Definition and Modern Examples
- City State Definition. The city-state is a usually small, independent country consisting of a single city, the...
- Characteristics of City-States. The unique characteristic of a city-state that sets it aside from other types of...
- Modern City-States. While several non-sovereign cities, such as Hong Kong and Macau, along with Dubai and Abu...
What are some characteristics of a city state?
city-state, a political system consisting of an independent city having sovereignty over contiguous territory and serving as a centre and leader of political, economic, and cultural life.
How is a city state different from a city?
One of the requirements of the program is that each student will travel to a new city with their professor and cohort to see a guided tour of the city and its current developments. It’s a great way to understand how developments work in different cities ...
What was the significance of city state?
- Switzerland: Basel-Stadt
- Germany: Bremen, Berlin and Hamburg
- Austria: Vienna
What describes a city state?
KANSAS CITY, MO — As always, there's a lot of excitement tied to Kansas City Restaurant Week, which continues through Sunday, Jan. 23. But for the roughly 200 restaurants who choose to take part, the week involves a fair amount of risk too. Herrera’s ...
What are 3 characteristics of the city-states?
A city-state, or polis, was the community structure of ancient Greece. Each city-state was organized with an urban center and the surrounding countryside. Characteristics of the city in a polis were outer walls for protection, as well as a public space that included temples and government buildings.
What is a city-state example?
A city-state is an independent, self-governing country contained totally within the borders of a single city. The ancient empires of Rome, Carthage, Athens, and Sparta are considered early examples of city-states. Once numerous, today there are few true city-states.
Which definition best describes a city-state?
A city-state is an independent city — and sometimes its surrounding land — which has its own government, completely separate from nearby countries. Monaco is a city-state.
How do you become a city-state?
A city-state is a small independent region that consists primarily of a central city....It must, at minimum, be able to:Provide economic opportunities to its residents.Be environmentally sustainable.Independently address new public policy issues.
Are there city-states today?
Nowadays, we have Singapore, Monaco, and the Vatican as the modern independent city-states; whereas cities such as Hong Kong, Macau, and Dubai are autonomous cities - independently functioning with their own governments but are still part of larger nations.
Does America have city-states?
Maine and Minnesota are basically already city-states. Only two city-states capture the entirety of a current U.S. state: Portland, which captures Maine and parts of New Hampshire, and Minneapolis-St.
How is a city-state more than just a city?
How is a city-state more than just a city? It governed and had its own laws.
How are city-states different from one another?
City-states or the polis were controlled by various forms of government. There were several different ways that city-states were ruled. In some city-states monarchies controlled the polis with one powerful king or tyrant. Other city-states depended on a council of oligarchies comprised of rich or powerful men to rule.
What is the difference between a city-state and an empire?
If you expand your borders considerably by any means, typically by conquering other countries or city-states, you grow to become an empire if, and only if, all lands are under one central government with one ruler.
Is New York a city and state?
New York, officially known as the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is sometimes called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2), New York is the 27th largest U.S. state geographically.
Is London a city-state?
Administratively, the City of London is not one of the London boroughs, a status reserved for the other 32 districts (including Greater London's only other city, the City of Westminster)....City of LondonStatusSui generis; city and ceremonial countySovereign stateUnited KingdomCountryEnglandRegionLondon34 more rows
Why do city-states exist?
A final reason behind the development of city-states was the Greek aristocracy, who acted to prevent any permanent monarchies from forming. They defended the political independence of their cities vigorously.
What is a city state?
The city-state is a usually small, independent country consisting of a single city, the government of which exercises full sovereignty or control over itself and all territories within its borders. Unlike in more traditional multi-jurisdictional countries, where political powers are shared between ...
Where did the term "city state" originate?
Originating in late 19th century England, the term has also been applied to the early world superpower cities such as ancient Rome , Carthage , Athens , and Sparta. Today, Monaco , Singapore, and Vatican City are considered the only true city-states.
What are some examples of city states?
The ancient empires of Rome, Carthage, Athens, and Sparta are considered early examples of city-states. Once numerous, today there are few true city-states. They are small in size and dependent on trade and tourism. The only three agreed upon city-states today are Monaco, Singapore, and Vatican City.
What is the difference between city states and autonomous regions?
While autonomous regions are functionally political subdivisions of a central national government, they retain varying degrees of self-governance or autonomy from that central government.
What is the unique characteristic of a city-state?
The unique characteristic of a city-state that sets it aside from other types of government is its sovereignty or independence. This means that a city-state has the full right and power to govern itself and its citizens, without any interference from outside governments. For example, the government of the city-state of Monaco, ...
When did the city state become popular?
Both the popularity and prevalence of the city-state flourished until the tumultuous downfall of Rome in 476 CE , which led to the near annihilation of the form of government. City-states saw a small revival during the 11th century CE, when several Italian examples, such as Naples and Venice, realized considerable economic prosperity.
When were city states first established?
Historically, the first recognized city-states evolved in the classical period of Greek civilization during the 4th and 5th centuries BCE. The Greek term for city-states, “ polis ,” came from the Acropolis (448 BCE), which served as the governmental center of ancient Athens.
