| Countries (A to Z) |
Description |
| Afghanistan |
Islamic republic |
| Albania |
emerging democracy |
| Algeria |
republic |
| Andorra |
parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by coprinces' representatives |
| Angola |
republic; multiparty presidential regime |
| Antigua and Barbuda |
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government |
| Argentina |
republic |
| Armenia |
republic |
| Aruba |
parliamentary democracy |
| Australia |
federal parliamentary democracy |
| Austria |
federal republic |
| Azerbaijan |
republic |
| Bahamas, The |
constitutional parliamentary democracy |
| Bahrain |
constitutional monarchy |
| Bangladesh |
parliamentary democracy |
| Barbados |
parliamentary democracy |
| Belarus |
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship |
| Belgium |
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
| Belize |
parliamentary democracy |
| Benin |
republic |
| Bermuda |
parliamentary; self-governing territory |
| Bhutan |
in transition to constitutional monarchy; special treaty relationship with India |
| Bolivia |
republic |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
emerging federal democratic republic |
| Botswana |
parliamentary republic |
| Brazil |
federal republic |
| Brunei |
constitutional sultanate |
| Bulgaria |
parliamentary democracy |
| Burkina Faso |
parliamentary republic |
| Burma |
military junta |
| Burundi |
republic |
| Cambodia |
multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
| Cameroon |
republic; multiparty presidential regime |
| Canada |
constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation |
| Cape Verde |
republic |
| Cayman Islands |
British crown colony |
| Central African Republic |
republic |
| Chad |
republic |
| Chile |
republic |
| China |
Communist state |
| Colombia |
republic; executive branch dominates government structure |
| Comoros |
republic |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the |
republic |
| Congo, Republic of the |
republic |
| Cook Islands |
self-governing parliamentary democracy |
| Costa Rica |
democratic republic |
| Croatia |
presidential/parliamentary democracy |
| Cuba |
Communist state |
| Cyprus |
republic; note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey |
| Czech Republic |
parliamentary democracy |
| Côte d'Ivoire |
republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960; note: the government is currently operating under a power-sharing agreement mandated by international mediators |
| Denmark |
constitutional monarchy |
| Djibouti |
republic |
| Dominica |
parliamentary democracy |
| Dominican Republic |
democratic republic |
| East Timor |
republic |
| Ecuador |
republic |
| Egypt |
republic |
| El Salvador |
republic |
| Equatorial Guinea |
republic |
| Eritrea |
transitional government; note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections were scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) |
| Estonia |
parliamentary republic |
| Ethiopia |
federal republic |
| Fiji |
republic |
| Finland |
republic |
| France |
republic |
| Gabon |
republic; multiparty presidential regime |
| Gambia, The |
republic |
| Georgia |
republic |
| Germany |
federal republic |
| Ghana |
constitutional democracy |
| Greece |
parliamentary republic |
| Greenland |
parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy |
| Grenada |
parliamentary democracy |
| Guatemala |
constitutional democratic republic |
| Guernsey |
parliamentary democracy |
| Guinea |
republic |
| Guinea-Bissau |
republic |
| Guyana |
republic |
| Haiti |
republic |
| Holy See (Vatican City) |
ecclesiastical |
| Honduras |
democratic constitutional republic |
| Hong Kong |
limited democracy |
| Hungary |
parliamentary democracy |
| Iceland |
constitutional republic |
| India |
federal republic |
| Indonesia |
republic |
| Iran |
theocratic republic |
| Iraq |
parliamentary democracy |
| Ireland |
republic, parliamentary democracy |
| Israel |
parliamentary democracy |
| Italy |
republic |
| Jamaica |
constitutional parliamentary democracy |
| Japan |
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government |
| Jersey |
parliamentary democracy |
| Jordan |
constitutional monarchy |
| Kazakhstan |
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch |
| Kenya |
republic |
| Kiribati |
republic |
| Korea, North |
Communist state one-man dictatorship |
| Korea, South |
republic |
| Kuwait |
constitutional emirate |
| Kyrgyzstan |
republic |
| Laos |
Communist state |
| Latvia |
parliamentary democracy |
| Lebanon |
