Published
country
vr.tr.country · thing-q6256
Let an agent handle countries by name, status, codes, government and data, neutrally, including disputed status.
Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.PLC
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identity Which country.
Name
Official and common.
Name
Country identity.
- What are the official and common names? provenance
- What is its ISO code? provenance
Status
Sovereign or not.
Status
Status.
- Is it a sovereign state, constituent country or territory? definition
- Is its status disputed? boundary
Facts Basic data.
Population
People.
Population
Population.
- What is its population, according to which source and year? measurement
- What is its area? measurement
Government
System.
Government
Government.
- What is its system of government? provenance
- Who is the head of state? provenance
Geography Place.
Location
Region.
Location
Location.
- Where is it, and which countries border it? definition
- What is its capital? provenance
Subdivisions
Regions.
Subdivisions
Subdivisions.
- How is it divided administratively? provenance
- Which codes apply? provenance
Neutrality Disputes.
Recognition
Status.
Recognition
Recognition.
- Which states recognise it? provenance
- Are positions attributed neutrally? boundary
Borders
Disputes.
Borders
Border disputes.
- Are any borders disputed? boundary
- How should maps note that? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.PLC
- Other names and narrower kinds
- great homeland, divided territory, petrostate, real union, victorious country, newly independent state, nonaligned country, war-devastated country, equatorial country, Sikh state, transcontinental country, developed country
What it is Filled
A distinct territorial and political entity, usually a sovereign state with its own government, population and borders, though the word also covers constituent countries and territories with disputed or limited recognition.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle countries by name, status, codes, government and data, neutrally, including disputed status.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Territory, population and government
- Sovereign or constituent
- Recognition can be disputed
- Identified by ISO codes
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Take one side in disputed sovereignty or borders as if settled.
- Describe a country's people with stereotypes or collective blame.
- Present outdated statistics as current.
- Claim to speak for a government without authority.
Only with a human decision
- Representing a country or its government in official matters.
May
- Report facts about a country from official and reputable sources with dates.
- Note where sovereignty, borders or names are disputed and give each position.
Moral aspects Filled
- Country labels decide people's rights, travel and recognition.
- Disputed territories involve people whose lives depend on how they are named.
Who is affected
- Citizens and residents
- People in disputed areas
- Governments
Owners Filled
Steward
Its government, on behalf of its people.
Master systems
- International country code lists
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1048835 - registry parent class
- Q4835091 - registry parent class
related
- political territorial entity - category
- government and capital - institutions
- administrative territorial entity - subdivisions
- ISO 3166-1 - codes
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.country
- Wikidata: Q6256 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6256)
- ISO 3166-1: alpha-2, alpha-3 and numeric codes countries
- M49: UN statistical code countries and areas
Direct properties required Filled
- Territorial area: km2 - Calculate area using a stated boundary dataset and specify the treatment of inland waters and disputed territories.
- Elevation: m - Determine terrain elevations relative to a stated vertical datum within the specified territorial boundaries.
- Land boundary length: km - Measure mapped land boundaries at a stated resolution and identify any disputed segments.
Recognition required Filled
- Official name and ISO code
- UN membership or other status
- Constituent countries such as those of the UK
- Territories on maps with borders, flags and institutions.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- look up official names and codes
- find capital, population and government
- check recognition status
- compare statistics
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Taking sides on disputed status
- Outdated names or codes
- Mixing sovereign and constituent countries
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- UN Charter
- Montevideo Convention criteria (widely cited)
- ISO 3166
Context of use required Filled
- A basic unit of political geography, law and statistics.
- sovereign states
- constituent countries
- states with limited recognition
- dependent territories
- historical states
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q6256: country - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Country - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should countries be instances with ISO codes?
- How should disputed status be represented?
- How should historical states be linked?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q6256/spec.json