What is a city state?
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory.
What are some examples of city states?
Some of the most well-known examples of city-state culture in human history are the ancient Greek city-states and the merchant city-states of Renaissance Italy, which organised themselves as independent centers.
What was the name of the group that organized settlements into autonomous or semi-autonomous city-states?
In the history of mainland Southeast Asia, aristocratic groups, Buddhist leaders, and others organized settlements into autonomous or semi-autonomous city-states. These were referred to as mueang, and were usually related in a tributary relationship now described as mandala or as over-lapping sovereignty, in which smaller city-states paid tribute to larger ones that paid tribute to still larger ones—until reaching the apex in cities like Ayutthaya, Bagan, Bangkok and others that served as centers of Southeast Asian royalty. The system existed until the 19th century, when colonization by European powers occurred. Siam, a regional power at the time, needed to define their territories for negotiation with the European powers so the Siamese government established a nation-state system, incorporated their tributary cities ( Lan Xang, Cambodia and some Malay cities) into their territory and abolished the mueang and the tributary system.
How many free imperial cities were there in the Middle Ages?
Central Europe. The Free imperial cities as of 1792. In the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806) over 80 Free Imperial Cities came to enjoy considerable autonomy in the Middle Ages and in early modern times, buttressed legally by international law following the Peace of Westphalia of 1648.
When was Fiume a free state?
After a prolonged period where the city of Fiume enjoyed considerable autonomy under Habsburg rule (see Corpus separatum (Fiume) ), The Free State of Fiume was proclaimed as a fully independent free state which existed between 1920 and 1924.
Which countries have a capital city?
A number of other small states share many of these characteristics, and are sometimes cited as modern city-states. Djibouti, Qatar, Brunei, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malta, Estonia, Costa Rica, Jordan, Suriname, Uruguay, Latvia, and Mongolia each have a capital urban center comprising a major portion of the population and the majority of GDP. Each has more than one distinct municipality, with one identified as a capital city, though the same was often the case for historical city-states. Occasionally, microstates with high population densities such as San Marino are cited, despite lacking a large urban centre.
Where were the Viking cities located?
Danish historian Poul Holm has classed the Viking colonial cities in medieval Ireland, most importantly Dublin, as city-states. In Cyprus, the Phoenician settlement of Kition (in present-day Larnaca) was a city-state that existed from around 800 BC until the end of the 4th century BC.
What is a city state?
A city-state denotes a politically independent city whose territory also includes its dependent territories. This type of political structure was common in antiquity, as seen in the city-states of Carthage, Rome, and Athens. Italy's territory featured merchant city-states in the course of the Renaissance from Venice, Ancona, Florence, Naples, Pisa, ...
Where did ancient cities form?
Ancient City-States. Numerous city-states prospered in medieval times in various parts of the world from Russia, Greece, Central Asia, Egypt, to the Swahili Coast. Rome is one of the notable example of these cities. It developed from a series of settlements surrounding a ford on the river Tiber. Italy's Latin tribe is credited with the formation ...
What were the city states in Italy during the Renaissance?
Italy's territory featured merchant city-states in the course of the Renaissance from Venice, Ancona, Florence, Naples, Pisa, Bari, to Lucca. City-states are not as numerous in the modern day, with Vatican City, Singapore, and Monaco considered as being the true definition of the term. City-states also go by the name micro-states, ...
Why was Venice important to the world?
Venice arose as a great maritime power and as a commerce hub for spice, silk, and grain. Venice also benefited from a lucrative banking sector, and it is regarded as the 1st proper international financial center .
Which city-states implemented a republican form of government fashioned after medieval Rome and Greece?
Florence also had a lucrative wool manufacturing industry. Lucca was renowned for its silk industry while Siena arose as a commercial center. These city-states implemented a republican form of government fashioned after medieval Rome and Greece.
Which tribe was responsible for the creation of the city state?
Italy's Latin tribe is credited with the formation of the city-state. The Roman Republic began around 509 BC, and it featured such democratic elements as a constitution, representative assemblies, Senate, and annually elected magistrates. The city expanded its mandate through conquest to include territories in North Africa, western Europe, ...
Is Singapore a city?
Singapore. Singapore is an Asian city-state whose territory features one primary island and an additional 62 islets. Its colonial history includes British occupation and Japanese occupation in the course of the WWII.
What is a state consisting of a sovereign city and its dependencies?
a state consisting of a sovereign city and its dependencies. Among the most famous are the great independent cities of the ancient world, such as Athens, Sparta, Carthage, Thebes, Corinth, and Rome
What does "sovereign state" mean?
noun. a sovereign state consisting of an autonomous city with its dependencies.
What is a city state?
Definitions of city-state. noun. a state consisting of a sovereign city. synonyms: city state. see more. see less. examples: Carthage. an ancient city state on the north African coast near modern Tunis; founded by Phoenicians; destroyed and rebuilt by Romans; razed by Arabs in 697.
Which city was a city state during the Renaissance?
