What do you know?

1. Official or Legal Names: London = The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Moscow = Rossiiskaya Federatsiya (Russian Federation) Beijing = Zhonghua Renmin Gonghe Guo (People’s Republic of China) Tehran = Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran)

1. Official or Legal Names (cont’d): Mexico City = Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States) Abuja = Federal Republic of Nigeria Washington, DC = United States of America

2. Per Capita GDP Rankings 1.United States ($37,800) 2.United Kingdom ($27,700) 3.Mexico ($9,000) 4.Russia ($8,900) 5.Iran ($7,000) 6.China ($5,000) 7.Nigeria ($800)

3. When was the Constitution written? a.United Kingdom = N/A b.Russia = 1993 c.China = 1982 d.Iran = 1979 (major revisions in 1989) e.Mexico = 1917 f.Nigeria = 1999 g.United States = 1789

4. Each country’s regime: a.United Kingdom = constitutional republic b.Russia = constitutional republic c.China = single party republic d.Iran = theocratic republic e.Mexico = constitutional republic f.Nigeria = constitutional republic g.USA = constitutional republic

5. Title of the Head of State: a.United Kingdom = queen b.Russia = president c.China = president d.Iran = supreme leader e.Mexico = president f.Nigeria = president g.USA = president

Name of Head of State a.United Kingdom = Queen Elizabeth II b.Russia = President Dmitry Medvedev c.China = President Hu Jintao d.Iran = Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei e.Mexico = President Felipe Calderon f.Nigeria = President Goodluck Jonathan g.USA = President Barack Obama

6. Title of Head of Government: a.United Kingdom = prime minister b.Russia = prime minister c.China = premier d.Iran = president e.Mexico = president f.Nigeria = president g.USA = president

Name of Head of Government a.United Kingdom = P.M. David Cameron b.Russia = P.M. Vladimir Putin c.China = Premier Wen Jiabao d.Iran = President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad e.Mexico = President Felipe Calderon f.Nigeria = President Goodluck Jonathan g.USA = President Barack Obama

7. Term of office for head of state: a.United Kingdom = life b.Russia = 4 years c.China = 5 years d.Iran = life e.Mexico = 6 years f.Nigeria = 4 years g.USA = 4 years

8. Term of office for head of government: a.United Kingdom = up to 5 years b.Russia = up to 4 years c.China = up to 5 years d.Iran = 4 years e.Mexico = 6 years f.Nigeria = 4 years g.USA = 4 years

9. Unicameral or Bicameral? a.United Kingdom = bicameral (Parliament– House of Commons and House of Lords) b.Russia = bicameral (Federation Council or Soviet Federalist and the State Duma) c.China = unicameral (Quanguo Renmin Baibiao Dahui or National People’s Congress) d.Iran = unicameral (Consultative Assembly)

9. Unicameral or Bicameral? e.Mexico = bicameral (National Congress/Congreso de la Union– Senate/Camara de Senadores and the Federal Chamber of Deputies/Camara Federal de Diputados) f.Nigeria = bicameral (National Assembly– House of Reps and Senate) g.USA = bicameral (Congress– House of Representatives and Senate)

10. Largest Division of the Legislature a.United Kingdom = House of Commons, 659 b.Russia = Duma, 450 c.China = N/A (Quanguo Renmin Baibiao Dahui, 2,985) d.Iran = N/A (Majles, 290) e.Mexico = Camara Federal de Diputados, 500 f.Nigeria = House of Representatives, 360 g.USA = House of Representatives, 435

Federal or Unitary? a.United Kingdom = unitary b.Russia = federal (with unitary tendencies) c.China = unitary (with federalist tendencies) d.Iran = unitary e.Mexico = federal (with unitary tendencies) f.Nigeria = federal g.USA = federal

A few definitions: Constitution – a supreme law that defines the structure of a nation-state’s regime and the legal processes governments must follow Regime – institutions and practices that typically endure from govt. to govt. Head of state – the chief public representative of a state, may or may not have real policymaking power

Head of government – the person charged with leading the everyday operation of the government Bicameral – a legislative body with 2 houses Unicameral – a legislative body with one house Federal – political authority is shared between a central government and local governments Unitary – political authority is concentrated in a central govt.