View source for Social:Federation

{{Short description|Political union of partially self-governing territories under a national government}}

[[File:Map of unitary and federal states.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|
{{legend|#00e000;|Federal states}}
{{legend|#0000b0;|[[Earth:Unitary state|Unitary state]]s}}]]
[[File:The pathway of regional integration or separation.png|thumb|upright=1.7|The pathway of regional integration or separation]]

A '''federation''' (also a '''federal state''') is a political entity characterized by a [[Social:Political union|union]] of partially [[Social:Federated state|self-governing provinces, states, or other regions]] under a federal government ([[Social:Federalism|federalism]]). In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states, as well as the division of power between them and the central government, is constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision, neither by the component states nor the federal political body.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

Alternatively, a federation is a form of government in which sovereign power is formally divided between a central authority and a number of constituent regions so that each region retains some degree of control over its internal affairs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Federalism and Federation |url=https://pesd.princeton.edu/node/431 |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Self-Determination |language=en}}</ref>

It is often argued that federal states where the central government has overriding powers are not truly federal states. For example, such overriding powers may include: the constitutional authority to suspend a constituent state's government by invoking gross mismanagement or civil unrest, or to adopt national legislation that overrides or infringes on the constituent states' powers by invoking the central government's constitutional authority to ensure "peace and good government" or to implement obligations contracted under an international treaty.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

The governmental or constitutional structure found in a federation is considered to be [[Social:Federalist|federalist]], or to be an example of [[Social:Federalism|federalism]]. It can be considered the opposite of another system, the [[Earth:Unitary state|unitary state]]. {{wipe|France}} and {{wipe|Japan}}, for example, have been unitary for many centuries.
The [[Place:Austrian Empire|Austrian Empire]] was a unitary state with crown lands, after the transformation into the [[Place:Austria-Hungary|Austria-Hungary]] monarchy the remaining crown lands of so-called [[Place:Cisleithania|Cisleithania]] became federated as ''Länder'' of the Republic of Austria through the implementation of its constitution. {{wipe|Germany}}, with its 16 states, or ''Länder'', and Nigeria, with its 36 states and federal capital territory, are examples of federations. Federations are often [[Social:Ethnic group|multi-ethnic]] and cover a large area of territory (such as {{wipe|Russia}}, the {{wipe|United States}}, {{wipe|Canada}}, {{wipe|India}}, {{wipe|Brazil}} or {{wipe|Australia}}), but neither is necessarily the case (such as Saint Kitts and Nevis or the Federated States of Micronesia).{{cn|date=August 2023}}

==History==
Several ancient chiefdoms and kingdoms, such as the 4th-century BCE League of Corinth, Noricum in [[Place:Central Europe|Central Europe]], and the [[Place:Iroquois|Iroquois Confederacy]] in pre-Columbian North America, could be described as federations or [[Social:Confederation|confederation]]s. The [[Place:Old Swiss Confederacy|Old Swiss Confederacy]] was an early example of formal non-unitary statehood.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

Several colonies and dominions in the [[Earth:New World|New World]] consisted of autonomous provinces, transformed into federal states upon independence such as the {{wipe|United States}}, and various countries in Latin America (see Spanish American wars of independence). Some of the New World federations failed; the Federal Republic of Central America broke up into independent states less than 20 years after its founding. Others, such as {{wipe|Argentina}}, have shifted between federal, [[Social:Confederation|confederal]], and unitary systems, before settling into federalism. {{wipe|Brazil}} became a federation only after the fall of the monarchy, and Venezuela became a federation after the Federal War. {{wipe|Australia}} and {{wipe|Canada}} are also federations.

{{wipe|Germany}} is another nation-state that has switched between confederal, federal and unitary rules, since the German Confederation was founded in 1815. The [[Place:North German Confederation|North German Confederation]], the succeeding [[Place:German Empire|German Empire]] and the Weimar Republic were federations.

Founded in 1922, the [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] was formally a federation of Soviet republics, autonomous republics and other federal subjects, though in practice highly centralized under the government of the Soviet Union. The {{wipe|Russia}} has inherited a similar system.

{{wipe|India}}, {{wipe|Pakistan}}, Nigeria and Malaysia (then Federation of Malaya) became federations on or shortly before becoming independent from the [[Place:British Empire|British Empire]].

In some recent cases, federations have been instituted as a measure to handle ethnic conflict within a state, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iraq since 2005 as well as Somalia since 2012

With the United States Constitution having become effective on 4 March 1789, the {{wipe|United States}} is the oldest surviving federation, while the newest federation is Nepal, after its constitution went into effect on 20 September 2015.

