GeoHint
Stats
ENJA
Human Geography

Federation

A federation is a political system where constituent units (states, provinces, republics) retain significant self-governance while delegating powers like defense and foreign affairs to a central government. The opposite is a unitary state (centralized), like Japan or France.

Major federations include USA (50 states), Germany (16 states), Russia (85 federal subjects), Brazil (26 states), India (28 states), Australia (6 states), Canada (10 provinces), and Switzerland (26 cantons). About 25 countries are federations, tending to be large or multi-ethnic nations.

In GeoHint, a 'federation' hint narrows to about 25 countries. 'Federation + Africa' means only Nigeria, Ethiopia, or Comoros - an extremely powerful combination.

X

Was this article helpful?

Related Terms

Sovereign StateCapital City

Related Articles

Country Facts

Government Systems and Geography - Narrowing by Monarchy, Republic, or Federation

Classify world political systems into 4 types and learn elimination strategies for government hints. Complete lists of 43 constitutional monarchies and 5 absolute monarchies.

Country Facts

Capitals That Moved - Countries That Relocated Their Seat of Government

From Brazil to Myanmar to Kazakhstan, explore why nations move their capitals, the characteristics of planned capital cities, and quiz implications.

Quiz Strategies

How to Memorize World Capitals - Region-by-Region Techniques

Learn efficient strategies for memorizing approximately 200 world capitals using regional grouping, pattern recognition, and association techniques.