Federated state
A federated state (which may also be referred to as a state, a province, a region, a canton, a country) is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation.[1] Such states differ from fully sovereign states, in that they do not have full sovereign powers, as the sovereign powers have been divided between the federated states and the central or federal government. Importantly, federated states do not have standing as entities of international law. Instead, the federal union as a single entity is the sovereign state for purposes of international law.[2] Depending on the constitutional structure of a particular federation, a federated state can hold various degrees of legislative, judicial and administrative jurisdiction over a defined geographic territory and is a form of regional government.
In some cases, a federation is created from a union of political entities, which are either independent, or dependent territories of another sovereign entity (most commonly a colonial power).[3] In other cases, federated states have been created out of the regions of previously unitary states.[4] Once a federal constitution is formed, the rules governing the relationship between federal and regional powers become part of the country's constitutional law and not international law.
In countries with federal constitutions, there is a division of power between the central government and the component states. These entities - states, provinces, counties, cantons, Länder, etc. - are partially self-governing and are afforded a degree of constitutionally guaranteed autonomy that varies substantially from one federation to another.[5] Depending on the form the decentralization of powers takes, a federated state's legislative powers may or may not be overruled or vetoed by the federal government. Laws governing the relationship between federal and regional powers can be amended through the national or federal constitution, and, if they exist, state constitutions as well.
Contents
1 Differences in terminology
2 List of constituents by federation
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
Differences in terminology
Federated states typically, though not necessarily, use differences in the terminology of institutions to which there is an analogous federal-level equivalent. This list is a demonstration of common—though neither exhaustive nor universal—terminology differences between the state and federal levels:
Class of institution | Federal-level title | State-level title |
---|---|---|
HEAD OF STATE | ||
Republican | President | Governor |
Republican - Deputy | Vice-President | Lieutenant-Governor |
Monarchical | Queen / King | Queen / King |
Monarchical - Representative | Governor General | Governor / Lieutenant Governor |
EXECUTIVE BRANCH | ||
Head of Government | Prime Minister President | Premier |
Chief Minister | ||
Minister-President | ||
Governor | ||
Head of Department | Minister Secretary | Minister |
Commissioner | ||
Superintendent | ||
Executive Body | Cabinet | Cabinet |
Privy Council | Executive Council | |
Government | State Council | |
Council of Ministers | Board of Ministers | |
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH | ||
Legislative Body | Parliament | Parliament Legislature |
Congress | State Council | |
National Assembly | General Assembly | |
Upper House | Senate | Senate Legislative Council |
Lower House | House of Commons House of Representatives | Legislative Assembly |
Chamber of Deputies | Landtag | |
National Assembly | House of Assembly | |
JUDICIAL BRANCH | ||
Highest Court | Supreme Court High Court | High Court |
Court of Final Appeal |
List of constituents by federation
The "federated units" in the table below have inherent governmental authority in the federation's constitutional system, while the "other units" are delegated authority by the federal government or are administered directly by it (see federal district and federal territory).
C indicates federal capital (or federated units that contain it).
D indicates actively disputed territory by other sovereign states or the international community.
Federation | Federated units | Other units |
---|---|---|
Argentina[6] | 23 provinces:
| 1 autonomous city:
|
Australia[7] | 6 states:
| 10 territories:
|
Austria[9] | 9 states:
| |
Belgium[10] | 3 regions:[N 1]
| |
3 communities:[N 2]
| ||
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2 entities:[8]
| 1 self-governing district:
|
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is itself a federation of 10 cantons:
| ||
Brazil[11] | 26 states:
| |
1 federal district:
| ||
5,568 municipalities[N 4][12] | ||
Canada[13] | 10 provinces:
| 3 territories:
|
Comoros | 3 islands:[8]
| |
Ethiopia[14] | 9 regions:
| 2 chartered cities:
|
Germany[15] | 16 states:
| |
India[16] | 29 states:
| 7 union territories:
|
Iraq[17] | 19 governorates:
| 1 autonomous region:
|
Malaysia[18] | 13 states:
| 3 federal territories:
|
Mexico[19] | 31 states:
| |
1 autonomous city:
| ||
Micronesia[20] | 4 states:
| |
Nepal | 7 provinces:
| |
Nigeria[21] | 36 states:
| 1 territory:
|
Pakistan[22] | 4 provinces:
| 2 autonomous territories:[8]
D |
1 federal territory: Islamabad Capital TerritoryC | ||
Russia[23][24] | 46 oblasts:
| |
22 republics:[8]
| ||
9 krais:
| ||
4 autonomous okrugs:[8]
| ||
3 federal cities:
| ||
1 autonomous oblast:[8]
| ||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2 states:
| |
Somalia[25][26] | 6 federal member states:[N 7]
| |
South Sudan | 28 states:
| |
Sudan[27] | 18 states:
| |
Switzerland[28] | 26 cantons:
| |
United Arab Emirates[29] | 7 emirates:
| |
United States[30] | 50 states:
| 1 federal district:
|
1 incorporated territory:
| ||
15 unincorporated territories:
| ||
Venezuela[31] | 23 states:
| 1 capital district:
|
1 federal dependency:
|
See also
- Associated state
- Constituent state
- Federal district
- Federal territory
- Federation
- List of autonomous areas by country
- List of sovereign states
- Supranational union
- List of administrative divisions by country
Notes
^ Flanders and Wallonia are subdivided into five provinces each, which are mandated by the Constitution of Belgium. Provincial governance are the responsibility of the regional governments.
^ The communities and regions are separate government institutions with different areas of responsibility. The communities are organized based on linguistic boundaries, which are different from regional boundaries.
^ The federal district has a level of self-ruling equal to the other main federal units.
^ The 1988 Brazilian Constitution treats the municipalities as parts of the Federation and not simply dependent subdivisions of the states.
^ The region overlaps the area of the governorates.
^ Saint Kitts is governed directly by the federal government.
^ Adopted constitution accommodates existing regional governments, with the ultimate number and boundaries of the Federal Member States to be determined by the House of the People of the Federal Parliament.
^ The United States also claims Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank.
References
^ The Australian National Dictionary: Fourth Edition, pg 1395. (2004) Canberra. .mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
ISBN 978-0-19-551771-2.
^ Crawford, J. (2006). The Creation of States in International Law. Oxford, Clarendon Press.
^ Examples are Australia and the United States.
^ This occurred in Belgium in 1993. The Belgian regions had previously devolved powers.
^ For instance, Canadian provinces and Swiss cantons possess substantially more powers and enjoy more protection against interference and infringements from the central government than most non-Western federations.
^ Daniel, Kate; Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (2008). SBS World Guide: The Complete Fact File on Every Country, 16th ed. Prahran, Victoria, Australia: Hardie Grant Books. p. 827. ISBN 978-1-74066-648-0. p26.
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p38
^ abcdefgh Autonomous region. See more at List of autonomous areas by country
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p46
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p74
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p101
^ Article 18
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p132
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p239
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p275
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p328
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p346
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p460
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p481
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p486
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p537
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p549
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p600
^ Federal structure of Russia, Article 65 of Russian Constitution.
^ "The Federal Republic of Somalia - Harmonized Draft Constitution" (PDF). Federal Republic of Somalia. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
^ "Guidebook to the Somali Draft Provisional Constitution". Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p687
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p700
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p760
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p774
^ SBS World Guide 2008, p798