The CIA World Factbook Edition 2003 Government
Government type In 36 editions of 36.
Government type was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2003 edition carries it in 235 entries, in its Government section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2003 edition
- 235
- the first edition with it
- 1990
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Government type” (1997 to 2025), “Type” (1990 to 1995) and “Type of government” (1996).
the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Government type, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.
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Entries with Government type in each edition
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Africa
57 entriesBenin
- republic under multiparty democratic rule;
- dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989;
- democratic reforms adopted February 1990;
- transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991
Cameroon
unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990)
note: preponderance of power remains with the president
Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo
dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative government
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 had been scheduled to take place in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Libya
- Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory,
- governed by the populace through local councils;
- in fact,
- a military dictatorship
Sudan
- authoritarian regime - ruling military junta took power in 1989;
- government is run by an alliance of the military and the National Congress Party (NCP), formerly the National Islamic Front (NIF), which espouses an Islamist platform
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 OAU member in 1984;
- guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991
Antarctic Region
1 entryAntarctica
Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica. The 24th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Russia in July 2001. At the end of 2001, there were 45 treaty member nations: 27 consultative and 18 non-consultative. Consultative (voting) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 20 nonclaimant nations.
The US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims. The US does not recognize the claims of others. Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations. Decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (within their areas) in accordance with their own national laws. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory.
Claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1983), Bulgaria (1998) China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), and the US. Non-consultative (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1995), Ukraine (1992), and Venezuela (1999). Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations.
Other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes: 1) marine pollution, 2) fauna and flora, 3) environmental impact assessments, 4) waste management, and 5) protected area management; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research.
Arctic Region
3 entriesAsia
22 entriesUzbekistan
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Central America and the Caribbean
31 entriesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines
parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth
Europe
46 entriesAndorra
- parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its heads 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
Middle East
15 entriesCyprus
republic
note: a disaggregation 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 after a Greek junta-based 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), recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly support a settlement based on a federation (Greek Cypriot position) or confederation (Turkish Cypriot position)
United Arab Emirates
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
North America
5 entriesOceania
25 entriesFiji
republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
Marshall Islands
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986
Micronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia
- constitutional government in free association with the US;
- the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986;
- economic provisions of the Compact are being renegotiated
Northern Mariana Islands
commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature
Palau
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
Tuvalu
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992
South America
14 entriesSoutheast Asia
16 entriesMalaysia
constitutional monarchy
note: Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August 1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore) formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left the federation on 9 August 1965); nominally headed by the paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; Peninsular Malaysian states - hereditary rulers in all but Melaka, George Town (Penang), Sabah, and Sarawak, where governors are appointed by the Malaysian Government; powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution; under terms of the federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., the right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah - holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak - holds 28 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government
Taiwan
multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly-elected president and unicameral legislature
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2003, “Government type”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/government-type/2003.