Currently, or as of 2023, there are 27 federations or federal countries.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

==Federations and other forms of state==
[[File:Russian Regions-EN.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|right|A map of the Russian Federation, showing its eighty-three federal subjects before the annexation of Crimea in 2014]]

[[File:Brazil, administrative divisions (states) - en - colored.svg|thumb|upright=1.1| A map of {{wipe|Brazil}}, showing its twenty-six constituent states and the Federal District]]

[[File:Regions of Ethiopia EN.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|right| A map of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, showing its regions]]

[[File:Nigeria states.png|thumb|upright=1.1|right| A map of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, showing its 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory]]

[[File:Mapa Mexico 2010.PNG|thumb|upright=1.1|right| A map of the United Mexican States (Mexico), showing its thirty-one constituent states and Mexico City]]

[[File:Map of USA with state names.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|right| A map of the United States of America showing its fifty constituent states and the District of Columbia]]

[[File:Political map of Canada.svg|thumb|A map of Canada showing its ten provinces and three territories]]

[[File:Australia states and territories labelled.svg|thumb|A map of Australia showing its six states and ten territories]]

[[File:Germany,_administrative_divisions_(+districts)_-_de_-_colored.svg|thumb|A map of the Federal Republic of Germany showing its sixteen constituent states (''Länder'') including three city-states]]

===Federations===
The component states are in some sense sovereign, insofar as certain powers are reserved to them that may not be exercised by the central government. However, a federation is more than a mere loose alliance of independent states. The component states of a federation usually possess no powers in relation to foreign policy and so enjoy no independent status under [[Finance:International law|international law]]. However, German Länder have that power,<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Leonardy | first1 = U. | title = Federation and Länder in German foreign relations: Power-sharing in treaty-making and European affairs | doi = 10.1080/09644009208404305 | journal = German Politics | volume = 1 | issue = 3 | pages = 119–135 | year = 1992 }}</ref> which is beginning to be exercised on a European level.

Some federations are called asymmetric because some states have more autonomy than others. An example of such a federation is Malaysia, in which Sarawak and Sabah agreed to form the federation on different terms and conditions from the states of Peninsular Malaysia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Andrew |date=2021-01-25 |title=Asymmetric Federalism and Protection of Indigenous Peoples: The Case of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Federalism |url=https://50shadesoffederalism.com/case-studies/asymmetric-federalism-and-protection-of-indigenous-peoples-the-case-of-sabah-and-sarawak-in-malaysian-federalism/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=50 Shades of Federalism |language=en-GB}}</ref>

A federation often emerges from an initial agreement between several separate states. The purpose can be the will to solve mutual problems and to provide for mutual defense or to create a [[Social:Nation state|nation-state]] for an ethnicity spread over several states. The former was the case with the United States and Switzerland. However, as the histories of countries and nations vary, the federalist system of a state can be quite different from these models. Australia, for instance, is unique in that it came into existence as a nation by the democratic vote of the citizens of each state, who voted "yes" in referendums to adopt the Australian Constitution. Brazil, on the other hand, has experienced both the federal and the unitary state during its history. Some present-day states of the Brazilian federation retain borders set during the Portuguese colonization (before the very existence of the Brazilian state), whereas the latest state, Tocantins, was created by the 1988 Constitution for chiefly administrative reasons.

Seven of the top eight largest countries by area are governed as federations.<!-- Would it be safe to say here that Federalism is often associated with large countries? Probably Original Research... -->

===Unitary states===
A [[Earth:Unitary state|unitary state]] is sometimes one with only a single, centralized, national tier of government. However, unitary states often also include one or more self-governing regions. The difference between a federation and this kind of unitary state is that in a unitary state the autonomous status of self-governing regions exists by the sufferance of the central government, and may be unilaterally revoked. While it is common for a federation to be brought into being by agreement between a number of formally independent states, in a unitary state self-governing regions are often created through a process of devolution, where a formerly centralized state agrees to grant autonomy to a region that was previously entirely subordinate. Thus, federations are often established voluntarily from "below" whereas devolution grants self-government from "above".

===Confederation===
[[File:Carte suisse2.png|thumb|upright=1.1|The Swiss Confederation and its 26 cantons]]
A [[Social:Confederation|confederation]], in modern political terms, is usually limited to a permanent union of sovereign states for common action in relation to other states.<ref>{{cite OED|confederation}}</ref> The closest entity in the world to a confederation at this time is the [[Social:European Union|European Union]]. While the word ''confederation'' was officially used when the Canadian federal system was established in 1867, the term refers only to the process and not the resulting state since Canadian provinces are not sovereign and do not claim to be. In the case of {{wipe|Switzerland}}, while the country is still known officially as the Swiss Confederation, this is now a misnomer since the Swiss cantons lost their sovereign status in 1848.<ref>[http://www.swissworld.org/en/politics/general_information/ch_confoederatio_helvetica/ CH: Confoederatio Helvetica - Switzerland - Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330035550/http://www.swissworld.org/en/politics/general_information/ch_confoederatio_helvetica/ |date=30 March 2015 }}. Swissworld.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.</ref>

In Belgium, however, the opposite movement is underway.<ref name="Lagasse">One of the most important recent books about the Belgian institutions, written by one of the leading French-speaking jurists{{who|date=April 2014}} concludes: ''Vers le confédéralisme'' (Toward a Confederation). See: Charles-Etienne Lagasse, ''Les Nouvelles institutions politiques de la Belgique et de l'Europe'', Erasme, Namur 2003, p. 603 {{ISBN|2-87127-783-4}}</ref> Belgium was founded as a centralized state, after the French model, but has gradually been reformed into a federal state by consecutive constitutional reforms since the 1970s. Moreover, although nominally called a federal state, the country's structure already has a number of [[Social:Confederation#Belgium|confederational traits]]. At present, there is a growing movement to transform the existing federal state into a looser confederation with two or three constitutive states and/or two special regions.<ref name="Belgium">Many Flemings would prefer two states, Flanders and Wallonia, and two special regions, Brussels and the German-speaking region. In Wallonia, there is wider support for three states: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.</ref>

A confederation is most likely to feature three differences when contrasted with a federation: (1) No real direct powers: many confederal decisions are externalized by member-state legislation; (2) Decisions on day-to-day-matters are not taken by simple majority but by special majorities or even by consensus or unanimity (veto for every member); (3) Changes of the constitution, usually a treaty, require unanimity.

