What Is a City State Definition and Modern Examples

Simply stated, a city-state is an  independent country  that exists completely within the borders of a single city. 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.   Key Takeaways: City State 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. 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. City State Definition   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 the national government and various regional governments, the single city of city-state functions as the center of  political, economic, and cultural life. 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, â€Å"polis,† came from the Acropolis (448 BCE), which served as  the governmental  center of ancient Athens. 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. 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 to French laws or policies.   By having sovereignty, city-states differ from other forms of government establishments such as â€Å"autonomous regions† or territories. 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.  Hong Kong  and Macau in the  People’s Republic of China  and Northern Ireland in the  United Kingdom  are examples of  autonomous regions.   Unlike ancient city-states such as Rome and Athens, which grew powerful enough to conquer and annex vast areas of land around them, modern city-states remain small in land area. Lacking the space necessary for agriculture or industry, the economies of the three modern city-states are dependent on trade or tourism. Singapore, for example,  has the second-busiest seaport in the world, and Monaco and Vatican City are two of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.   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 Elevated view of Monte-Carlo and harbor in the Principality of Monaco, Western Europe on the Mediterranean Sea. VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty Images 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 monarchy  form of government.  Though it maintains a small military, Monaco depends on France for defense. Best known for its upscale casino district of  Monte-Carlo, deluxe hotels, Grand Prix motor racing, and yacht-lined harbor, Monaco’s economy depends almost entirely on tourism.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Singapore   Singapore skyline. Getty Images/seng chye teo 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  representative democracy  form of government with its own currency and full, highly-trained armed forces.  With the fifth-largest per capita  GDP  in the world and an enviably low unemployment rate, Singapore’s economy thrives from exporting a vast variety of consumer products. Vatican City An aerial view of St. Peters Square and Via della Conciliazione in the Vatican City.(2014). Massimo Sestini / Getty Images) 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 Treaty  with 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 around 1,000 is made up almost entirely of Catholic clergymen.  As a neutral country with no military of its own, Vatican City has never been involved in a war.  Vatican City’s economy relies on  sales of its postage stamps, historical publications, mementos, donations, investments of its reserves, and museum admission fees.  Ã‚   Sources and Further Reference  Ã‚   City-state. Vocabulary.com Dictionary.  Ã‚  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 Application  Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. (1997).  Kotkin, Joel. 2010.  ?A New Era for the City-State  Forbes. (December 23, 2010).