Federation
A federation is a state comprised of a number of self-governing regions (often themselves referred to as states) united by a central (federal) government. In a federation the self-governing status of the component states is constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision of the central government. Federations may be multi-ethnic, or cover a large area of territory, although neither is necessarily the case. Federations are often founded on an original agreement between a number of sovereign states. The component states of a federation usually do not have the right to secede unilaterally .
Federations and other forms of state
Federations usually exhibit a single uniform two-tier structure of government across an entire jurisdiction. Exceptions may occur in which certain parts of the federation are under the federal government's direct sovereignty, as is the case with the autonomous 'territories' of Canada and Australia, and with the US District of Columbia. However it is not characteristic in a federation for small peripheral regions to be self-governing, while a central, much larger 'metropolis' region remains under the direct control of the central government.
A federation is distinct from a state which is composed of self-governing regions but in which the autonomous status of those regions exists at the sufferance of the central government, and may be unilaterally revoked. Such a state is a form of unitary state. Spain and Belgium are examples of unitary states that are superficially federal in structure. A federation is further to be distinguished from:
- A confederation: an entity similar in structure to a federation but with a weaker central government. A confederation may consist of states that are considered sovereign and that retain the right of secession (one possible example being the European Union).
- An empire: a multi-ethnic state with a political structure established through coercion. It may consist of multiple kingdoms organised together with the high-king designated as an emperor.
The Russian Federation is not a federation in the strictest sense. It consists of the metropolis of Russia proper, which includes the great majority of the population organised into 41 provinces which are directly governed by the national government in Moscow, and a number of small ethnic enclaves, which are known as Autonomous Republics or Autonomous Oblasts, but which possess very little actual autonomy.
The European Union is a confederation or an alliance rather than a federation. Its member states are separate, sovereign entities under international law and, currently at least, possess a de facto if not explicit de jure right of secession.
Modern 'federations'
The following sovereign states have more or less federal structures:
- Argentina: divided in 23 provinces and 1 federal district
- Australia: divided in 6 states and 2 territories
- Austria: divided in 9 states (Länder)
- Belgium: divided in 3 regions and overlapping in 3 communities for linguistic and cultural issues
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: divided in 2 states and 1 district
- Brazil: divided in 26 states and 1 federal district
- Canada: divided in 10 provinces and 3 territories
- Comoros: divided in 3 islands
- Ethiopia: divided in 9 states and 2 administrations
- Germany: divided in 16 states (Länder)
- India: divided in 28 states and 7 territories|union territories
- Malaysia: divided in 13 states and 3 territories|federal territories
- Mexico: divided in 31 states and 1 federal district
- Micronesia: divided in 4 states
- Nigeria: divided in 36 states and 1 territory
- Russia: divided in 49 oblasts, 21 republics, 10 okrugs, 6 krays and 2 federal cities, with different degrees of autonomy (the autonomous regions are listed in note 4)
- Serbia and Montenegro: divided in 2 republics
- Spain: divided in 17 autonomous communities and 2 overseas autonomous cities
- Switzerland: divided in 26 cantons
- Tanzania: divided in 25 regions
- United Arab Emirates: divided in 7 emirates
- United Kingdom: divided in 4 countries (England, Scotland (Scotland - Alba), Wales (Wales - Cymru)and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland - Tuaisceart Éireann)) with different degrees of autonomy
- United States: divided in 50 states and 1 district
- Venezuela: divided in 23 states, 1 federal district and 1 federal dependency
See also
Other meanings of federation
- A federation is also an organisation, such as a trade union or business, with a structure analogous to that of a federal state.
- In Australian history, 'Federation' refers to the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia by six British colonies on 1 January 1901, and also to the political movement in the 1890s to bring this about.
- In the fictional Star Trek universe, 'the Federation' is short for the United Federation of Planets.