I interpreted the question to be about common/colloquial usage, not definition. In colloquial usage, for me, state and country are not typically used interchan

I interpreted the question to be about common/colloquial usage, not definition. In colloquial usage, for me, state and country are not typically used interchangeably, and are fairly asymmetrical: i.e. I'd never call Nebraska a Country. I'd much more commonly call Netherlands a country, and only call it a state in formal political discussion. Everybody's mileage will vary significantly :)