A country (or nation-state) was a self-governing entity that was generally smaller than a planetary government, and made up of smaller subnational entities (states or provinces), as was found in many instances on Earth.
The United Federation of Planets required that planets have a unified government in order to be considered for Federation membership. However, planetary citizens often felt an attachment to their native region, which may have previously been a nation-state. (TNG: "Attached")
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