Type details for Country

Type:Country
Identifier:COUNTRY
Description:Nation-states and similar entities. This includes units which are currently part of another sovereign entity but have a past history of independence, and units with a history of aspirations to indepdence and clear evidence of distinct national identity.
Number of units in system:
12
Geographical Level: 4 (Country) (i.e. this type is synonymous with a level)
ADL Feature Type:countries
May be part of: Country , Sub-Continent
May have as parts: Irish County , Country
Possible status values: Joint , Sovereign State (Sov) , Disputed , Crown Protectorate (CrProt) , Not independent (Dep) , Federated State (Fed)

Full Description:

Deciding which units are included here, other than clear current nation-states, is inevitably both controversial and slightly arbitrary. However, two considerations are how for how much of a unit's history has it been independent, and whether its non-independent existence has been primarily as a standard component of a larger entity or as a unique body requiring a special status. Using these tests, Scotland has a much clearer case for being classed as a COUNTRY than Texas.