L ATIN A MERICA : G OVERNMENT

D ISTRIBUTION OF P OWER

T O STUDY GOVERNMENTS, GEOGRAPHERS LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING : Types – Who rules and who participates. Systems – How the power is distributed.

S YSTEMS OF G OVERNMENT ARE BASED ON ONE QUESTION : H OW IS THE POWER DISTRIBUTED ? There are three ways governments distribute power: Unitary Confederation Federal

U NITARY Power is held by a single, central authority – a centralized government Power may be distributed to local governments by the central government, but this power can also be altered or taken away completely

The central government has supreme power and controls everything. Power is not shared between states, counties, or provinces. United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Chile, Cuba, and Spain are examples of a unitary form of government.

U NITARY D IAGRAM :

Central Authorit y Unitary Regional Authority

C ONFEDERATION A voluntary organization or association of independent states A confederation forms to secure some common purpose, such as economic development or security

A confederate government possesses little authority to act on its own The central government has limited power and can only handle matters that the members have assigned (delegated) it Examples of Confederations are: United States of AmericaUnited States of America under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1788)Articles of Confederation Confederation of the EquatorConfederation of the Equator (1824, located in Northeast Brazil) Brazil Peru-Bolivian ConfederationPeru-Bolivian Confederation (1836–1839) Confederation of Central AmericaConfederation of Central America (1842–1844, El Salvador+Guatemala+Honduras+Nicaragua)El SalvadorGuatemalaHondurasNicaragua Argentine ConfederationArgentine Confederation (1832–1860) (Even though the Argentine Republic can also be called Argentine Confederation nowadays) Confederate States of AmericaConfederate States of America (1861–1865)

C ONFEDERATION D IAGRAM :

Central Authorit y Confederation Regional Authority

F EDERAL Power is divided between one central authority and several regional authorities Both act on their own set of laws United States of America, Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela are examples of federal governments

F EDERAL S YSTEM D IAGRAM :

Federation / Federal Regional Authority Central Authorit y Regional Authority

W HO HAS THE P OWER ? Homework: Create a Who has the power poem? First choose a government. Next, write down three clues about your government Then, write the sentence “Who has the power?” Finally, answer the question. Example: Voluntary organization Members have a common purpose Central government has little authority Who has the power? Confederation