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Government > Government type: Countries Compared

DEFINITION: A description of the basic form of government (e.g., republic, constitutional monarchy, federal republic, parliamentary democracy, military dictatorship).
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION
Afghanistan Islamic republic
Albania parliamentary democracy
Algeria republic
American Samoa NA
Andorra parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seu d'Urgell, Spain, who are represented in Andorra by the coprinces' representatives
Angola republic; multiparty presidential regime
Anguilla NA
Antarctica Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic region is governed by a system known as the Antarctic Treaty System; the system includes: 1. the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, which establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica, 2. Recommendations and Measures adopted at meetings of Antarctic Treaty countries, 3. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972), 4. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980), and 5. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991); the 33rd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay in May 2010; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; by April 2010, there were 48 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 20 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the years in parentheses indicate when a consultative member-nation acceded to the Treaty and when it was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and the UK; nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1975/1983), Bulgaria (1978/1998), China (1983/1985), Ecuador (1987/1990), Finland (1984/1989), Germany (1979/1981), India (1983/1983), Italy (1981/1987), Japan, South Korea (1986/1989), Netherlands (1967/1990), Peru (1981/1989), Poland (196
Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments; a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through six specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, 5) area protection and management and 6) liability arising from environmental emergencies; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Antigua and Barbuda constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and a Commonwealth realm
Argentina republic
Armenia republic
Aruba parliamentary democracy
Australia federal parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Austria federal republic
Azerbaijan republic
Bahrain constitutional monarchy
Bangladesh parliamentary democracy
Barbados parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Belarus republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
Belgium federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Belize parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Benin republic
Bermuda parliamentary; self-governing territory
Bhutan constitutional monarchy
Bolivia republic
Bosnia and Herzegovina emerging federal democratic republic
Botswana parliamentary republic
Brazil federal republic
British Virgin Islands NA
Brunei constitutional sultanate (locally known as Malay Islamic Monarchy)
Bulgaria parliamentary democracy
Burkina Faso parliamentary republic
Burma parliamentary government took power in March 2011
Burundi republic
Cambodia multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Cameroon republic; multiparty presidential regime
Canada a parliamentary democracy, a federation, and a constitutional monarchy
Cape Verde republic
Cayman Islands parliamentary democracy
Central African Republic republic
Chad republic
Chile republic
China Communist state
Christmas Island NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA
Colombia republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Comoros republic
Congo, Republic of the republic
Cook Islands self-governing parliamentary democracy
Costa Rica democratic republic
Cote d'Ivoire republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960
Croatia parliamentary democracy
Cuba Communist state
Cyprus republic
Czech Republic parliamentary democracy
Democratic Republic of the Congo republic
Denmark constitutional monarchy
Djibouti republic
Dominica parliamentary democracy
Dominican Republic democratic republic
East Timor republic
Ecuador republic
Egypt republic
El Salvador republic
Equatorial Guinea republic
Eritrea transitional government
Estonia parliamentary republic
Ethiopia federal republic
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA
Faroe Islands NA
Federated States of Micronesia constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force on 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004
Fiji republic
Finland republic
France republic
French Polynesia parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity
Gabon republic; multiparty presidential regime
Georgia republic
Germany federal republic
Ghana constitutional democracy
Gibraltar NA
Greece parliamentary republic
Greenland parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Grenada parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Guam NA
Guatemala constitutional democratic republic
Guernsey parliamentary democracy
Guinea republic
Guinea-Bissau republic
Guyana republic
Haiti republic
Holy See (Vatican City) ecclesiastical
Honduras democratic constitutional republic
Hong Kong limited democracy
Hungary parliamentary democracy
Iceland constitutional republic
India federal republic
Indonesia republic
Iran theocratic republic
Iraq parliamentary democracy
Ireland republic, parliamentary democracy
Isle of Man parliamentary democracy
Israel parliamentary democracy
Italy republic
Jamaica constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Japan a parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy
Jersey parliamentary democracy
Jordan constitutional monarchy
Kazakhstan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Kenya republic
Kiribati republic
Kosovo republic
Kuwait constitutional emirate
Kyrgyzstan republic
Laos Communist state
Latvia parliamentary democracy
Lebanon republic
Lesotho parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Liberia republic
Libya operates under a transitional government
Liechtenstein hereditary constitutional monarchy
Lithuania parliamentary democracy
Luxembourg constitutional monarchy
Macau limited democracy
Madagascar republic
Malawi multiparty democracy
Malaysia constitutional monarchy
Maldives republic
Mali republic
Malta republic
Marshall Islands constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force on 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004
Mauritania military junta
Mauritius parliamentary democracy
Mayotte NA
Mexico federal republic
Moldova republic
Monaco constitutional monarchy
Mongolia parliamentary
Montenegro republic
Montserrat NA
Morocco constitutional monarchy
Mozambique republic
Namibia republic
Nauru republic
Nepal federal democratic republic
Netherlands constitutional monarchy
Netherlands Antilles parliamentary
New Caledonia parliamentary representative democracy
New Zealand parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Nicaragua republic
Niger republic
Nigeria federal republic
Niue self-governing parliamentary democracy
Norfolk Island NA
North Korea Communist state one-man dictatorship
Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature
Norway constitutional monarchy
Oman monarchy
Pakistan federal republic
Palau constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force on 1 October 1994
Panama constitutional democracy
Papua New Guinea constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Paraguay constitutional republic
Peru constitutional republic
Philippines republic
Pitcairn Islands NA
Poland republic
Portugal republic; parliamentary democracy
Puerto Rico commonwealth
Qatar emirate
Republic of Macedonia parliamentary democracy
Romania republic
Russia federation
Rwanda republic; presidential, multiparty system
Saint Kitts and Nevis parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Saint Lucia parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Saint Pierre and Miquelon parliamentary representative democracy
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Samoa parliamentary democracy
San Marino republic
Sao Tome and Principe republic
Saudi Arabia monarchy
Senegal republic
Serbia republic
Serbia and Montenegro republic
Seychelles republic
Sierra Leone constitutional democracy
Singapore parliamentary republic
Slovakia parliamentary democracy
Slovenia parliamentary republic
Solomon Islands parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Somalia in the process of building a federated parliamentary republic
South Africa republic
South Korea republic
South Sudan republic
Spain parliamentary monarchy
Sri Lanka republic
Sudan Federal republic ruled by the National Congress Party the (NCP), which came to power by military coup in 1989; the CPA-mandated Government of National Unity, which since 2005 provided a percentage of leadership posts to the south Sudan-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), was disbanded following the secession of South Sudan.
Suriname constitutional democracy
Svalbard NA
Swaziland monarchy
Sweden constitutional monarchy
Switzerland formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic
Syria republic under an authoritarian regime
Taiwan multiparty democracy
Tajikistan republic
Tanzania republic
Thailand constitutional monarchy
The Bahamas constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
The Gambia republic
Togo republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Tokelau NA
Tonga constitutional monarchy
Trinidad and Tobago parliamentary democracy
Tunisia republic
Turkey republican parliamentary democracy
Turkmenistan defines itself as a secular democracy and a presidential republic; in actuality displays authoritarian presidential rule, with power concentrated within the presidential administration
Turks and Caicos Islands NA
Tuvalu parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Uganda republic
Ukraine republic
United Arab Emirates federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
United Kingdom constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm
United States Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Uruguay constitutional republic
Uzbekistan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Vanuatu parliamentary republic
Venezuela federal republic
Vietnam Communist state
Virgin Islands NA
Wallis and Futuna parliamentary representive democratic French overseas collectivity
Western Sahara legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ
Yemen republic
Zambia republic
Zimbabwe parliamentary democracy

