It is commonly believed that nations are constituted by a group who share certain features such as descent, language, religion or ethnicity. However, there is in fact no common set of characteristics which is present in all nations across the world.

Many nations do not have a common language to unite them. For instance, Canada includes both English speaking as well as French speaking peoples. Similarly, India has a large number of languages which are spoken in different regions and by different communities. This shows that language cannot be a universal factor in nationalism.

Nor do many nations have a common religion to unite them. The same could be said of other characteristics such as race or descent. Most societies are culturally diverse, with people belonging to different religions and languages living together in the same territory. Imposing a single religious or linguistic identity as a condition of belonging would necessarily exclude some groups.

What then constitutes a nation? A nation is to a great extent an 'imagined' community, held together by the collective beliefs, aspirations and imaginations of its members. It is based on certain assumptions which people make about the collective whole with which they identify.

Therefore, it is desirable to imagine the nation in political rather than cultural terms. Democracies need to emphasise and expect loyalty to a set of values that may be enshrined in the Constitution of the country rather than adherence to a particular religion, race or language. This ensures equal treatment and liberty for all citizens.