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A unitary state is a state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create (or abolish) administrative divisions (sub-national units).[1] Such units exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate. Although political power may be delegated through devolution to regional or local governments by statute, the central government may abrogate the acts of devolved governments or curtail (or expand) their powers.
Unitary states stand in contrast with federations, also known as federal states. A large majority of the world's sovereign states (166 of the 193 UN member states) have a unitary system of government.[2]
Devolution compared with federalism
A unitary system of government can be considered the opposite of federalism. In federations, the provincial/regional governments share powers with the central government as equal actors through a written constitution, to which the consent of both is required to make amendments. This means that the sub-national units have a right of existence and powers that cannot be unilaterally changed by the central government.[3]
There are, however, similarities between federalism and devolution. Devolution within a unitary state, like federalism, may be symmetrical, with all sub-national units having the same powers and status, or asymmetric, with sub-national units varying in their powers and status. Many unitary states have no areas possessing a degree of autonomy.[4] In such countries, sub-national regions cannot decide their own laws. Examples are Romania, Ireland and Norway. Svalbard has even less autonomy than the mainland. It is directly controlled by the government and has no local rule.
List of unitary republics and unitary kingdoms
Italics: States with limited recognition from other sovereign states or intergovernmental organizations.
Unitary republics
Albania
Algeria[1]
Angola
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh[1]
Barbados[5]
Belarus
Benin
Bolivia
Botswana
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
People's Republic of China
Republic of China (Taiwan)[6]
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
Colombia
Democratic Republic of the Congo[1]
Republic of the Congo
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala[1]
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti[1]
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland[1]
Indonesia[1]
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy[1]
Ivory Coast
Kazakhstan[1]
Kenya[1]
Kiribati
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Kosovo (limited recognition)
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Lithuania
Madagascar
Malawi
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nicaragua
Niger
North Korea
North Macedonia
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines[1]
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Rwanda
Samoa
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somaliland (not recognised)
South Africa
Suriname
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Togo
Transnistria
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda[1]
Ukraine
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Unitary monarchies
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an example of a unitary state. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have a degree of autonomous devolved power, but such power is delegated by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which may enact laws unilaterally altering or abolishing devolution. Similarly in Spain, the devolved powers are delegated through the central government.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (non-monarchical emirate, not recognized)
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahrain
British Ceylon
The Bahamas
Belize
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
Denmark[1]
Eswatini
Grenada
Jamaica
Japan[1]
Jordan
Kuwait
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Monaco
Morocco[1]
Netherlands
New Zealand[7]
Norway
Oman
Papua New Guinea[3]
Qatar
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Solomon Islands
Spain
Sweden
Thailand
Tonga
Tuvalu
United Kingdom[8][1]
Vatican City
See also
- Centralized government
- Constitutional economics
- Political economy
- Regional state
- Rule according to higher law
- Unicameralism
- Unitary authority
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "What is a Unitary State?". WorldAtlas. August 2017. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
- ^ "Democracy". www.un.org. 2015-11-20. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
- ^ a b Ghai, Yash; Regan, Anthony J. (September 2006). "Unitary state, devolution, autonomy, secession: State building and nation building in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea". The Round Table. 95 (386): 589–608. doi:10.1080/00358530600931178. ISSN 0035-8533. S2CID 153980559.
- ^ "unitary system | government". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- ^ Faulconbridge, Guy; Ellsworth, Brian (2021-11-30). "Barbados ditches Britain's Queen Elizabeth to become a republic". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ See also Political status of Taiwan, Chinese Taipei, One China and Taiwan, China.
- ^ "Story: Nation and government – From colony to nation". The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ "Social policy in the UK". An introduction to Social Policy. Robert Gordon University – Aberdeen Business School. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.