* "State" as a political entity: The United States is a nation-state, meaning it's a sovereign entity with its own government, territory, and people. It's a single, unified political entity, not a collection of independent entities.
* "State" as a component of the federal system: The United States is also a federal republic, meaning it's a union of individual states (like California, New York, Texas, etc.). These individual states have their own governments and powers within the broader federal system.
So, while the United States is a single, unified entity, it's also made up of individual states that have their own autonomy. This is why we can refer to the entire country as "the United States" or simply "the States".
Here are some ways to break down the usage:
* "The United States" is the formal name of the country as a whole.
* "The States" is a more informal way to refer to the entire country, acknowledging its federal structure.
* "A state" refers to one of the individual states within the country.
It's important to use the correct terminology depending on the context to avoid confusion.