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Interesting observations about Government > Government type

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Hello I was hoping to find a site that showed all the types of systems. Including who sets up electoral boundaries ie political or independent body. Voting systems First past post or preferential. Does a independent body overseeing government employees for corruption.

Posted on 15 Feb 2011

Mr Thinker

Mr Thinker

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The U.S. isn't a Democracy or a Republic-- it's ruled by the media.

Posted on 31 Mar 2010

Shaman

Shaman

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This is a good webpage because ot shows all the different government types that every country has.

Posted on 21 Feb 2010

Brother Blood

Brother Blood

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The year is 2010, and the United States of America is headed downhill. Our politicians say it is because the American people have been borrowing too much money to finance a way of life that is unsustainable. Yet the Federal budgets, as well as many State budgets are directly due to the actions of the politicians and not the general public. Even as the general public tightens its belt, the government continues to spend money is an attempt to accumulate more power over the people. A close look at the Federal budget is quite informative. Instead of passing laws that benefit everyone, laws are passed favoring a small number of people. These laws are passed to favor only the few because the concentration of wealth is the main way that Masters keep Slaves under control.
Concentration of wealth is one of the main contributing factors in the fall of Rome, and indeed most of the civilizations of history. Why is this historical fact ignored? Because this development is the turning point for a civilization turned into an empire. Empires do not exist to serve the citizenry. They exist to serve the purposes of the elite who care only for the ruling of others. Remember, at some point wealth reaches a point where no more wealth is needed to secure ones life or lifestyle. Then the acquisition of wealth becomes a way to keep others from having wealth. Why does this occur? Because of the only important conspiracy in the history of mankind! The conspiracy of the haves against the have nots. Look at history carefully. Many of the Mesoamerican civilizations of the past fell apart because the citizenry figured out the haves did not have any power to intercede with the gods. The citizenry left/migrated to a new area. But the greed followed and the same problem occurred all over again.
Further consider the destruction of primitive tribal societies by more powerful societies who exploited these people for their own ends. They did not share the wealth, and indeed many used religion (again) as an excuse for this activity. The end result was the destruction of these primitive societies, the death of most of their citizens, and the loss of any potential good they could have brought to the world. The Indian tribes of North America always said, “Before you act, consider the next seven generations.” If our society had followed such sage advice, would the US of A be falling apart? Maybe not.
Now the entire world faces an extinction point because of the lies our leaders have told us. The American economy resembles one big Ponzi scheme. Borrowing lots of new money to continue satisfying old money’s exorbitant greed is a capitalistic concept. Eventually over half of the GDP will be used just to pay the interest. And why do these financial hardships strike the general public and not the wealthy upper class? Because our politicians are paid larges bribes to do the bidding of the rich. Only the rich and/or corporations have sufficient funds to do the bribing. Remember, no matter that the Supreme Court says, money is like a force multiplier in the military. The rich and or corporations get to use megaphones/rifles to attain what they want, and the general public only has bows and arrows. Who do you think is going to win that contest? We live that same way as those old primitive societies. It does not matter what level of technology we posses over the older societies. The wealthy amongst us still have the biggest force multiplier, and the Supreme Court has just codified their power over the general public.

How will this end? What did I say earlier? With the destruction of our “of, for and by the people” civilization, and the implementation of royalty all over again. And do not think for a second that we will be treated any less cruelly or savagely!

Posted on 10 Feb 2010

Glen Jones

Glen Jones

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1.what is the difference between communism and socialism?

2. what is the difference between invade and authoritative?

Posted on 23 Oct 2009

deborah

deborah

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Invasion of irak is just part of a vast plan for the new world order, where as the centre of power is shifting from governments to big powerful military / energetic / pharmaceutical / food companies.
Their aim is to control every aspect of our lives.

Posted on 04 Sep 2009

Andre

Andre

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