1. A state is sometimes used as a synonymn for nation or country.
2. States together, form a nation.
3. A nation can be defined as a politico-cultural entity, which is identified by its unique character and collective rights. On the contrary, a state can be defined as a politico-judicial entity, which is identified by its sovereign rights.
4. A nation can be defined as group of people who are bound together into a single body, through history, customs, value, language, culture, tradition, art and religion. A state can be defined as a patch of land with a sovereign government.
5. A nation can be refered to as the holder of soverignity.
6. Policies pertaining to national interest are taken by the government at the national level, but the state governments cannot formlate such policies.
7. The word “nation” has been derived from the latin ‘natio’, which means a ‘set of people’. State is a word that has been derived from the Latin ‘Status’, which means ‘status’ or ‘condition’.
http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/politics/difference-between-nation-and-state/