Over time these terms acquired distinct connotations leading to the present difference in definition. An example of this is the United States under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles established a national government under what today would be defined as a federal system (albeit with a comparatively weaker federal government). However, Canadians, designed with a ''stronger'' central government than the U.S. in the wake of the Civil War of the latter, use the term "Confederation" to refer to the formation or joining, not the structure, of Canada. Legal reforms, court rulings, and political compromises have ''decentralized'' Canada in practice since its formation in 1867.

===Empire===
An [[Social:Empire|empire]] is a multi-ethnic state, multinational state, or a group of nations with a [[Earth:Central government|central government]] established usually through [[Social:Coercion|coercion]] (on the model of the Roman Empire). An empire often includes self-governing regions, but these will possess autonomy only at the sufferance of the central government. On the other hand, a political entity that is an empire in name, may comprise several partly autonomous kingdoms organised together in a federation, with the empire being ruled over by an [[Philosophy:Emperor|emperor]] or senior king ([[Unsolved:Great king|great king]], high king, king of kings...). One example of this was the [[Place:German Empire|German Empire]] (1871–1918).

===Comparison with other systems of autonomy===

====Federacy====
A [[Social:Federacy|federacy]]<ref>Some dictionaries, such as the Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language (1989 ed.), state that federacy is synonymous with confederacy ("by aphesis"). In French, the English words federacy, confederacy, and confederation are all translated by "confédération".</ref> is a unitary state that incorporates one or more self-governing autonomous areas. It is distinguished from a federation in that the constitutional structure of the state is still unitary, but incorporates federalist principles. Some federacies, notably Åland, were established through international treaty.

====Devolution====
A federation differs from a [[Social:Devolution|devolved state]], such as Indonesia and the United Kingdom, because, in a devolved state, the central government can revoke the independence of the subunits (Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly in the case of the United Kingdom) without changing the constitution. In some cases, such as the autonomous communities of Spain, devolution has led to federation in all but name, or "federation without federalism".<ref name="Spain Xavier Arbós Marín page 375">The Federal Option and Constitutional Management of Diversity in Spain Xavier Arbós Marín, page 375; included in 'The Ways of Federalism in Western Countries and the Horizons of Territorial Autonomy in Spain' (volume 2), edited by Alberto López-Eguren and Leire Escajedo San Epifanio; edited by Springer {{ISBN|978-3-642-27716-0}}, {{ISBN|978-3-642-27717-7}}(eBook)</ref>

====Crown dependencies====
The relation between the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey in the Channel Islands and the United Kingdom is very similar to a federate relation: the Islands enjoy independence from the United Kingdom, which, via The Crown, takes care of their foreign relations and defense – although the UK Parliament does have overall power to legislate for the dependencies. However, the islands are neither an incorporated part of the United Kingdom nor are they considered to be independent or associated states. The islands do not have a monarch, ''per se''; rather in the Isle of Man the British Monarch is, ''ex officio'', Lord of Mann, and in the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey, the British Monarch rules as the Duke of Normandy.

====Dependent territories====
Dependent territories, such as the British overseas territories, are vested with varying degrees of power; some enjoy considerable independence from the sovereign state, which only takes care of their foreign relations and defense. However, they are neither considered to be part of it nor recognized as sovereign or associated states.

===''De facto'' federations===
The distinction between a federation and a unitary state is often quite ambiguous. A unitary state may closely resemble a federation in structure and, while a central government may possess the theoretical right to revoke the autonomy of a self-governing region, it may be politically difficult for it to do so in practice. The self-governing regions of some unitary states also often enjoy greater autonomy than those of some federations. For these reasons, it is sometimes argued that some modern unitary states are ''de facto'' federations.<ref>{{cite journal|url =https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/media/law/docs/undergrad/13-Sahadzic.pdf|title =Federal Theory on Constitutional Asymmetries: revisited|first = Maja|last = Sahadzic|journal = Queen Mary Law Journal|pages = 135–147}}</ref>

''De facto'' federations, or quasi-federations, are often termed "[[Social:Regional state|regional state]]s".

