邦 is literary and mostly appears in compound words like 联邦 (liánbāng, federation), 邻邦 (línbāng, neighboring country), and 友邦 (yǒubāng, friendly nation). In modern Chinese, 国 (guó) is the everyday word for 'country.'
history
In ancient China, 邦 referred to feudal states. The character appears in classical texts like the Analerta: 邦有道 (bāng yǒu dào) — 'when the state has the Way.' Over time, 国 replaced it in common usage.
