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A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. [1] They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as Rome, Carthage, Athens and Sparta and the Italian city-states during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, such as Florence, Venice, Genoa and Milan.
city-state, a political system consisting of an independent city having sovereignty over contiguous territory and serving as a centre and leader of political, economic, and cultural life. The term originated in England in the late 19th century and has been applied especially to the cities of ancient Greece, Phoenicia, and Italy and to the ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Any country with just one major city, or population centre is a city state. Illinois is a city-state, too, by that measure. Western Australia would be as well, despite being the second largest state on the Planet. More than 75% of the population lives in the capital Perth.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. The classical analytical category of “empire,” as opposed to “state,” “city,” “federation,” and other political forms, can account for a large number of historical and current experiences, including the past United States of America, the European Union, Russia, and China. An “empire” has been ...
- City State Definition
- Characteristics of City-States
- Modern City-States
- Monaco
- Singapore
- Vatican City
- Sources and Further Reference
The city-state is a usually small, independent country consisting of a single city, the government of which exercises full sovereignty or control over itself and all territories within its borders. Unlike in more traditional multi-jurisdictional countries, where political powers are shared between the national government and various regional govern...
The unique characteristic of a city-state that sets it aside from other types of government is its sovereignty or independence. This means that a city-state has the full right and power to govern itself and its citizens, without any interference from outside governments. For example, the government of the city-state of Monaco, though located totall...
While several non-sovereign cities, such as Hong Kong and Macau, along with Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, are sometimes considered city-states, they actually function as autonomous regions. Most geographers and political scientists agree that the three modern true city-states are Monaco, Singapore, and Vatican City.
Monaco is a city-state located on France’s Mediterranean coastline. With a land area of 0.78 square miles and an estimated 38,500 permanent residents, it is the world’s second-smallest, but the most densely populated nation. A voting member of the UN since 1993, Monaco employs a constitutional monarchyform of government. Though it maintains a small...
Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia. With about 5.3 million people living within its 270 square miles, it is the second most densely populated country in the world after Monaco. Singapore became an independent republic, a city and a sovereign country in 1965, after being expelled from the Malaysian Federation. Under its constitution...
Occupying an area of only about 108 acres inside Rome, Italy, the city-state of Vatican City stands as the world’s smallest independent country. Created by the 1929 Lateran Treatywith Italy, Vatican City’s political system is controlled by the Roman Catholic Church, with the Pope serving as the legislative, judicial, and executive head of governmen...
Parker, Geoffrey. (2005). Sovereign City: The City-State Through History.University of Chicago Press. ISBN-10: 1861892195.Nichols, Deborah. .The City-State Concept: Development and ApplicationSmithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. (1997).Kotkin, Joel. 2010. ?A New Era for the City-StateForbes. (December 23, 2010).- Robert Longley
The city-state model also contributed to the development of political theories, such as Aristotle's ideas on the best form of government and the role of the citizen. The legacy of the city-state continues to be reflected in modern political thought, particularly in discussions of federalism, local governance, and the balance between individual liberty and collective responsibility.
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city-state, Political system consisting of an independent city with sovereignty over a fixed surrounding area for which it served as leader of religious, political, economic, and cultural life. The term was coined in the 19th century to describe ancient Greek and Phoenician settlements that differed from tribal or national systems in size, exclusivity, patriotism, and ability to resist ...