====Spain====
[[File:Comunidades autónomas de España.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|The Autonomous communities of Spain]]
{{wipe|Spain}} is suggested as one possible ''de facto'' federation<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/25811-Is-Spain-a-federation|title = Is Spain a federation?|website = Eupedia.com|date = 8–25 May 2010}}</ref> as it grants more self-government to its autonomous communities<ref name="Mallet">{{cite web|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/de6c00f0-8c25-11de-b14f-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/de6c00f0-8c25-11de-b14f-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Flimsier footings|last=Mallet |first=Victor|date=18 August 2010|work=Financial Times|access-date=25 August 2010}}{{Registration required}}</ref><ref name="economist.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12501023|title=A survey of Spain: How much is enough?|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=25 August 2010|date=6 November 2008}}{{Subscription required}}</ref> than are retained by the constituent entities of most federations.<ref>{{cite web|first = Luis|last = Moreno|title = Federalization in multinational Spain|url = https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/36013985.pdf|publisher = Unidad de Políticas Comparadas (CSIC) |id = Working Paper 07-04}}</ref> For the Spanish parliament to revoke the autonomy of regions such as Galicia, Catalonia or the Basque Country would be a political near-impossibility, though nothing bars it legally. The Spanish parliament has, however, suspended the autonomy of Catalonia in response to the Catalan declaration of independence, in the lead-up to the 2017 Catalan election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eldiario.es/politica/Rajoy-cesa-Puigdemont-Govern_0_701680927.html|title=Rajoy cesa al Govern, disuelve el Parlament y convoca elecciones para el 21 de diciembre |work=eldiario.es|access-date=10 August 2018|date=27 October 2017}}</ref> Additionally, some autonomies such as Navarre or the Basque Country have full control over taxation and spending, transferring a payment to the central government for the common services (military, foreign relations, macroeconomic policy). For example, scholar Enrique Guillén López discusses the "federal nature of Spain's government (a trend that almost no one denies)."<ref>[http://www.ugr.es/~pwdconst/enrique/ENRIQUE%20GUILLEN.htm Enrique Guillén López] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091011102721/http://www.ugr.es/~pwdconst/enrique/ENRIQUE%20GUILLEN.htm |date=11 October 2009 }}, JUDICIAL REVIEW IN SPAIN: THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, 41 Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review 541, 544 (2008).</ref> Each autonomous community is governed by a Statute of Autonomy ({{Lang|es|Estatuto de Autonomía}}) under the Spanish Constitution of 1978.

====South Africa====
[[File:Map of South Africa with English labels.svg|thumb|Provinces of South Africa]]
Although South Africa bears some elements of a federal system, such as the allocation of certain powers to provinces, it is nevertheless constitutionally and functionally a unitary state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261213778|title=The type of government in the Republic of South Africa - Examining the presence of federal and unitary state elements in the republic|last1=Wright|first1=Jonathan Haydn Faure|date=31 March 2014|website=www.researchgate.net|access-date=8 November 2016|quote=After careful research and analysis of various sources and the constitution, it can be confirmed that the government system in the Republic of South Africa is a unitary system. Observance of the government in action, as well as analysis of the constitution, has contributed to this confirmation. Despite the delocalization enjoyed within the republic, the federal principle is not evident enough and it failed Wheare’s very simple federal test right in the beginning}}</ref>

====European Union====
The [[Social:European Union|European Union]] (EU) is a sui generis [[Social:Political union|political union]] or confederation (the assemblage of societies or an association of two or more states into one state).<ref>"Federalist Paper No. 9", p. 70 Alexander Hamilton</ref> Robert Schuman, the initiator of the European Community system, wrote that a [[Philosophy:Transnational governance|transnational]] Community like the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community lay midway between an association of States where they retained complete independence and a federation leading to a fusion of States in a [[Social:Superstate|super-state]].<ref>''La Communaute du Charbon et de l'Acier'', p7 Paul Reuter with a preface by Robert Schuman. Paris 1953.</ref> The Founding Fathers of the European Union wrote the Europe Declaration (Charter of the Community) at the time of the signing of the Treaty of Paris on 18 April 1951 saying that Europe should be organized on a transnational foundation. They envisaged a structure quite different from a federation called the European Political Community.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

The EU is a three-pillar structure of the original supranational European Economic Community and the nuclear energy cooperation and non-proliferation treaty, [[Organization:Euratom|Euratom]], plus two largely [[Social:Intergovernmentalism|intergovernmental]] pillars dealing with External Affairs and Justice and Home Affairs. The EU is therefore not a ''de jure'' federation, although some{{who|date=April 2014}} academic observers conclude that after 50 years of institutional evolution since the Treaties of Rome it is ''becoming'' one.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Josselin | first1 = J. M. | last2 = Marciano | first2 = A. | doi = 10.1007/s11558-006-9001-y | title = How the court made a federation of the EU | journal = The Review of International Organizations | volume = 2 | pages = 59–75 | year = 2006 | s2cid = 153687230}}</ref> The European Union possesses attributes of a federal state. However, its central government is far weaker than that of most federations and the individual members are sovereign states under international law, so it is usually characterized as an unprecedented form of supra-national union. The EU has responsibility for important areas such as trade, monetary union, agriculture, and fisheries. Nonetheless, EU member states retain the right to act independently in matters of foreign policy and defense, and also enjoy a near-monopoly over other major policy areas such as criminal justice and taxation. Since the Treaty of Lisbon, the Member States' right to leave the Union is codified, and the Union operates with more qualified majority voting (rather than unanimity) in many areas.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

{{quotation|By the signature of this Treaty, the participating Parties give proof of their determination to create the first supranational institution and that thus they are laying the true foundation of an organized Europe. This Europe remains open to all nations. We profoundly hope that other nations will join us in our common endeavor.|Europe Declaration, signed by Konrad Adenauer (West Germany), Paul van Zeeland, Joseph Meurice (Belgium) Robert Schuman (France) Count Sforza (Italy) Joseph Bech (Luxembourg) and Dirk Stikker, J. R. M. van den Brink (The Netherlands).<ref>''Schuman or Monnet? The real Architect of Europe.'' p 129. Bron 2004</ref> }}

