Federation Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
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 .
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2 List of 'federations' 3 See also 4 Other meanings of federation |
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:
Federations and other forms of state
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 semi-autonomous ethnic enclaves, which are known as Autonomous Republics or Autonomous Oblasts, but which possess very little actual autonomy.
The European Union possesses some of the attributes of a federal state but its central government is much weaker than most federations and it is therefore closer to a confederation or an alliance than a federation. Furthermore, 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.
This is an Article on Federation. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Federation List of 'federations'
The following nations are, or claim to be, broadly federal in structure.See also
Other meanings of federation