When you look at countries, you might see the “Republic of” in the names of many. But what does that mean? A republic is a government form that is ruled by the people. However, not all republic governments are created equal. To clear up any confusion, find out what a republic government is and get examples.
What Is a Republic?
A republic is a form of government where the citizens have the supreme power, and they exercise that power by voting and electing representatives to make decisions and govern. Republics come in different forms of government, but a common one is a democracy.
Additionally, republics come in different forms. They can be broken up based on the type of government principles they operate on. The main ones that you might see include:
- Federal Republics have divisions, like states or provinces, that have some autonomy from the national government. The United States of America is an example of a federal republic.
- In Unitary Republics, divisions, if any, are governed as one unit with one legislature. For example, Ireland is a unitary republic.
- Islamic Republics are countries with a theocracy that allow the people power and have a constitution based on Islamic law. Mauritania is an example of an Islamic republic.
Other Types of Republics
While those are the main types of republics, you might also hear:
- Presidential Republic is a type of government run using the presidential system, where the president heads the nation. This type of republic can be unitary or federal. Algeria uses a presidential republic.
- In Parliamentary Republics, the government is run by a parliamentary system. You have a parliament and prime minister leading the nation. Parliamentary republics are both unitary and federal. India is a parliamentary republic.
Now, that you know a bit about the types of republics that you can find, check out some examples.
Federal Republic Examples
Federal republic countries might have states that are allowed to have their own rules and laws, but they are united under one federal government. These include both federal governments run by presidents and parliaments.
- Argentine Republic
- Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
- Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
- Federal Republic of Germany
- Federal Republic of Nigeria
- Federal Republic of Somalia
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Federative Republic of Brazil
- Republic of Austria
- Republic of India
- Republic of Iraq
- Republic of the Sudan
- Russian Federation
- Swiss Confederation
- Union of Comoros
- United Mexican States
- United States of America
Islamic Republic Examples
There are only a few counties that call themselves an Islamic republic. While they follow the republic makeup of government, their laws are based in Islam. Examples of Islamic republics include:
- Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
- Islamic Republic Iran
- Islamic Republic of Mauritania
- Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Unitary Republics Examples
Many countries aren’t considered a federal republic. These countries have a legislative branch and constitutions, but the government is broken up in several different ways. Examples of unitary republics include:
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Arab Republic of Egypt
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bolivia
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Central African Republic
- Chili
- Commonwealth of Dominica
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Co-operative Republic of Guyana
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
- Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- France
- Gabonese Republic
- Georgia
- Greece
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyz Republic
- Mongolia
- Montserrat
- Most Serene Republic of San Marino
- Oriental Republic of Uruguay
- People's Republic of Bangladesh
- People's Republic of China
- Portuguese Republic
- Republic of Djibouti
- Republic of Benin
- Republic of Botswana
- Republic of Burundi
- Republic of Cameroon
- Republic of Cape Verde
- Republic of Chad
- Republic of Colombia
- Republic of Congo
- Republic of Cyprus
- Republic of Equatorial Guinea
- Republic of Estonia
- Republic of the Fiji Islands
- Republic of Finland
- Republic of the Gambia
- Republic of Ghana
- Republic of Guinea
- Republic of Guinea-Bissau
- Republic of Iraq
- Republic of Ivory Coast
- Republic of Kazakhstan
- Republic of Kenya
- Republic of Kiribati
- Republic of Korea
- Republic of Latvia
- Republic of Lebanon
- Republic of Liberia
- Republic of Lithuania
- Republic of North Macedonia
- Republic of Madagascar
- Republic of Malaŵi
- Republic of Maldives
- Republic of Mali
- Republic of Malta
- Republic of Mauritius
- Republic of Moldova
- Republic of Montenegro
- Republic of Mozambique
- Republic of Namibia
- Republic of Nauru
- Republic of Nicaragua
- Republic of Niger
- Republic of Palau
- Republic of Panama
- Republic of Paraguay
- Republic of Peru
- Republic of the Philippines
- Republic of Poland
- Republic of Rwanda
- Republic of Senegal
- Republic of Serbia
- Republic of Seychelles
- Republic of Sierra Leone
- Republic of Singapore
- Republic of Slovenia
- Republic of South Africa
- Republic of South Sudan
- Republic of Suriname
- Republic of Tajikistan
- Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
- Republic of Turkey
- Republic of Turkmenistan
- Republic of Uganda
- Republic of Uzbekistan
- Republic of Vanuatu
- Republic of Zambia
- Republic of Zimbabwe
- Romania
- Samoa
- Slovakia Republic
- State of Eritrea
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Taiwan
- Togolese Republic
- Tunisian Republic
- Ukraine
- Union of Myanmar
- United Republic of Tanzania
Example of a Republic
When it comes to republics, there are a lot of them. Continue your republic education by exploring what a banana republic is. Keep in mind that the types of government, such as democracy, theocracy, etc., are different. Now that you have delved into republic government examples, you might want to take a look at socialism examples. Dive into the fascinating world of government types.