Abstract
The chapter is devoted to the conceptual and terminological confusion surrounding de facto states. A great number of seemingly synonymous terms have been used interchangeably with "de facto state".
Various terms, some of them also imbued with semantic nuances, have somewhat obscured the research field. The aim of this chapter is to provide a review of several key concepts with their attributes and definitions, and to subsequently explain in what sense and meaning the authors of this book understand and use the term de facto state.