{{quotation|Europe has charted its own brand of constitutional federalism.|European Constitutionalism Beyond the State. Edited with Marlene Wind (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2003) page 23|[[Biography:Joseph H. H. Weiler|Joseph H. H. Weiler]]}}

{{quotation|Those uncomfortable using the "F" word in the EU context should feel free to refer to it as a quasi-federal or federal-like system. Nevertheless, for the purposes of the analysis here, the EU has the necessary attributes of a federal system. It is striking that while many scholars of the EU continue to resist analyzing it as a federation, most contemporary students of federalism view the EU as a federal system. (''See, for instance, Bednar, Filippov et al., McKay, Kelemen, Defigueido and Weingast'')|R. Daniel Kelemen}}

A more nuanced view has been given by the German Constitutional Court.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/en/press/bvg09-072en.html |title=Federal Constitutional Court Press Release No. 72/2009 of 30 June 2009. Judgment of 30 June 2009: Act Approving the Treaty of Lisbon compatible with the Basic Law; accompanying law unconstitutional to the extent that legislative bodies have not been accorded sufficient rights of participation |access-date=17 November 2012 |quote=Due to this structural democratic deficit, which cannot be resolved in an association of sovereign national states (Staatenverbund), further steps of integration that go beyond the status quo may undermine neither the States' political power of action nor the principle of conferral. The peoples of the Member States are the holders of the constituent power. The Basic Law does not permit the special bodies of the legislative, executive and judicial power to dispose of the essential elements of the constitution, i.e. of the constitutional identity (Article 23.1 sentence 3, Article 79.3 GG). The constitutional identity is an inalienable element of the democratic self-determination of a people. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022061516/http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/en/press/bvg09-072en.html |archive-date=22 October 2012 }} <br />The original German uses the word ''Staatenverbund'', which they translate as "association of sovereign states", rather than the word ''Staatenbund'' (confederation of states) or ''Bundesstaat'' (federal state).</ref> Here the EU is defined as 'an association of sovereign national states (''[[Social:Staatenverbund|Staatenverbund]]'')'.<ref>[http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/es20090630_2bve000208en.html ''BVerfG, 2 BvE 2/08 vom 30.6.2009, Absatz-Nr. (1–421)'']</ref> With this view, the European Union resembles more of a [[Social:Confederation|confederation]].

====People's Republic of China====
Constitutionally, the power vested in the special administrative regions of the People's Republic is granted from the Central People's Government, through a decision by the National People's Congress. However, there have been certain largely informal grants of power to the provinces, to handle economic affairs and implement national policies, resulting in a system some have termed federalism "with Chinese characteristics".<ref>[https://ssrn.com/abstract=1151187 Economic Warlords by Gregory H. Fuller]</ref>

====Myanmar====
Constitutionally a [[Earth:Unitary state|unitary state]], the political system in Myanmar bears many elements of federalism. Each administrative division has its own cabinets and chief ministers, making it more like a federation rather than a unitary state.

====Wallis and Futuna====
The {{wipe|France}} overseas collectivity Wallis and Futuna maintains some quasi-federation attributes. The territory is divided into three traditional chiefdoms: Uvea, Sigave, and Alo. The chiefdoms are allowed to have their own legal system which have to be implemented along with French legal system.

==Internal controversy and conflict==
[[File:CentralAmerica1860MapSmall.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|The United Provinces of Central America was a short-lived federal republic.]]

Certain forms of political and constitutional dispute are common to federations. One issue is that the exact division of power and responsibility between federal and regional governments is often a source of controversy. Often, as is the case with the {{wipe|United States}}, such conflicts are resolved through the judicial system, which delimits the powers of federal and local governments. The relationship between federal and local courts varies from nation to nation and can be a controversial and complex issue in itself.

Another common issue in federal systems is the conflict between regional and national interests, or between the interests and aspirations of different ethnic groups. In some federations the entire jurisdiction is relatively homogeneous, and each constituent state resembles a miniature version of the whole; this is known as 'congruent federalism'. On the other hand, incongruent federalism exists where different states or regions possess distinct ethnic groups.

The ability of a federal government to create national institutions that can mediate differences that arise because of linguistic, ethnic, religious, or other regional differences is an important challenge. The inability to meet this challenge may lead to the secession of parts of a federation or to civil war, as occurred in the United States (southern states sought to protect the institution of slavery while northern states opposed it, with a catalysis occurring in the then–Kansas Territory), in Nigeria and in {{wipe|Switzerland}}. In the case of Malaysia, [[Place:Singapore|Singapore]] was expelled from the federation because of rising racial tension. In some cases, internal conflict may lead a federation to collapse entirely, as occurred the [[Place:Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]], the Gran Colombia, the United Provinces of Central America, and the [[Place:West Indies Federation|West Indies Federation]].

==Federal governments==
The federal government is the common government of a national or [[Social:Supranational union|supranational]] federation. A federal government may have distinct powers at various levels authorized or delegated to it by its member states. The structure of federal governments varies. Based on a broad definition of a basic [[Social:Federalism|federalism]], there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and govern through common institutions with overlapping or shared powers as prescribed by a constitution.

