Federation

:This article is about federal states. For alternative meanings, see Federation (disambiguation).

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A federation (from the Latin f?dus, "covenant") 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.

Related Topics:
Latin - State - Component states

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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. Important modern federations include Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Russia and the United States. The form of government or constitutional structure found in a federation is known as federalism.

Related Topics:
Multi-ethnic - Sovereign - Australia - Brazil - Canada - India - Russia - United States - Form of government - Federalism

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