World Government (The ^AIllustrated Encyclopedia of World Geography)

There are in the world today nearly 170 countries that are recognized as independent, each possessing sovereignty, a defined territory, a people, and a government that is responsible for making and implementing laws within the territory. A comprehensive survey of the field of political geography, this exciting new reference looks at the nature of government and governing institutions in the world. The volume opens with an examination of several basic themes: sovereignty and territory; power within states; and the various ways in which relations between states are determined. These themes are then used to illuminate the history and present roles of governing institutions around the world. Organized in an easy-to-use format, World Government explores such wide-ranging topics as dictatorship and democracy in South America; the world peace movement in the Nordic countries; the European Community; the sovereignty conflict of Ulster; national minorities in the USSR; the Palestine question; and apartheid.