City-state

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A city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city, and usually having sovereignty. Historically, city-states have often been part of larger cultural areas, as in the city-states of ancient Greece and Phoenicia, the Aztecs and Mayans of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, along the Silk Road in Central Asia, or the city-states of Renaissance Italy.

City-states were common in ancient times. Though sovereign, many such cities joined in formal or informal leagues under a high king. In some cases historical empires or leagues were formed by the right of conquest (e.g., Mycenae, or Rome), but many were formed under peaceful alliances or for mutual protection (e.g., the Peloponnesian League).

In the Middle Ages, city-states were particularly a feature of what are now Germany, Italy and Russia. A number of them formed the Hanseatic League, which was a significant force in trade for a number of centuries.

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[edit] Modern-day city-states

[edit] Hong Kong and Macau

In China, the term is sometimes used for the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Hong Kong is an island city-state on the mouth of the Pearl River bordering the South China Sea. Hong Kong is composed of many districts of which is divided into 3 main parts: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and New Territories (including 235 outlying islands)

Hong Kong had been a British Colony for 157 years and was a prosperous trading port between the West and the Chinese mainland. It remained under British controll up until when it was reverted back to Chinese control to The China in 1997.

Hong Kong is one of the four original East Asian Tigers.

[edit] Monaco

The Principality of Monaco is a perfect example of a city-state: Monaco-Ville (the ancient fortified city, which is not a city even though its name means "Monaco-City") and the well known district Monte-Carlo are actually districts, not cities. The territory of the country corresponds to the city limits (one government and one town hall, each having specific powers): the Principality of Monaco and the city of Monaco.

[edit] Singapore

Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia. It is located off the tip of the Malay Peninsula, which is a part of Malaysia. The majority of Singapore's population lives in a continuous conurbation extending over most of the island. Singapore does not have administrative subdivisions; it is divided into five regions and fifty-five urban planning areas for urban planning purposes.

Singapore was a British colony for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1963, Singapore was admitted as a state into the federation of Malaysia. Unrest marked the two short years of the union. Race-riots between the majority Chinese and minority Malays in the city were frequent, and the federal government, dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), clashed with the state government, which was dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP). The UMNO feared that the PAP would challenge their dominant position in the federal government and tip the racial demographics of Malaysia. Eventually, Singapore was expelled from the federation in 1965, becoming an independent sovereign state.

After Singapore's involuntary independence, it rapidly industrialized and modernized, becoming one of the four "Asian Tigers". It is now a multicultural, major global city with cosmopolitan ideals.

[edit] Vatican City State

Until 1870, the city of Rome had been controlled by the pope as part of his "papal states". When King Victor Emmanuel II annexed the city in 1870, Pope Pius IX refused to recognise the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy. Because he could not travel through a place that he did not admit existed, Pius IX and his successors each claimed to be a "Prisoner in the Vatican", unable to leave the 0.17-square mile (440,000 m²) papal enclave once they had ascended the papal throne.

The impasse was resolved in 1929 by the Lateran Treaties negotiated by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini between King Victor Emmanuel III and Pope Pius XI. Under this treaty, the Vatican was recognized as an independent state, with the pope as its head. The Vatican City State has its own citizenship, diplomatic corps, flag, and postal system. With a population of less than 1000, it is by far the smallest sovereign country in the world, and widely recognized internationally as such.

[edit] Other examples

As well as the above sovereign states, the term "city-state" can also refer to states within federations such as the German states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, the Austrian state of Vienna, the Russian cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the Ethiopian chartered cities (astedader akababiwach) of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, and the Spanish ciudades autónomas of Ceuta and Melilla. Constitutionally, the British overseas territory of Gibraltar is a city.

Countries that have a very high proportion of their population within a single city are sometimes referred to as virtual or near city-states, Kuwait being one such example. Nauru is another example of a city state.

The term "city-state" should not be confused with that of "independent city", which refers to a city which is not administered as part of another local government area (eg, a county).

[edit] City-states in history

[edit] The recent past

In the 19th and 20th centuries, a variety of changing political circumstances left several self-governing city-states as enclaves surrounded by the territory of another state.

In Europe, they have included Fiume, Danzig, Memel and Trieste. On the edges of Europe they have included Batumi and Tangiers. For others which are still in existence, see above under "Modern-day city states".

Elsewhere in the world, European colonialism resulted in a number of tiny colonies that were no bigger than a port and its immediate surroundings, such as Zanzibar, Pondicherry, Weihai, and others. A few of these continue to exist as separate political entities, either as fully independent city-states, like Singapore, or highly autonomous territories of the country to which they are now part, such as Hong Kong.

[edit] The Middle Ages and the early-modern era

[edit] The Holy Roman Empire

For further details, see under: Imperial Free City.

During the long history of the Holy Roman Empire (modern-day Germany and neighbouring countries), dozens of towns and cities obtained local independence. By the late 18th century, their number had slowly been reduced to around 50, but almost all were eliminated ("mediatized") in 1803; in 1815, once peace had returned at the end of the Napoleonic era, only Bremen, Hamburg,Lübeck and Frankfurt remained independent. Those four cities became members of the German Confederation (effectively the empire's successor). Frankfurt was annexed by Prussia in 1866, while Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen joined the North German Confederation in 1867 (and then the German Empire). Hamburg and Bremen continued until today as states in the modern Federal Republic of Germany, while Lübeck lost its independence in 1937.

[edit] Ancient city-states

Examples include:

[edit] Fictional City-States

[edit] See also

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