Simple Examples of Nationality

Nationality can mean different things, depending on the context. For instance, in immigration and legal documents, it can sometimes mean citizenship. However, nationality is not the same as citizenship. Citizenship has to do with where you live as a legal resident of a country, but nationality has to do with where you belong. You can live in one place and belong in another, as these examples show.

Svetlana lives in the United States, but she was born in Russia. Her parents still live in Russia, and she still speaks Russian. Although she is a legal citizen, she has only lived in the US for a few years. She yearns to return to Russia and plans to go back.

Even though Svetlana is a US citizen, she doesn't consider herself to be an American. She feels she belongs in Russia, which means her nationality is Russian.

Muhammad was born in India but has always dreamt of living in Canada. He worked hard in school and has come to Canada as a university student. He loves Canada and plans to apply for citizenship to become a permanent resident.

While Muhammad is Indian, he is also Canadian. Although Muhammad is not yet a legal citizen of Canada, he feels he belongs in that country. His future plans indicate that his nationality is Canadian too.

Like nationality, ethnicity involves the concept of belonging. However, ethnicity is not about the country where someone lives or was born. Instead, it involves common cultural factors like music, religion, food, dress, and others. These simple examples can help.

Jacque has spent his whole life in Montreal and speaks French. His neighbors and coworkers all speak French too. His ancestors emigrated to Canada from France generations ago, and he's proud of his heritage. Even though Jacque's nationality is simply Canadian, his ethnicity is French-Canadian.

Nichelle is an African American fourth grader at an elementary school in Chicago. She's at the top of her class and enjoys history. She is also fascinated with the history of her own family and talks to her grandmother about her experiences during the Civil Rights era and the family's history of slavery. Nichelle is American because she lives in and feels part of the United States, and her ethnicity is also African American.

A nation and a country can be the same, but they don't always have to be. A nation is the physical territory and the people who live in it. A country is the physical territory, the people who live in it, and the government that controls it.

People can also live in more than one nation but a single country, as in the Great Sioux Nation. People of Native American ethnicity may live on reservation land that is a nation in itself, while also living in the nation and country of the United States.

People who identify as belonging in the country of the United States are considered to have American nationality; however, this can be a little confusing. "American" is a term of casual usage. The US Department of State refers to citizens as "US Nationals." This eliminates confusion with the American continents.

Some governments define several different types of nationality in a legal sense. For instance, there are six types of British nationality in the United Kingdom:

• British citizen: Someone born in the UK or who has received official citizenship
• British overseas territory citizen: Someone who was born in an overseas territory of Great Britain or has obtained citizenship there
• British overseas citizen: Often someone who would otherwise be considered stateless but who was born in a British territory or has a parent born in a British territory
• British subject: An uncommon designation that applies to people who were British subjects prior to 1948 but did not become a British citizen or a citizen of another country
• British national (overseas): Someone who was connected with Hong Kong prior to 1997 and did not become a British overseas territories citizen
• British protected person: Someone born stateless in the UK or a territory and has a parent who was a British protected person

This printable chart lists many of the world's nationalities and their associated countries.