The federal government is the government at the level of the sovereign state. Usual responsibilities of this level of government are maintaining [[Social:National security|national security]] and exercising international diplomacy, including the right to sign binding treaties. Basically, a modern federal government, within the limits defined by its constitution, has the power to make laws for the whole country, unlike local governments. As originally written, the United States Constitution was created to limit the federal government from exerting power over the states by enumerating only specific powers. It was further limited by the addition of the Tenth Amendment contained in the Bill of Rights and the Eleventh Amendment. However, later amendments, particularly the Fourteenth Amendment, gave the federal government considerable authority over states.

Federal government within this structure are the government ministries and departments and agencies to which the ministers of government are assigned.

<ref name="Gttsdpc">{{cite web|title=Guidebook to the Somali Draft Provisional Constitution|url=http://unpos.unmissions.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=v067edqd7a8%3D&tabid=9705&language=en-US|access-date=2 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120021547/http://unpos.unmissions.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=v067edqd7a8%3D&tabid=9705&language=en-US|archive-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>

=== Contemporary ===
There are 27 federations in the world, with 6 each in [[Earth:Africa|Africa]], [[Earth:Asia|Asia]] and [[Earth:Europe|Europe]], 4 in [[Earth:North America|North America]], 3 in [[Earth:South America|South America]] and 2 in [[Earth:Oceania|Oceania]].

