<P> A multinational state is a sovereign state that comprises two or more nations . This is in contrast to a nation state, where a single nation accounts for the bulk of the population . Depending on the definition of "nation" (which touches on ethnicity, language, and political identity), a multinational state might also be multicultural or multilingual . </P> <P> Present - day examples of multinational states are Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Madagascar, Montenegro, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom . Historical multinational states that have since split into multiple sovereign states include Austria - Hungary, British India, Czechoslovakia, the Empire of Japan, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia . Some analysts have described the European Union as a multinational state or a potential one . </P>

What is the term for a state containing several countries or territories