Country explained to kids

A country is a region that is identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or part of a larger state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with sets of previously independent or differently associated people. There is no hard and fast rule for how a country is defined, but there are some common characteristics that all countries share. A country is typically considered to be a sovereign state if it has a government that is able to make and enforce its own laws, and if it has a territory that is recognized as being under its own control. A country also typically has a population that shares a common culture and history, and a economy that is controlled by the government of the country. All of these factors are important in determining whether a particular region is considered to be a country.