Countries and How Their Governments Interact

1. Countries and How Their Governments Interact What is a country?

2. What is a Country? • A place that has borders or boundaries separating it from its neighbors • A place with its own sovereign government • Government is sovereign if there is no higher official authority within the area it controls. • Sovereign government has supreme power.

3. Countries are divided into Smaller Political Units • Most countries are further divided into states or provinces • United States and Mexico are divided into states • Canada is divided into provinces • States and provinces are not sovereign: they are under the authority of their national or central government

4. States and Provinces Divided into Smaller Political Units • States and Provinces are divided into counties • Counties are divided into smaller governing units called cities or towns. • Smaller government units are often better able to take care of local problems than larger units.

6. Sovereign Governments in History • Today most countries are nations, they consist of an entire people with a common cultural heritage and identity. • Throughout history there have been a variety of sovereign territories such as city-states, kingdoms, empires.

7. Sovereign Governments in HistoryCity-States • Most ancient form of “country” • After Neolithic Revolution (farming instead of hunting and gathering) villages grew in size and needed a ruler in times of trouble. • Rulers (kings or powerful nobles) control with their armies, support of the priests, or powerful alliances of their family or nobles. • Collected taxes and grains from the surrounding areas to produce goods and services for the people • Few city-states exist today, ex) Singapore

9. Sovereign Governments in HistoryKingdoms • Usually consist of more territory than a city-state • King claims the right to rule over an entire people and their traditional homeland such as the French, English, Scottish, Aztecs, Incas, Mayans • Most common form of government throughout history—King is a type of monarch, kingdoms are monarchies

10. Sovereign Governments in HistoryEmpires • Country that rules over both itself and one of more foreign peoples. • Throughout history different empires have existed. • Alexander the Great conquered Persia, Egypt, and Indus Valley • Rome conquered Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, and Britons • Shi Huangdi conquered neighboring states in China to create the Chi Empire • Ghengis Khan created Mongol Empire when he conquered Central Asia and parts of China and Russia • Ruled by an all-powerful monarch, known as an emperor. • Any country that conquers and governs a foreign territory can be considered an empireimperialism.

12. The form of government that an area has can be influenced by the type of country it is.