The CIA World Factbook Edition 2016 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 2016 edition carries it in 232 entries, in its Government section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2016 edition
- 232
- 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.
No entries match. Try a shorter word.
Entries with Government type in each edition
Select a bar to open that edition.
Africa
56 entriesSaint Helena, Ascension, And Tristan Da Cunha now Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
parliamentary democracy (Legislative Council); limited self-governing overseas territory of the UK
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), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ;
- territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, 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 - Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 80 percent of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco;
- 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 (MINURSO)
Antarctic Region
1 entryAntarctica
Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic region is governed by a system known as the Antarctic Treaty System; the system includes: 1. the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, which establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica, 2. Recommendations and Measures adopted at meetings of Antarctic Treaty countries, 3. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972), 4. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980), and 5. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991); the 38th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Sofia, Bulgaria in May 2015; at these annual meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; by January 2016, there were 53 treaty member nations: 29 consultative and 24 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant 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 (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the years in parentheses indicate when a consultative member-nation acceded to the Treaty and when it was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and the UK; nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1975/1983), Bulgaria (1978/1998), China (1983/1985), Czech Republic (1962/2017), Ecuador (1987/1990), Finland (1984/1989), Germany (1979/1981), India (1983/1983), Italy (1981/1987), Japan, South Korea (1986/1989), Netherlands (1967/1990), Peru (1981/1989), Poland (1961/1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1982/1988), Sweden (1984/1988), Ukraine (1992/2004), Uruguay (1980/1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Belarus (2006), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), Iceland (2015), Kazakhstan (2015), North Korea (1987), Malaysia (2011), Monaco (2008), Mongolia (2015), Pakistan (2012), Papua New Guinea (1981), Portugal (2010), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1962/1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1996), and Venezuela (1999); note - Czechoslovakia acceded to the Treaty in 1962 and separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993;
- 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;
- 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 six specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, 5) area protection and management and 6) liability arising from environmental emergencies;
- it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research;
- a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Arctic Region
2 entriesAsia
22 entriesArmenia
semi-presidential republic
note: a constituional referendum approved in December 2015 will change the government type to a parliamentary system, replacing the semi-presidential system and becoming effective for the 2017-18 electoral cycle
Central America and the Caribbean
29 entriesAntigua And Barbuda now Antigua and Barbuda
parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Bahamas, The now The Bahamas
parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Belize
parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
British Virgin Islands
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Cayman Islands
parliamentary democracy (Legislative Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Montserrat
parliamentary democracy (Legislative Council); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Puerto Rico
presidential democracy; a self-governing commonwealth in political association with the US
Saint Kitts And Nevis now Saint Kitts and Nevis
federal parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Saint Lucia
parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines now Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Turks And Caicos Islands now Turks and Caicos Islands
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Europe
48 entriesAndorra
- parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains its chiefs of state in the form of a co-principality;
- the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seu d'Urgell, Spain, who are represented in Andorra by the co-princes' representatives
Middle East
15 entriesCyprus
Republic of Cyprus - presidential democracy; Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (self-declared) - semi-presidential democracy
note: a separation of the two main ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified when a Greek military-junta-supported coup attempt prompted the Turkish intervention in July 1974 that gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government on the island; on 15 November 1983, then Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTAS declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC"), which is recognized only by Turkey
North America
5 entriesCanada
federal parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Saint Pierre And Miquelon now Saint Pierre and Miquelon
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France
Oceania
25 entriesAustralia
parliamentary democracy (Federal Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Cook Islands
self-governing parliamentary democracy (Parliament of the Cook Islands) in free association with New Zealand
French Polynesia
parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France
Micronesia, Federated States Of now Federated States of Micronesia
federal republic in free association with the US
New Zealand
parliamentary democracy (New Zealand Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Norfolk Island
- parliamentary democracy (formerly the Legislative Assembly);
- overseas territory of Australia;
- note - in May 2015, the Australian Parliament passed the Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 which abolished Norfolk Island self-government and replaced it with an interim Advisory Council effective 1 July 2015
Papua New Guinea
parliamentary democracy (National Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Solomon Islands
parliamentary democracy (National Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Tuvalu
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Wallis And Futuna now Wallis and Futuna
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Assembly); overseas collectivity of France
South America
13 entriesFalkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
parliamentary democracy (Legislative Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Southeast Asia
16 entriesMalaysia
federal constitutional monarchy
note: nominally headed by paramount ruler (commonly referred to as the king) and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers (commonly referred to as sultans) except Melaka (Malacca) 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)
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2016, “Government type”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/government-type/2016.