POLITICAL SCIENCE

Concepts of State and Government

Meaning of State
A state is a community of persons more or less numerous permanently occupying a
definite portion of territory having a government of their own to which a great body of
inhabitants render obedience, and enjoying freedom from external control.
The Philippines is a state.

Elements of State
The modern state has four (4) essential elements.
1) People This refers to the inhabitants living within the state. Without people there
can be no functionaries to govern and no subjects to be governed.
2) Territory It includes not only the fixed portion of land over which the jurisdiction of
the state extends (territorial domain) but also the rivers and lakes therein, a certain
area of the sea which abuts upon its coasts and the air space above the land and
the waters. Thus, the domain of the state may be described as terrestrial, fluvial,
maritime, and aerial.
3) Government It refers to the agency through which the will of the state is
formulated, expressed, and carried out.