View source for Federal republic

{{Short description|Federation of states or territories with a republican form of government}}
{{distinguish|Federated state}}
{{Forms of government}}
{{republicanism sidebar}}

A '''federal republic''' is a [[federation]] of [[Federated state|states]] with a [[republic]]an form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means a country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader, such as a president, rather than by a [[Monarch|monarch]] or any [[Aristocracy (class)|hereditary artistocracy]].

In a federal republic, a [[division of powers]] exists between the federal government and the government of the individual subdivisions. While each federal republic manages this division of powers differently, common matters relating to security and defense, and monetary policy are usually handled at the federal level, while matters such as infrastructure maintenance and education policy are usually handled at the regional or local level; however, views differ on what issues should be a federal competence, and subdivisions usually have sovereignty in some matters where the federal government does not have jurisdiction. A federal republic is thus best defined in contrast to a [[unitary republic]], whereby the central government has complete sovereignty over all aspects of political life. This more decentralized structure helps to explain the tendency for more populous countries to operate as federal republics.<ref>[[Forum of Federations]]: [http://www.forumfed.org/libdocs/FedCountries/FC-USA.pdf], Schram, Sanford. Handbook of Federal Countries: United States, pp. 373–391, 2005.</ref>

Most federal republics codify the division of powers between orders of government in a written [[constitutional]] document. The political differences between a federal republic and other [[Federation|federal states]], especially [[federal monarchies]] under a [[parliamentary system]] of government, are largely a matter of legal form rather than political substance, as most federal states are democratic in structure if not practice with [[checks and balances]]; however, some federal monarchies, such as the [[United Arab Emirates]], are based upon principles other than democracy.

Federal states primarily contrast with unitary states, where the central government retains many of the powers that are delegated to the subdivisions in federal republics. While there are exceptions, the overall tendency is for federal republics to be larger, more populous, and more internally heterogeneous than unitary states, with such larger size and internal heterogeneity being more manageable in a federal system than in a unitary one.

