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{{Short description|Type of government found in unitary states}}
{{Confuse|Centralized government}}
{{Forms of government}}

A '''central government''' is the [[government]] that is a controlling power over a [[unitary state]]. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a [[Federation#Federal governments|federal government]], which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or delegated to it by the [[federation]] and mutually agreed upon by each of the [[Federated state|federated states]]. Though inappropriate, the adjective "central" is also sometimes used to describe the government of a federation, such as in [[Government of India|India]].

The structure of central governments varies. Many countries have created autonomous regions by delegating powers from the central government to governments on a sub-national level, such as regional, state, provincial, local and other instances. Based on a broad definition of a basic political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and government through common institutions with overlapping or shared powers as prescribed by a [[constitution]] or other law.

Common responsibilities of this level of government which are not granted to lower levels are maintaining [[national security]] and exercising international [[diplomacy]], including the right to sign binding [[treaty|treaties]]. Essentially, the central government has the power to make laws for the whole country, in contrast with [[local government|local governments]].

The difference between a central government and a federal government is that the autonomous status of self-governing regions exists by the sufferance of the central government and are often created through a process of [[devolution]]. As such they may be unilaterally revoked with a simple change in the law. An example of this was done in 1973 when the [[Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973]] abolished the [[Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland|government of Northern Ireland]] which had been created under the [[Government of Ireland Act 1920]]. It is common for a federal government to be brought into being by agreement between a number of formally independent states and therefore its powers to affect the status of the balance of powers is significantly smaller (as in the [[United States]]). Thus federal governments are often established voluntarily from 'below' whereas devolution grants self-government from above.

== Examples ==
=== Unitary states ===
There are, and have been, many countries which have delegated powers, some include:
* {{flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|People's Republic of China]] – see [[autonomous administrative divisions of China]]
* {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Government of Denmark|Denmark]] – see the autonomous regions of the [[Faroe Islands]] and [[Greenland]]
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Cabinet of France|France]]
* {{flagicon|Republic of China}} [[Government of the Republic of China|Republic of China]]
* {{flagicon|Georgia}} [[Cabinet of Georgia|Georgia]] – see [[Georgia_(country)#Autonomous republics|autonomous republics]]
* {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Government of Japan|Japan]]
* {{flagicon|Republic of Korea}} [[Government of South Korea|Republic of Korea]]
* {{flagicon|Indonesia}} [[Government of Indonesia|Indonesia]]
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Government of Spain|Spain]] – see [[Autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous communities]]
* {{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Government of the Philippines|Philippines]] - see [[Provinces of the Philippines]]
* {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Government of Portugal|Portugal]] – see [[autonomous regions of Portugal]]
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Government of Turkey|Turkey]]
* {{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Government of Ukraine|Ukraine]]
* {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Government of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] – [[Devolution|devolved]] powers to governments of [[Scotland]], [[Wales]] and [[Northern Ireland]].
* {{flagicon|Vietnam}} [[Government of Vietnam|Vietnam]]

=== Federations ===
A federal government is the common or national government of a [[federation]]. The [[United States]] is considered the first modern federation. After declaring independence from Britain, the U.S. adopted its first constitution, the [[Articles of Confederation]] in 1781. This was the first step towards federalism by establishing the confederal Congress. However, Congress was limited as to its ability to pursue economic, military, and judiciary reform. In 1787, a [[Constitutional_Convention_(United_States)|Constitutional Convention]] drafted the [[United States Constitution]] during the [[Philadelphia Convention]]. After the ratification of the Constitution by nine states in 1788, the U.S. was officially a federation, putting the U.S. in a unique position where the central government exists by the sufferance of the individual states rather than the reverse.

Other states followed suit in establishing federal governments: [[Switzerland]] (1848); [[Canada]] (1867); [[Germany]] (1871 and again 1949); [[Brazil]] (1891); [[Australia]] (1901); [[Russia]] (1917); [[Austria]] (1920 and again 1945) and [[India]] (1947 and again 1950).<ref>Watts, R., "Comparing Federal Systems" (2nd ed.) SPC Queen's U (1999) pp 20–26.</ref> Examples include:

* {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Government of Austria|Austria]]
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Government of Argentina|Argentina]]
* {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Government of Australia|Australia]] – [[states and territories of Australia]]
* {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Belgian federal government|Belgium]] – see [[communities, regions and language areas of Belgium]]
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Government of Brazil|Brazil]]
* {{flagicon|India}} [[Government Of India|India]] - [[States and union territories of India]]
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Government of Canada|Canada]] – see [[provinces and territories of Canada]]
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Government of Germany|Germany]] – see [[states of Germany]]
* {{flagicon|Malaysia}} [[Government of Malaysia|Malaysia]]
* {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Government of Mexico|Mexico]] – see [[states of Mexico]]
* {{flagicon|Nigeria}} [[Government of Nigeria|Nigeria]]
* {{flagicon|Nepal}} [[Government of Nepal|Nepal]]
* {{flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Government of Pakistan|Pakistan]] – see [[administrative units of Pakistan]]
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Government of Russia|Russia]] – see [[federal districts of Russia]], [[federal subjects of Russia]]
* {{flagicon|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics}} [[Government of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] – see [[republics of the Soviet Union]]
* {{flagicon|Sudan}} [[Government of Sudan|Sudan]] – see [[South Sudan]], which is now [[Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011|independent]]
* {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Swiss Federal Council|Switzerland]] – [[cantons of Switzerland]]
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Federal government of the United States|United States]] – see [[U.S. state|U.S. states]]
* {{flagicon|Venezuela}} [[Government of Venezuela|Venezuela]] – see [[states of Venezuela]]

=== Confederations ===
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Federal_government_of_the_United_States|United States Government]] under the [[Articles of Confederation]]
* {{flagicon|CSA}} [[Confederate States of America]]

== See also ==
* [[National Government (disambiguation)]]
* [[List of autonomous areas by country]]
* [[Autonomous government]]
*[[Devolution of powers]]
* [[Federation]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Government}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Government}}

[[Category:Unitary state]]
[[Category:Political geography]]
[[Category:Federalism]]

Central government - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article