Constituent country

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Constituent country is a term sometimes used in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger political entity, such as a sovereign state. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning, and is used simply to refer to a country which is a constituent part of something else.

In unitary states

Denmark

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Main article: Danish Realm

The Danish Realm consists of three constituent parts, each part often referred to as a country:

Country Capital Sovereign state
Denmark Denmark Copenhagen Kingdom of Denmark
Faroe Islands Faroe Islands[1] Tórshavn
Greenland Greenland[2] Nuuk

However, this terminology is not consistent. The Faroes are also referred to as a "self-governing territory" or similar by (e.g.) the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands[3] and the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[4] In the Danish/Faroese act of 2005 (Act on the Faroese authorities acquisition of affairs and fields / (Danish) Lov om de færøske myndigheders overtagelse af sager og sagsområder) the Faroese government is referred to as an equal partner to the Danish government.[5][6]

France

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Main article: Overseas collectivity

In 2004, the French overseas collectivity of French Polynesia was legally designated as a pays d'outre-mer au sein de la République,[7] translated as an "overseas country inside the Republic".[8] The Constitutional Council of France ruled that this was merely a change of appellation and did not represent a constitutional change in legal status.[9]

Netherlands

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Main article: Kingdom of the Netherlands

Since 10 October 2010, the Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four countries:[10]

Country Capital Sovereign state
Netherlands Netherlands including the Caribbean Netherlands (BES islands) Amsterdam Kingdom of the Netherlands
Aruba Aruba Oranjestad
Curaçao Curaçao Willemstad
Sint Maarten Sint Maarten Philipsburg

Each is expressly designated as a land in Dutch law by the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[11] Unlike the German Länder and the Austrian Bundesländer, landen is consistently translated as "countries" by the Dutch government.[12][13][14]

New Zealand

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Main article: Realm of New Zealand

The Realm of New Zealand consists of three parts usually referred to as countries:

Country Capital Sovereign state
New Zealand New Zealand Wellington Realm of New Zealand
Cook Islands Cook Islands[15][16] Avarua
Niue Niue[17] Alofi

However, the Constitutions of the Cook Islands[18] and of Niue[19] do not describe either as a country, nor do the New Zealand Acts which brought those constitutions into force.[20][21]

United Arab Emirates

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Main article: United Arab Emirates
Emirate Capital Sovereign state
Abu Dhabi (emirate) Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Ajman Ajman Ajman
Dubai Dubai Dubai
23x15px Fujairah Fujairah
Ras al-Khaimah Ras al-Khaimah Ras al-Khaimah
Sharjah (emirate) Sharjah Sharjah
Umm al-Quwain Umm al-Quwain Umm al-Quwain

United Kingdom

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Main article: Countries of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is generally described as comprising four countries:[22]

Country Capital Sovereign state
England England London United Kingdom
Scotland Scotland Edinburgh
Wales Wales Cardiff
  Northern Ireland Belfast

The United Kingdom itself is a unitary state and not four countries in personal union but came about by the union of four countries. Wales was incorporated into the kingdom of England in 1542, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united in 1707, and the kingdom of Ireland united with them in 1801. Northern Ireland was created when Ireland was partitioned in 1921. Northern Ireland remained in the United Kingdom, whereas the rest (now the Republic of Ireland) left.

Although the term country is usually applied uncontroversially to England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland is often described using other terms, such as "region" or "province".[23][24][25] For example, ISO 3166-2:GB defines the UK as being made up of three countries (England, Scotland, Wales) and one province (Northern Ireland).[26]

Northern Ireland had a devolved parliament from 1921–72. Devolution was restored to Northern Ireland in 1999 following the Good Friday Agreement and referenda in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 1998. After referenda in 1997, new devolved governments were created in Scotland and Wales. England remains solely under the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London.

At sporting events such as rugby union, an alternative title, Home Nations, is used, which in these contexts sometimes includes Ireland as a whole.

China

China does not have any specified constituencies, but it contains the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, both of which have separate governments from the national government. This political arrangement is sometimes called "one country, two systems".

In federal states

Soviet Union

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Main article: Republics of the Soviet Union

According to its constitution the Soviet Union was a union of freely associated Soviet Socialist Republics; in reality, for most of its lifespan the USSR was a strongly centralized state.

