City-state

• 1. Defining The City-State

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  A city-state is an independent sovereign city that serves as the primary hub of political, economic, and cultural life within its contiguous territory. This concept stands in contrast to that of a regular state or country, which typically encompasses a capital city and additional urban centers, in addition to the countryside. Throughout history, numerous city-states have emerged in various regions of the world, including prominent examples such as Rome, Carthage, Athens, and Sparta. The Italian city-states flourished during the Medieval and Renaissance periods, such as Florence, Venice, Genoa, and Milan. With the rise of nation states worldwide, there remains some disagreement on the number of modern city-states that still exist. Singapore, Monaco and Vatican City are the candidates most commonly discussed. Out of these, Singapore is the largest and most populous city-state in the world, with full sovereignty, international borders, its own currency, a robust military, and substantial international influence in its own right. The Economist refers to it as the "world's only fully functioning city-state".

• 2. Ancient And Medieval Examples

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  Historical city-states included Sumerian cities such as Uruk and Ur. Ancient Egyptian city-states existed like Thebes and Memphis. The Phoenician cities included Tyre and Sidon. Five Philistine city-states operated along the coast. Berber city-states of the Garamantes thrived in North Africa. The city-states of ancient Greece were known as poleis, such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth. The Roman Republic grew from a city-state into a vast empire. Italian city-states from the Middle Ages to the early modern period became powerful thalassocracies. Mayan cultures developed cities such as Chichen Itza, Tikal, Copán and Monte Albán. Central Asian cities along the Silk Road functioned as independent units. The Swahili coast hosted numerous autonomous trading centers. Ragusa in Croatia stood as a maritime city-state based in Dubrovnik. Tbilisi in Georgia maintained independence for centuries. Medieval Russian city-states included Novgorod and Pskov. Free imperial cities of German-speaking Europe enjoyed considerable autonomy. Mueang of Indochina formed complex political systems. Barangay states of the Philippines operated under Datus, Rajahs and Sultans. Danish historian Poul Holm classed Viking colonial cities in medieval Ireland, most importantly the Kingdom of Dublin, as city-states.

• 3. European Autonomy Movements

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  In the Holy Roman Empire between 962 and 1806, over 80 Free Imperial Cities came to enjoy considerable autonomy in the Middle Ages and in early modern times. International law buttressed their status following the Peace of Westphalia of 1648. Three Hanseatic cities , Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck , pooled their economic relations with foreign powers. They wielded considerable diplomatic clout through alliances like the Hanseatic League from 1358 until the 17th century. The Swabian League of Cities existed from 1331 to 1389. The Décapole operated in Alsace from 1354 to 1679. The Old Swiss Confederacy ran from 1300 to 1798. Swiss cantons including Zürich, Bern, Lucerne, Fribourg, Solothurn, Basel, Schaffhausen, and Geneva originated as city-states. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, some cities officially became sovereign city-states. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen existed independently from 1806 to 1811 and again from 1813 to 1871. The Free City of Frankfurt upon Main stood alone between 1815 and 1866. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg maintained sovereignty from 1806 to 1811 and again from 1814 to 1871. The Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck functioned independently during similar periods. The Free City of Kraków existed from 1815 to 1846. Under Habsburg rule, the city of Fiume held corpus separatum status from 1779 to 1919.

• 4. Modern Sovereign Entities

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  Until September 1870, Rome had been controlled by the pope as part of his Papal States. King Victor Emmanuel II seized the city in 1870. Pope Pius IX refused to recognize the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. He claimed to be a "Prisoner in the Vatican" unable to leave the papal enclave once he ascended the throne. The impasse resolved in 1929 through Lateran Treaties negotiated by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. These treaties recognized Vatican City as an independent state with the Pope as its head. The Vatican City State has its own citizenship, diplomatic corps, flag, and postage stamps. With a population of less than 1,000 mostly clergymen, it is by far the smallest sovereign country in the world. The Principality of Monaco borders France as a very small independent city-state. Monaco-Ville and Monte Carlo are districts of a continuous urban zone though they were three separate municipalities until 1917. Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia bordering Malaysia to the north and Indonesia to the south. Six million people live and work within its territory making it the second-most-densely populated country after Monaco. Singapore seceded from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 becoming an independent republic.

• 5. Autonomous Non-Sovereign Cities

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  Some cities or urban areas function as constituent states of a federation while enjoying high autonomy. Historian Mogens Herman Hansen describes this aspect of self-government as a self-governing but not necessarily independent political unit. Spain maintains autonomous cities like Ceuta and Melilla. Armenia designates Yerevan as an autonomous city. China operates Hong Kong and Macau as special administrative regions. South Korea established Sejong as a self-governing city. Gibraltar serves as a British Overseas Territory with unique status. Buenos Aires functions as a constituent state in Argentina. Vienna holds similar power within Austria. Brussels operates autonomously in Belgium. Germany includes Bremen, Berlin and Hamburg as federal states. Lagos serves Nigeria's capital region. Mexico City governs itself within Mexico. Malacca maintains autonomy in Malaysia. Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Sevastopol hold special status in Russia. Basel-Stadt and Geneva operate as Swiss cantons with city-state characteristics.

• 6. Primate States And Microstates

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  A number of other small states share many characteristics sometimes cited as modern city-states. Luxembourg, Djibouti, Qatar, Brunei, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Malta are each politically and economically centered on a single city. In cases of Luxembourg, Djibouti and Kuwait, the primate city is so dominant it gives its name to the country. These countries differ from true city-states such as Singapore because they comprise both their primate city and peripheral towns with autonomous municipal authorities. They may also include substantial rural areas like the sparsely populated Éislek forest of northern Luxembourg. Occasionally microstates with high population densities such as San Marino appear as city-states despite lacking large urban centers. Some 75% of Djibouti's population live in the capital city where the economy focuses on port, airport, railway, French garrison, and re-export of consumer goods. The Republic of Djibouti has few natural resources, few trained workers, no permanent streams and very little arable land. Qatar secures global ambitions through its city-state structure while maintaining sovereignty over surrounding territories.