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Current federations
|-
!Year est. 
! Federation 
! Type<br/><ref group="t">R = [[Social:Federal republic|Federal republic]]; M = Federal monarchy (in the loose sense).</ref>
! Structure
! Top-level subdivisions (federated and other)
! Major federated units
! Minor units<ref group="t">That is, first-level subdivisions possessing less autonomy than the major federated units.</ref> (federated or other)
|-
|1853
| {{flag|Argentine Republic}}
| align="center" | R
| [[Social:Presidential system|Presidential]]
| Provinces of Argentina
|data-sort-value="23"| 23 provinces
|data-sort-value="1"| [[Place:Buenos Aires|1 autonomous city]]
|-
|1901
| {{flag|Australia|name=Commonwealth of Australia}}
| align="center" | M
| [[Social:Parliamentary system|Parliamentary]]
| States and territories of Australia
|data-sort-value="6"| 6 states
|data-sort-value="10"| 3 internal territories (of which 2 are self-governing) and 7 external territories
|-
|1920
| {{flag|Austria|name=Republic of Austria}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| States of Austria
|data-sort-value="9"| 9 states ''({{lang|de|Länder}} or {{lang|de|Bundesländer}})'' incl. the city-state of [[Place:Vienna|Vienna]]
|
|-
|1993
| {{flag|Belgium|name=Kingdom of Belgium}}
| align="center" | M
| Parliamentary
| Divisions of Belgium
|data-sort-value="3"| 3 communities, 3 regions
|data-sort-value="3"| 3 communitarian commissions
|-
|1995
| {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| Divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
|data-sort-value="2"| 2 entities, one of which is itself a federation of 10 cantons
|data-sort-value="1"| 1 district<ref group="t">Brčko District is ''de jure'' part of both entities, and ''de facto'' administered separately from either.</ref>
|-
|1889
| {{flag|Federative Republic of Brazil}}
| align="center" | R
| Presidential
| Federative units of Brazil
|data-sort-value="27"|27 federative units (of which one is a federal district and the others are states)<ref group="t">20 provinces during the Empire of Brazil 1822–89</ref>
| 
|-
|1867
| {{flag|Canada}}
| align="center" | M
| Parliamentary
| Provinces and territories of Canada
|data-sort-value="10"| 10 provinces
|data-sort-value="3"| 3 territories
|-
|1995
| {{nowrap|{{flag|Ethiopia|name=Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia}}}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| Regions and chartered cities of Ethiopia
|data-sort-value="11"| 11 regions
|data-sort-value="2"| 2 chartered cities
|-
|1949
| {{flag|Federal Republic of Germany}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| States of Germany
|data-sort-value="16"| 16 states ''({{lang|de|Länder}} or {{lang|de|Bundesländer}})'' incl. the city-states of [[Place:Berlin|Berlin]], [[Place:Hamburg|Hamburg]], and Bremen 
|
|-
|1947<ref group="t">As an independent Dominion; republic declared in 1950</ref>
| {{flag|Republic of India}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| States and union territories of India
|data-sort-value="28"| 28 states
|data-sort-value="8"| 8 union territories, including a 1 national capital territory
|-
|2005
| {{flag|Iraq|name=Republic of Iraq}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| Governorates of Iraq
|data-sort-value="19"| 19 provinces (governorates)
|
|-
|1963
| {{flag|Malaysia}}
| align="center" | M
| Parliamentary
| States of Malaysia
|data-sort-value="13"| 13 states
|data-sort-value="3"| 3 federal territories
|-
|1824
| {{flag|Mexico|name=United Mexican States}}
| align="center" | R
| Presidential
| States of Mexico
|data-sort-value="32"| 32 federal entities, which are 31 states and its capital [[Place:Mexico City|Mexico City]]
|
|-
|1979
| {{flag|Federated States of Micronesia}}
| align="center" | R
| Presidential
| Administrative divisions of Micronesia
|data-sort-value="4"| 4 states
|
|-
|2015
| {{flag|Nepal|name=Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| Provinces of Nepal
|data-sort-value="7"| 7 provinces
| 
|-
|1960<ref group="t">As the Federation of Nigeria; republic declared in 1963</ref>
| {{flag|Nigeria|name=Federal Republic of Nigeria}}
| align="center" | R
| Presidential
| Subdivisions of Nigeria
|data-sort-value="36"| 36 states
|data-sort-value="1"| 1 federal capital territory
|-
|1947<ref group="t">As an independent Dominion; republic declared in 1956</ref>
| {{flag|Islamic Republic of Pakistan}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| Provinces and territories of Pakistan
|data-sort-value="5"| 4 provinces
|data-sort-value="5"| 2 autonomous territories and 1 federal capital territory
|-
| 1992<ref group="t">After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a new Treaty of Federation was signed in 1992, which did not include all of the same components as the Soviet Union.</ref>
| {{flag|Russian Federation}}
| align="center" |R
| [[Social:Semi-presidential republic|Semi-presidential]]
| Federal subjects of Russia
|data-sort-value="85"| 46 ''oblasts'', 22 republics, 9 ''krais'', 4 autonomous ''okrugs'', 3 federal-level cities, 1 autonomous ''oblast''<ref>[http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-04.htm Federal structure of Russia], Article 65 of Russian Constitution.</ref><ref>see Political status of Crimea.</ref>
|
|-
|1983
| {{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis|name=Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis}}
| align="center" | M
| Parliamentary
| The islands St. Kitts and [[Earth:Nevis|Nevis]]
|data-sort-value="1"| 1 federal unit (the island of Nevis)
|data-sort-value="1"| The island of Saint Kitts (directly administered by the federal government)
|-
|2012
| {{flag|Somalia|name=Federal Republic of Somalia}}
| align="center" | R
| Parliamentary
| Federal Member States of Somalia
|data-sort-value="5"| 5 States<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://mop.gov.so/index.php/the-ministry/directorates/planning/federal-member-states-fms/ | title=Federal Member States (FMS) | date=13 April 2018 }}</ref>
|
|-
|2011
| {{flag|South Sudan|name=Republic of South Sudan}}
| align="center" | R
| Presidential
| States of South Sudan
|data-sort-value="10"| 10 states
|data-sort-value="3"| 3 administrative areas (which one of them has special administrative status)
|-
|1956
| {{flag|Sudan|name=Republic of the Sudan}}
| align="center" | R
| [[Social:Military junta|Military junta]]
| States of Sudan
|data-sort-value="18"| 18 states
|
|-
|1848
| {{flag|Swiss Confederation}}
| align="center" | R
| [[Social:Directorial system|Directorial]]
| Cantons of Switzerland
|data-sort-value="26"| 26 cantons<ref group="t">Three pairs of cantons have less power at federal level than the other 20 cantons, but the same degree of internal autonomy.</ref>
|
|-
|1971
| {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
| align="center" |M
| Semi-constitutional monarchy
| Emirates of the UAE
|data-sort-value="7"| 7 [[Social:Emirate|emirate]]s
| 
|-
| 1776<ref group="t">The United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was drafted in 1787 and was ratified in 1788. The first Congress and President did not take office until March 1789.</ref>
| {{flag|United States of America}}
| align="center" | R
| Presidential
| U.S. States and territories
|data-sort-value="50"| 50 states
|data-sort-value="17"| 1 federal district; 16 territories<ref group="t">Of the 5 territories that are permanently inhabited, all are unincorporated, two are commonwealths and a third is formally unorganized. Of the other 11, one is incorporated and all are unorganized; together they form the United States Minor Outlying Islands. The term ''insular area'' includes both territories and places with a Compact of Free Association.</ref>
|-
|1863
| {{flag|Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela}}
| align="center" | R
| Presidential
| States of Venezuela
|data-sort-value="23"| 23 states
|data-sort-value="2"| 1 federal district, 1 federal dependency
|}