republic |
| Lesotho |
parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Liberia |
republic |
| Libya |
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state |
| Liechtenstein |
constitutional monarchy |
| Lithuania |
parliamentary democracy |
| Luxembourg |
constitutional monarchy |
| Macau |
limited democracy |
| Macedonia, Republic of |
parliamentary democracy |
| Madagascar |
republic |
| Malawi |
multiparty democracy |
| Malaysia |
constitutional monarchy; note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah holds 25 seats in House of Representatives; Sarawak has 31 seats |
| Maldives |
republic |
| Mali |
republic |
| Malta |
republic |
| Man, Isle of |
parliamentary democracy |
| Marshall Islands |
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004 |
| Mauritania |
Democratic Republic |
| Mauritius |
parliamentary democracy |
| Mexico |
federal republic |
| Micronesia, Federated States of |
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force May 2004 |
| Moldova |
republic |
| Monaco |
constitutional monarchy |
| Mongolia |
mixed parliamentary/presidential |
| Montenegro |
republic |
| Morocco |
constitutional monarchy |
| Mozambique |
republic |
| Namibia |
republic |
| Nauru |
republic |
| Nepal |
democratic republic |
| Netherlands |
constitutional monarchy |
| Netherlands Antilles |
parliamentary |
| New Zealand |
parliamentary democracy |
| Nicaragua |
republic |
| Niger |
republic |
| Nigeria |
federal republic |
| Niue |
self-governing parliamentary democracy |
| Northern Mariana Islands |
commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature |
| Norway |
constitutional monarchy |
| Oman |
monarchy |
| Pakistan |
federal republic |
| Palau |
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994 |
| Panama |
constitutional democracy |
| Papua New Guinea |
constitutional parliamentary democracy |
| Paraguay |
constitutional republic |
| Peru |
constitutional republic |
| Philippines |
republic |
| Poland |
republic |
| Portugal |
republic; parliamentary democracy |
| Puerto Rico |
commonwealth |
| Qatar |
emirate |
| Romania |
republic |
| Russia |
federation |
| Rwanda |
republic; presidential, multiparty system |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
parliamentary democracy |
| Saint Lucia |
parliamentary democracy |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
parliamentary democracy |
| Samoa |
parliamentary democracy |
| San Marino |
republic |
| Saudi Arabia |
monarchy |
| Senegal |
republic |
| Serbia and Montenegro |
republic |
| Seychelles |
republic |
| Sierra Leone |
constitutional democracy |
| Singapore |
parliamentary republic |
| Slovakia |
parliamentary democracy |
| Slovenia |
parliamentary republic |
| Solomon Islands |
parliamentary democracy |
| Somalia |
no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government |
| South Africa |
republic |
| Spain |
parliamentary monarchy |
| Sri Lanka |
republic |
| Sudan |
Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national elections in 2009 |
| Suriname |
constitutional democracy |
| Swaziland |
monarchy |
| Sweden |
constitutional monarchy |
| Switzerland |
formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic |
| Syria |
republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime |
| São Tomé and Príncipe |
republic |
| Taiwan |
multiparty democracy |
| Tajikistan |
republic |
| Tanzania |
republic |
| Thailand |
constitutional monarchy |
| Togo |
republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule |
| Tonga |
constitutional monarchy |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
parliamentary democracy |
| Tunisia |
republic |
| Turkey |
republican parliamentary democracy |
| Turkmenistan |
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch |
| Tuvalu |
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy |
| Uganda |
republic |
| Ukraine |
republic |
| United Arab Emirates |
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates |
| United Kingdom |
constitutional monarchy |
| United States |
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition |
| Uruguay |
constitutional republic |
| Uzbekistan |
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch |
| Vanuatu |
parliamentary republic |
| Venezuela |
federal republic |
| Vietnam |
Communist state |
| Western Sahara |
legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara or MINURSO |
| Yemen |
republic |
| Zambia |
republic |
| Zimbabwe |
parliamentary democracy |
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