領土

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 領土 is read as りょうど and is territory, the land or region over which a state exercises sovereignty.
• Basic usage: Use 島全体を領土とする for treating an entire island as territory and 領土を巡って対立する for being in conflict over territory.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Distinction between 領土 and 領海
  • The headword primarily denotes land territory under a state's sovereignty, while the comparison term denotes the belt of territorial waters off its coast.