{{Reflist|group="t"}}

===Defunct===
*{{Flagicon|Holy Roman Empire}} [[Religion:Holy Roman Empire|Holy Roman Empire]] (800–1806)<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Whaley
| first1 = Joachim
| year = 2002
| chapter = 2: Federal Habits: the Holy Roman Empire and the continuity of German Federalism
| editor1-last = Umbach
| editor1-first = Maiken
| title = German Federalism: Past, Present and Future
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YmuLDAAAQBAJ
| series = New Perspectives in German Political Studies
| location = Basingstoke
| publisher = Palgrave Macmillan
| publication-date = 2002
| page = 15
| isbn = 9780230505797
| access-date = 2017-11-19
| quote = Few would query the proposition that German federalism has deep historical roots. Indeed discussion of its contemporary manestation in the Federal Republic routinely refer to the federal traditions of the Holy Roman Empire -...].
}}
</ref>
*{{Flagicon image|Banner of the Inca Empire.svg}} Inca Empire (1197–1572)
*{{Flagicon image|Barter of Panay Landmark.jpg}} Confederation of Madja-as (1200–1569)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy.svg}} [[Place:Iroquois|Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederation)]] (15th/16th century-1799)
*{{Flagicon|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth}} [[Place:Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] (1569–1795)
*{{Flagicon|Dutch Republic}} Federated Dutch Republic (1581–1795)
*{{Flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Place:Confederate Ireland|Confederate Ireland]] (1642–1652)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarves.svg}} United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (1815–1825)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of Haiti (civil).svg}} Hispaniola (1822–1844)
*{{Flagicon|Central America}} United Provinces of Central America (1823 – {{Circa|1838}})
*{{Flagicon|Peru-Bolivian Confederation}} Peru–Bolivian Confederation (1836–1839)
*{{Flagicon|Granadine Confederation}} Confederation of New Granada (1858–1863)
*{{Flagicon|Confederate States of America}} [[Place:Confederate States of America|Confederate States of America]] (1861–1865)
*{{Flagicon|Colombia}} United States of Colombia (1863–1886)
*{{Flagicon|North German Confederation}} [[Place:North German Confederation|North German Confederation]] (1867–1871)
*{{Flagicon|Austria-Hungary}} [[Place:Austria-Hungary|Austria-Hungary]] (1867–1918)
*{{Flagicon|German Empire}} [[Place:German Empire|German Empire]] (1871–1918)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg}} [[Place:First Spanish Republic|Federal Republic of Spain]] (1873–1874)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} French Indochina (1887–1954)
*{{Flagicon|Federated Malay States}} Federated Malay States (1896–1946)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} French West Africa (1904–1958)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} French Equatorial Africa (1910–1934)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of the Transcaucasian Federation.svg}} [[Place:Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic|Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic]] (1918)
*{{flag|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics}} (1918–1992)
*{{Flagicon|Weimar Republic}} Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of Syria French mandate.svg}} Syrian Federation (1922–1925)
*{{Flagicon|Federal State of Austria}} Federal State of Austria (1934–1938)
*{{Flagicon|Mengjiang}} Mengjiang Autonomous United Government (1937–1945, since 1941 autonomous region of the Reorganized National Government of China)
*{{Flagicon|Federated Malay States}} Malayan Union (1946–1948)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Malaya.svg}} Federation of Malaya (1948–1963)<ref>Gained independence in 1957, joined with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore to form Malaysia in 1963.</ref>
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of Indonesia.svg}} United States of Indonesia (1949–1950)
*{{Flagicon|Kingdom of Libya}} United Kingdom of Libya (1951–1963)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1936; 1941-1974).svg}} Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea (1952–1962)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–1963).svg}} [[Place:Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]] (1953–1963)
*{{Flagicon|West Indies Federation}} [[Place:West Indies Federation|West Indies Federation]] (1958–1962)
*{{Flagicon|Mali Federation}} Mali Federation (1959–1960)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of Congo-Léopoldville (1960-1963).svg}} Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) (1960–1964)
*{{Flagicon image|Flag of Cameroon (1961-1975).svg}} Federal Republic of Cameroon (1961–1972)
*{{Flagicon|South Africa|variant=1928}} {{wipe|South Africa}} (1961–1994)
*{{Flagicon|Uganda}} Republic of Uganda (1962–1967)
*{{Flagicon|Kenya}} Republic of Kenya (1963–1964)
*{{Flagicon|Tanzania}} United Republic of Tanzania (1964–1965)
*{{Flagicon|Czechoslovak Socialist Republic}} Czechoslovak Socialist Republic<ref>Became Czech and Slovak Federative Republic through a constitutional change in 1990.</ref> (1969–1992)
*{{flagicon|Comoros}} Comoros (1978–2018)
*{{Flagicon|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} [[Place:Serbia and Montenegro|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] (1992–2003)

Some of the [[Social:Confederation#Historical confederations|proclaimed Arab federations]] were confederations ''de facto''.

==See also==
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description WP:SEEALSO -->
{{Columnslist|colwidth=30em|
*[[Social:Anti-Federalism|Anti-Federalism]], an 18th-century movement in the United States
* Canadian Confederation – Process of formation of Canada from British North American colonies
* {{Annotated link |Centre for Studies on Federalism}}
* {{Annotated link |Commonwealth}}
* {{Annotated link |Corporative federalism}}
* {{Annotated link |Constitutional economics}}
* {{Annotated link |Federalism in Australia}}
* {{Annotated link |Federalist}}
* ''The Federalist Papers''
* {{Annotated link |Federation of Australia}}
* {{Annotated link |Foederati}}
* {{Annotated link |Independent city#Federal capitals}}
* {{Annotated link |International organization|International organisation}}
* Międzymorze (Intermarum)
* {{Annotated link |Multinational state}}
* {{Annotated link |Neofunctionalism|Neo-functionalism}}
* {{Annotated link |New federalism}}
* {{Annotated link |Non-governmental federation}}
* {{Annotated link |Rule according to higher law}}
* {{Annotated link |Supranationalism}}
* {{Annotated link |Supranational union}}
* {{Annotated link |World Federalist Movement}}
}}
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order -->

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Federal Government|short=x}}

{{Autonomous types of first-tier administration}}

[[Category:Federalism| ]]
[[Category:Constitutional state types]]

{{Sourceattribution|Federation}}