Map of the Union Republics from 1956–1991
Republics of the USSR.svg
Soviet
socialist
republic		 member
since		 population
(1989)
 pop./
USSR pop.
(%)		 area
(km²)
(1991)		 area/
USSR area
(%)		 capital

 independent
state
 No.
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic 1922 147,386,000 51.40 17,075,400 76.62 Moscow  Russia 1
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 1922 51,706,746 18.03 603,700 2.71 Kiev
(Kharkov before 1934)		  Ukraine 2
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic 1924 19,906,000 6.94 447,400 2.01 Tashkent
(Samarkand before 1930)		  Uzbekistan 4
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic 1936 16,711,900 5.83 2,727,300 12.24 Astana  Kazakhstan 5
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic 1922 10,151,806 3.54 207,600 0.93 Minsk  Belarus 3
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic 1936 7,037,900 2.45 86,600 0.39 Baku  Azerbaijan 7
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic 1936 5,400,841 1.88 69,700 0.31 Tbilisi  Georgia 6
Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic 1929 5,112,000 1.78 143,100 0.64 Dushanbe  Tajikistan 12
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic 1940 4,337,600 1.51 33,843 0.15 Kishinev  Moldova 9
Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic 1936 4,257,800 1.48 198,500 0.89 Bishkek  Kyrgyzstan 11
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic 1940 3,689,779 1.29 65,200 0.29 Vilnius  Lithuania 8
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic 1924 3,522,700 1.23 488,100 2.19 Ashkhabad  Turkmenistan 14
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic 1936 3,287,700 1.15 29,800 0.13 Yerevan  Armenia 13
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic 1940 2,666,567 0.93 64,589 0.29 Riga  Latvia 10
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic 1940 1,565,662 0.55 45,226 0.20 Tallinn  Estonia 15
  The annexation of the Baltic republics in 1940 was considered as an illegal occupation and never recognized by the majority of the international community.[27][28][29] The Soviet Union officially recognized their secession on September 6, 1991, prior to its final dissolution.

Yugoslavia

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was divided into six Constituent Socialist Republics, along with two self autonomous Provinces within Serbia.

Country Capital Classification Modern Subject
Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo Socialist Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina
Socialist Republic of Croatia Socialist Republic of Croatia Zagreb Croatia Republic of Croatia
Socialist Republic of Montenegro Socialist Republic of Montenegro Podgorica Montenegro Montenegro
Socialist Republic of Macedonia Socialist Republic of Macedonia Skopje Republic of Macedonia Republic of Macedonia
Socialist Republic of Serbia Socialist Republic of Serbia Belgrade Serbia Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia Socialist Republic of Slovenia Ljubljana Slovenia Republic of Slovenia
  Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo Pristina Socialist Autonomous Province Kosovo Republic of Kosovo (Independence Disputed)
  Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Novi Sad Vojvodina Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (Within Serbia)

St Kitts and Nevis

The island of Nevis has a constitutionally guaranteed right to secede from the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and thereby become a sovereign country. This is stipulated in section 113 of the Kittian/Nevisian Constitution.[30] An independence referendum was held in Nevis on 10 August 1998. With 62% support amongst Nevisian voters, it fell slightly short of the constitutionally required two-thirds majority support necessary.[31] In view of the constitutional position, both St. Kitts and Nevis could be regarded as constituent countries of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

See also

References

  1. ↑ The West Nordic Council. website. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Factsheet Denmark: Greenland.
  3. ↑ Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands. "About the Faroe Islands". Retrieved 8 March 2011
  4. ↑ Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Factsheet Denmark – the Faroes.
  5. ↑ retsinformation.dk Lov om de færøske myndigheders overtagelse af sager og sagsområder
  6. ↑ Denne lov bygger på en overenskomst mellem Færøernes landsstyre og den danske regering som ligeværdige parter. (Faroese)]
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Cook Islands Government. "The Cook Islands Government Online". Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  16. ↑ Australian Government. "AusAid". Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  17. ↑ Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Niue". Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  18. ↑ "Constitution of the Cook Islands".
  19. ↑ "Constitution of Niue".
  20. ↑ "New Zealand legislation – Cook Islands".
  21. ↑ "New Zealand legislation – Niue".
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Constitution of the Federation of Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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