A federation (Latin: foedus, foederis, 'covenant'), also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central (federal) government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states is typically constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision of the central government.

The form of government or constitutional structure found in a federation is known as federalism (see also federalism as a political philosophy). It can be considered the opposite of another system, the unitary state. The government of Germany with sixteen federated Länder is an example of a federation, whereas neighboring Austria and its Bundesländer was a unitary state with administrative divisions that became federated, and neighboring France by contrast has always been unitary.

Federations may be multi-ethnic, or cover a large area of territory, although neither is necessarily the case. Federations are most often founded on an original agreement between a number of sovereign states based on mutual concerns or interests. The initial agreements create a stability that encourages other common interests, brings the disparate territories closer, and gives them all even more common ground. At some time this is recognized and a movement is organized to merge more closely. Other times, especially when common cultural factors are at play such as ethnicity and language, some of these steps in this pattern are expedited and compressed.

The international council for federal countries, the Forum of Federations, is based in Ottawa, Ontario. It helps share best practices amongst countries with federal systems of government, and currently includes nine countries as partner governments.

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Mon Mar 8 02:17:36 2010

 Federated States of Micronesia Videos Travel
micronesiatravelvideo.blogspot.com
Federated States of Micronesia Videos Travel

Micronesia Videos Travel Guide

hu, 26 Nov 2009 01:58:01 GM

Federated. States of Micronesia Videos Travel Guide. Wednesday, November 25, 2009. Micronesia Kayaking: Tranquility in Yap - Micronesia. Posted by Micronesia Videos Travel Guide at 5:58 PM. 0 comments: Post a Comment. Older Post Home ...

Farmers want bipartisan agreement to lift science investment
infonews.co.nz
Farmers want bipartisan agreement to lift science investment

Federated Farmers of New Zealand

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:12:07 GM

In its submission to the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology, . Federated. Farmers has called for the biological economy to be prioritised, with bipartisan backing for three percent of Gross Domestic Product to be put into science ...

Seeking judges for federated search writing contest Federated ...
federatedsearchblog.com
Seeking judges for federated search writing contest Federated ...

Sol

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:15:21 GM

That person, maybe you, needs to be an expert in . federated. search. Send contact information for the people you would like to be considered to sol dot lederman at gmail dot com, and I'll take over from there. ...

From Google Blog Search: "federated"
Tue Dec 1 14:37:36 2009