What is a sovereign state?

A sovereign state is one in which the individual state or nation has exclusive control. The concept recognizes all states as equal. This means that regardless of financial capability, land mass or population, each state has the right to make decisions about what occurs in the territory.

A sovereign state has complete control of the property and the people in the territory. Under this concept, one sovereign state is not allowed to interfere with the internal affairs of another sovereign state. Each state has the right to function independently and make decisions as an individual state. However, some sovereign states have agreed on treaties determining minimum standards for human rights.