Ok, you need 6 facts on what makes a country. I only have 4, sorry.
1. A goverment, a country needs a goverment because they need to keep the country under control and to make laws.
2. A steady population, if the population declines and is drastically below 35 million then how can you call it a country?
3. Territory, if the "country" doesn't have a defined territory it is not abled to be called a country yet. Other "countries" will be fighting for the territory.
4. Lastly, being able to interact with other countries for imports and exports. Your goverment has to be strong enough for you country to be stable. You don't want be in war, that's for sure.
(Hope this helped)