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Sovereignty is the right of a government to have complete control over its area. The idea that this right comes from doing good things for the people under control of the government is as old as Ancient Greece if not older.

The exact meaning of Sovereignty has changed some in the past. The present meaning of Sovereignty is said to come from the Peace of Westphalia, an agreement between the rulers of Europe in 1648 which said:

• No one should try to help break up one sovereign government into more than one.
• No one should cross over into the land, water, or air where the international law says a government is sovereign, unless they have agreement from that sovereign government.
• A sovereign government is the only maker of laws in the land, water or air where international law says it is sovereign.