==Contemporary==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!Country!!Official name and [[Style (manner of address)|style]]!![[Administrative division]]s!![[Form of government]]!![[Head of state]]!![[Head of government]]
|-
|{{flag|Argentina}}
| Argentine Republic
|[[Provinces of Argentina|Provinces]] (23) and autonomous city (1)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Javier Milei]]</div>
|-
|{{flag|Austria}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria/ Austria], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Republic of Austria
|[[States of Austria|States]] (9)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Alexander Van der Bellen]]
|[[Karl Nehammer]]
|-
|{{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bosnia-and-herzegovina/ Bosnia and Herzegovina], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Bosnia and Herzegovina
|[[Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Entities]] (2) and self-governing district (1)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Željka Cvijanović]]<br>[[Denis Bećirović]]<br>[[Željko Komšić]]
|[[Borjana Krišto]]
|-
|{{flag|Brazil}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/brazil/ Brazil], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Federative Republic of Brazil
|[[States of Brazil|States]] (26) and [[Federal District (Brazil)|federal district]] (1)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]]</div>
|- 
|{{flag|Comoros}}
|Union of the Comoros
|[[Subdivisions of the Comoros|Autonomous islands]] (3)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Azali Assoumani]]</div>
|-
|{{flag|Ethiopia}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ethiopia/ Ethiopia], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
|[[Regions of Ethiopia|Regions]] (10) and chartered cities (2)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Sahle-Work Zewde]]
|[[Abiy Ahmed]]
|-
|{{flag|Germany}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ Germany], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Federal Republic of Germany
|[[States of Germany|States]] (16)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]]
|[[Olaf Scholz]]
|-
|{{flag|India}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/india/ India], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Republic of India
|[[States and union territories of India|States]] (28) and [[union territory|union territories]] (8)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Droupadi Murmu]]
|[[Narendra Modi]]
|- 
|{{flag|Iraq}}
|Republic of Iraq
|[[Governorates of Iraq|Governorates]] (19)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Abdul Latif Rashid]]
|[[Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani]]
|-
|{{flag|Mexico}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mexico/ Mexico], 14 May 2009</ref>
|United Mexican States
|[[Political divisions of Mexico|States]] (31) and autonomous entity (1)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Andrés Manuel López Obrador]]</div>
|- 
|{{flag|Micronesia}}
|Federated States of Micronesia
|[[Administrative divisions of Micronesia|States]] (4)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[David W. Panuelo]]</div>
|-
|{{flag|Nepal}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nepal/ Nepal], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNTERM |url=https://unterm.un.org/unterm/display/record/unhq/na/3922e336-a0f8-4780-b597-d9485555160e |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=unterm.un.org}}</ref>
|[[Provinces of Nepal|Provinces]] (7)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Ram Chandra Poudel]]
|[[Pushpa Kamal Dahal]]
|-
|{{flag|Nigeria}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/ Nigeria], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Federal Republic of Nigeria
|[[States of Nigeria|States]] (36) and federal territory (1)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Bola Tinubu]]</div>
|-
|{{flag|Pakistan}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/ Pakistan], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Islamic Republic of Pakistan
|[[Administrative units of Pakistan|Provinces]] (4), autonomous territories (2) and federal territory (1)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Asif Ali Zardari]]
|[[Shehbaz Sharif]]
|- 
|{{flag|Russia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Russia_2014|title=Text of the Russian constitution in English|publisher=Constituteproject.org}}</ref> 
|Russian Federation 
|[[Federal subjects of Russia|Federal subjects]] (85)
|[[Semi-presidential system]]
|[[Vladimir Putin]]
|[[Mikhail Mishustin]]
|-
|{{flag|Somalia}}
|Federal Republic of Somalia
|[[States and regions of Somalia|Federal member states]] (6)
|[[Parliamentary republic]]
|[[Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed]] (acting)
|[[Hamza Abdi Barre]]
|- 
|{{flag|South Sudan}}
|Republic of South Sudan
|[[States of South Sudan|States]] (10), administrative areas (2) and area with special administrative status (1)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Salva Kiir Mayardit]]</div>
|- 
|{{flag|Sudan}}
|Republic of the Sudan
|[[States of Sudan|States]] (18)
|''[[Provisional government]]''
|[[Abdel Fattah al-Burhan]]
|[[Osman Hussein (politician)|Osman Hussein]]
|-
|{{flag|Switzerland}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/switzerland/ Switzerland], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Swiss Confederation
|[[Cantons of Switzerland|Cantons]] (26)
|[[Directorial System|Directorial]] [[Parliamentary republic]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Federal Council (Switzerland)|Federal Council (2023)]]:
<br>-[[Alain Berset]]
<br>-[[Ignazio Cassis]]
<br>-[[Albert Rösti]]
<br>-[[Élisabeth Baume-Schneider]]
<br>-[[Guy Parmelin]]
<br>-[[Karin Keller-Sutter]]
<br>-[[Viola Amherd]]
</div>
|-
|{{flag|United States}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/ United States], 14 May 2009</ref>
|United States of America
|[[U.S. state|States]] (50), [[District of Columbia|federal district]] (1) and [[Territories of the United States|territories]] (14), [[Territories_of_the_United_States#Minor_Outlying_Islands|nine]] of which are uninhabited.
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Joe Biden]]</div>
|-
|{{flag|Venezuela}}<ref>[[CIA World Factbook]]: [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/venezuela/ Venezuela], 14 May 2009</ref>
|Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
|[[States of Venezuela|States]] (23) and [[Capital District (Venezuela)|capital district]] (1)
|[[Presidential system]]
|colspan="2" |<div style="text-align: center;">[[Nicolás Maduro]]</div>
|-
|}

