200 most important geography topics - Sykalo Eugen 2023

States

A state is a political and administrative division of a country. In most cases, a state is a self-governing entity that has its own government, laws, and constitution. In this article, we will explore the concept of states from a geographical perspective, looking at different types of states and how they are distributed around the world.

Types of States

There are several types of states, including:

• Unitary State: This is a state where power is centralized in the national government, and local governments only have powers that are delegated to them by the central government. Examples of unitary states include France, Japan, and China.
• Federal State: In a federal state, power is shared between the national government and subnational governments, such as states or provinces. Examples of federal states include the United States, Canada, and Australia.
• Confederate State: A confederate state is a union of states that have agreed to work together for a common purpose, such as defense or trade. Each state retains its sovereignty and can leave the confederation at any time. The European Union is an example of a confederate state.

Distribution of States

States are distributed unevenly around the world. Some regions have many states, while others have very few. Here are some interesting facts about the distribution of states:

• Africa has the largest number of states of any continent, with 54 independent countries.
• Europe has the smallest land area of any continent, but it has the largest number of states, with 44 independent countries.
• The United States has the highest number of states of any country, with 50 states and one federal district.
• The smallest state in the world is the Vatican City, which is an independent city-state that covers an area of just 0.44 square kilometers.
• The largest state in the world is Russia, which covers an area of 17.1 million square kilometers and is divided into 85 federal subjects.