires the fulfillment of the Constitutive theory of statehood. The Constitutive theory of statehood requires that to be recognized as a country, a region must receive recognition from other countries, which, in turn, are themselves recognized by other countries.
In common usage, the term country is used casually in the sense of both nations and states, with definitions varying. In some cases it is used to refer to both states and other political entities, while in some occasions it refers only to states. It is not uncommon for general information or statistical publications to adopt the wider definition for purposes such as illustration and comparison.
In ancient history, no civilization has completely fulfilled the current criteria to be classified as a country. The main falling point of these civilizations is that they are not recognized by other civilizations out of ignorance of each others existence. The Roman Empire was the oldest civilization to be classified as a country by today's standards.
For an entity to be classified as a country, it must fulfill the Constitutive theory of statehood, this internationally recognized convention requires that for an entity to be recognized as a country, it must be recognized by the global community.
Montevideo Convention:
One of the most commonly cited criteria cited by micronations in regards to their eligibility to become countries is the Montevideo Convention. The Montevideo Convention was signed on December 26 1933 by the United States, Honduras, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Paraguay, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Guatemala, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Cuba but contrary to the belief of many who wish to exploit it, it never received international consensus. The Montevideo Convention has four conditions that an entity must meet to become a country, a country must possess:
* a permanent population * defined territory * Government * capacity to enter into relations with other states
Because of these easy to meet criteria, the Montevideo Convention was never accepted by the international community, countries instead use the Constitutive theory of statehood as a benchmark.
Constitutive Theory of Statehood:
The Constitutive theory was developed in the 19th century to define what is and is not a State. With this theory, the obligation to obey international law depends on a entities recognition by Countries. Because of this, new States could not immediately become part of the international community or be bound by international law and recognized nations did not have to respect international law in their dealings with them. One of the major criticisms of this law is the confusion caused when some States recognize a new State, but other States do not, a situation the theory does not deal with. Hersch Lauterpacht, one of the theories main proponents, suggested that it is a State's duty to grant recognition as a possible solution. However, a State may use any criteria when judging if they should give recognition and they have no obligation to use such a criteria.
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