In fact, well-known cities such as Rome and Athens were city-states, and the entire country of Italy was made up of independent merchant city-states during the Renaissance. These days, government tends to be concentrated in a larger country, rather than split into small, sovereign cities.
Is Monaco a city state?
A city-state is an independent city — and sometimes its surrounding land — which has its own government, completely separate from nearby countries. Monaco is a city-state. Today, there are only five city-states that are truly self-governing, but in the past this was more common.
City State Definition
Characteristics of City-States
- The unique characteristic of a city-state that sets it aside from other types of government is its sovereignty or independence. This means that a city-state has the full right and power to govern itself and its citizens, without any interference from outside governments. For example, the government of the city-state of Monaco, though located totally within France, is not subject t…
Modern City-States
- While several non-sovereign cities, such as Hong Kong and Macau, along with Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, are sometimes considered city-states, they actually function as autonomous regions. Most geographers and political scientists agree that the three modern true city-states are Monaco, Singapore, and Vatican City.
Monaco
- Monaco is a city-state located on France’s Mediterranean coastline. With a land area of 0.78 square miles and an estimated 38,500 permanent residents, it is the world’s second-smallest, but the most densely populated nation. A voting member of the UN since 1993, Monaco employs a constitutional monarchyform of government. Though it maintains a small military, M…
Singapore
- Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia. With about 5.3 million people living within its 270 square miles, it is the second most densely populated country in the world after Monaco. Singapore became an independent republic, a city and a sovereign country in 1965, after being expelled from the Malaysian Federation. Under its constitution, Singapore employs a representat…
Vatican City
- Occupying an area of only about 108 acres inside Rome, Italy, the city-state of Vatican City stands as the world’s smallest independent country. Created by the 1929 Lateran Treatywith Italy, Vatican City’s political system is controlled by the Roman Catholic Church, with the Pope serving as the legislative, judicial, and executive head of government. The city’s permanent population of aroun…
Sources and Further Reference
- City-state. Vocabulary.com Dictionary.
- Parker, Geoffrey. (2005). Sovereign City: The City-State Through History.University of Chicago Press. ISBN-10: 1861892195.
- Nichols, Deborah. .The City-State Concept: Development and ApplicationSmithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. (1997).
- City-state. Vocabulary.com Dictionary.
- Parker, Geoffrey. (2005). Sovereign City: The City-State Through History.University of Chicago Press. ISBN-10: 1861892195.
- Nichols, Deborah. .The City-State Concept: Development and ApplicationSmithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. (1997).
- Kotkin, Joel. 2010. ?A New Era for the City-StateForbes. (December 23, 2010).
Overview
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as Troy, Rome, Athens, Sparta, Carthage, and the Italian city-states during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, such as Florence, Venice, Genoa and Milan. With the rise of nation states worldwide, only a few modern sovereign city-states exist, with some disagre…
Historical background
Historical city-states included Sumerian cities such as Uruk and Ur; Ancient Egyptian city-states, such as Thebes and Memphis; the Phoenician cities (such as Tyre and Sidon); the five Philistine city-states; the Berber city-states of the Garamantes; the city-states of ancient Greece (the poleis such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth); the Roman Republic (which grew from a city-state into a v…
Modern city-states
The Principality of Monaco is an independent city-state. Monaco-Ville (the ancient fortified city) and Monaco's well-known area Monte Carlo are districts of a continuous urban zone, not distinct cities, though they were three separate municipalities (communes) until 1917. The Principality of Monaco and the city of Monaco (each having specific powers) govern the same territory. Though th…
States with similar characteristics
A number of other small states share many of these characteristics, and are sometimes cited as modern city-states. Djibouti, Qatar, Brunei, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Malta each have a capital urban center comprising a major portion of the population and the majority of GDP. Each has more than one distinct municipality, with one identified as a capital city, though the same was often the case for historical city-states. Occasionally, microstates with high population densities such as San Ma…
Non-sovereign city-states
Some cities or urban areas, while not sovereign states, may nevertheless be constituent states of a federation, or enjoy a high degree of autonomy. As such, they function as "city-states" within the context of the sovereign state to which they belong. Historian Mogens Herman Hansen describes this aspect of self-government as: "The city-state is a self-governing, but not necessarily indepen…
Proposed city-states
The London independence movement seeks a city-state separate from the United Kingdom.
There have been various proposals for the City of New York to secede from New York State.
In the period of national crisis immediately preceding the American Civil War, Democratic Mayor Fernando Wood proposed the secession of the city as a sovereign city-state to be called the Free City of Tri-Insula (Tri-Insula meaning "three islands" in Latin), and incorporating Manhattan, Long I…
See also
• Charter city
• City network
• Federal district
• Pyu city-states
• Royal free city
Further reading
• Mogens Herman Hansen (ed.), A comparative study of thirty city-state cultures : an investigation conducted by the Copenhagen Polis Centre, Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, 2000. (Historisk-filosofiske skrifter, 21). ISBN 87-7876-177-8.
• Mogens Herman Hansen (ed.), A comparative study of six city-state cultures : an investigation, Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, 2002. (Historisk-filosofiske skrifter, 27). ISBN 87-7876-316-9.