==Historical==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!Country!!Official name and [[Style (manner of address)|style]]!!Period of federal form of government!!Administrative divisions
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of Regency of Algiers.svg}} [[Regency of Algiers]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Julien |first=Charles André |url=http://archive.org/details/historyofnorthaf0000juli |title=History of North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco. From the Arab Conquest to 1830 |date=1970 |publisher=New York, Praeger |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7100-6614-5 |pages=324}}</ref>|| Regency of Algiers<br/>Kingdom of Algiers ||1563–1830<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kaddache |first=Mahfoud |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbXkAAAACAAJ&newbks=0&hl=fr |title=L'Algérie des Algériens: de la préhistoire à 1954 |date=2003 |publisher=Paris-Méditerranée |isbn=978-2-84272-166-4 |pages=377 |language=fr |trans-title=Algeria of the Algerians: from prehistory to 1954}}</ref>||[[Western Beylik|Beyliks]]
|-
|{{flagicon image|Chorągiew królewska króla Zygmunta III Wazy.svg}} [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]|| Serenissima Res Publica Poloniae ||1569–1795||[[Subdivisions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Provinces and Voivodeships]]
|-
|{{flag|Dutch Republic}} || Republic of the Seven United Netherlands|| 1581–1795 ||[[Province]]s
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of Canton of Valais (1628–1802).svg}} [[Republic of the Seven Tithings|Valais]] || Republic of the Seven Tithings || 1613–1798 ||
|-
|{{flag|Gran Colombia}} || Republic of Colombia|| 1819–1831||
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of the Federal Republic of Central America.svg}} [[Federal Republic of Central America]] || Federal Republic of Central American|| 1823–1838|| 
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of New Granada.svg}} [[Granadine Confederation]]|| Granadine Confederation || 1858–1863 ||
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of Colombia.svg}} [[United States of Colombia]]|| United States of Colombia || 1863–1886 || [[States of Colombia|States]]
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of the First Spanish Republic.svg}} [[First Spanish Republic]]|| Spanish Republic || 1873-1874 ||
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of China (1912–1928).svg}} [[Beiyang government|Republic of China]] || Republic of China|| 1912–1928 || [[History of the administrative divisions of China (1912–49)|Provinces]]
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of the Mountain Republic.svg}} [[Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus]] || Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus || 1917–1922||[[Republic]]s
|-
|{{flag|Weimar Republic}} || German Reich || 1919–1933 || [[List of historic states of Germany#States of Weimar Germany|States]]
|-
| {{flag|East Germany|name=East Germany}} || German Democratic Republic || 1949–1990 || [[Administrative divisions of East Germany#Länder in East Germany|States]]
|-
| {{flagcountry|USSR}}{{efn|Nominally a federal union of multiple national republics; in practice its government and economy were highly centralized until its final years.}} || Union of Soviet Socialist Republics || 1922–1991 || [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Republics]]
|-
| {{flag|Yugoslavia}}<ref name=CIA1991>{{Cite web |url=http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps35389/1991/world91b.txt |title=The CIA World Factbook officially dated October 15, 1991 |access-date=2011-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511092520/http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps35389/1991/world91b.txt |archive-date=2011-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> || Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1963)<br/>Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1963–1992)|| 1945–1992 || [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia#Federal units|Republics]]
|-
|{{flag|Serbia and Montenegro}} || Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–2003)
State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006)
| 1992–2006||[[Republics of Serbia and Montenegro|Constituent republics]]
|-
|{{flag|Burma|1948}} || Union of Burma || 1948–1962 || [[States of Burma|States]]
|-
|{{flag|Indonesia}} || [[Republic of the United States of Indonesia]] || 1949–1950{{efn|The states lived on until a final treaty in 1956 in which [[Republic of South Maluku]] and the State of [[Eastern Sumatra]] agreed to devolve into the [[Republic of Indonesia]].}} ||[[Federated state|States]]
|-
|{{flag|Cameroon|1961}} || Federal Republic of Cameroon|| 1961–1972 ||
|-
|{{flag|Czechoslovak Socialist Republic}}<ref name=CIA1991/> || Czechoslovak Republic (1948–1960)<br/>Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960–1990) || 1969–1990 || [[Republics of Czechoslovakia|Republics]]
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of the Czech Republic.svg}} [[Czech and Slovak Federative Republic]]|| Czech and Slovak Federative Republic ||1990–1992|| [[Republics of Czechoslovakia|Republics]]
|}

==See also==
* [[Form of government]]
* [[List of republics]]
* [[Federal monarchy]]

== Notes ==
{{notes}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/republic Republic] at Merriam-Webster

{{Autonomous types of first-tier administration}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Federal republic}}
[[Category:Federal republics| ]]
[[Category:Federalism|Republic]]
[[Category:Republicanism]]