List_of_current_monarchies

List of current monarchies

List of current monarchies

Add article description

This is a list of current monarchies. As of 2024, there are 43 sovereign states in the world with a monarch as head of state. There are 13 in Asia, 12 in Europe, 9 in the Americas, 6 in Oceania, and 3 in Africa.[lower-alpha 1]

  Absolute monarchies
  Semi-constitutional monarchies
  Parliamentary monarchies
  Commonwealth realms (parliamentary monarchies in personal union)
  Subnational monarchies

Types of monarchy

These are the approximate categories which present monarchies fall into:[citation needed]

  • East and Southeast Asian constitutional monarchies. Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan, and Thailand have constitutional monarchies where the monarch has a limited or ceremonial role. Thailand changed from traditional absolute monarchy into a constitutional one in 1932, while Bhutan changed in 2008. Cambodia had its own monarchy after independence from the French Colonial Empire, which was deposed after the Khmer Rouge came into power. The monarchy was subsequently restored in the peace agreement of 1993.
  • Other sovereign monarchies. Four monarchies do not fit into one of the above groups by virtue of geography or class of monarchy: Tonga in Polynesia; Eswatini and Lesotho in Southern Africa; and Vatican City in Europe. Of these, Lesotho and Tonga are constitutional monarchies, while Eswatini and Vatican City are absolute monarchies.
    • Eswatini is increasingly being considered a diarchy. The King, or Ngwenyama, rules alongside his mother, the Ndlovukati, as dual heads of state originally designed to be checks on political power. The Ngwenyama, however, is considered the administrative head of state, while the Ndlovukati is considered the spiritual and national head of state, a position which has become largely symbolic in recent years.
    • The Pope is the absolute monarch of Vatican City by virtue of his position as head of the Roman Catholic Church and Bishop of Rome; he is an elected rather than hereditary ruler. The Pope need not be a citizen of the territory prior to his election by the cardinals.
  • Non-sovereign monarchies. A non-sovereign monarchy or subnational monarchy is one in which the head of the monarchical polity (whether a geographic territory or an ethnic group), and the polity itself, are subject to a sovereign state. The non-sovereign monarchies of Malaysia, emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Sulu, and kingdoms of Uganda are examples of these.[2]

Lines of succession

Some of the extant sovereign monarchies have lines of succession that go back to the medieval period or antiquity:

Current monarchies

Further information: List of current monarchs of sovereign states and List of current non-sovereign monarchs
More information Monarchy, Official local name(s) ...

In Wallis and Futuna, an overseas territory of France in the South Pacific, there are three chiefdoms, Uvea, Alo and Sigave, whose monarchs are chosen by local noble families.[47] Similarly, Malaysia, which is itself monarchy, also consists of 13 states, 9 of which are monarchies in their own right. Additionally, one of those states, Negeri Sembilan, consists of a number of monarchial chiefdoms.

See also

Notes

  1. In addition, Samoa is sometimes considered a de facto monarchy. The O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) of Samoa is similar to a constitutional monarch, but is now elected by the fono (legislature) for five years.[1] Until the death of Malietoa Tanumafili II in 2007, the office was held for life. All office holders have been chosen from the matai (chiefs).
  2. Belgium is the only existing popular monarchy – a system in which the monarch's title is linked to the people rather than a state. The title of Belgian kings is not King of Belgium, but instead King of the Belgians. Another unique feature of the Belgian system is that the new monarch does not automatically assume the throne at the death or abdication of his predecessor; he only becomes monarch upon taking a constitutional oath.
  3. Basic Law of Saudi Arabia[37][38][39]

References

  1. [1]
    Samoa: Government at Commonwealth of Nations website. 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  2. [2]
    Robert Aldrich and Cindy McCreery. Crowns and Colonies: European Monarchies and Overseas Empires. Manchester University Press, 2016. p. 44. ISBN 9781526100894
  3. [3]
    "5 Things to know about Japan's emperor and imperial family". 8 August 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Europe :: Andorra". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  5. [5]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Antigua and Barbuda". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  6. [6]
    "Australia-Oceania :: Australia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  7. [7]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: The Bahamas". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  8. [8]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Bahrain". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  9. [9]
    "Europe :: Belgium". CIA The World Factbook.
  10. [10]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Belize". CIA The World Factbook.
  11. [11]
    "Asia ::Bhutan". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  12. [12]
    "Asia ::Brunei Darussalam". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  13. [13]
    Adam Dodek (2016). The Canadian Constitution. Dundurn - University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4597-3505-7.
  14. [14]
    "Europe::Denmark". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  15. [15]
    "Africa:: Eswatini". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  16. [16]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Grenada". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  17. [17]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Jamaica". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  18. [18]
    "Asia :: Japan". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  19. [19]
    "Asia :: Jordan". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  20. [20]
    "Asia :: Kuwait". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  21. [21]
    "Africa :: Lesotho". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  22. [22]
    "Europe:: Liechtenstein". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  23. [23]
    "Europe:: Luxembourg". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  24. [24]
    "Asia:: Malaysia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  25. [25]
    "Europe:: Monaco". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  26. [26]
    "Africa:: Morocco". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  27. [27]
    "Europe:: Netherlands". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  28. [28]
    "Australia-Oceania :: New Zealand". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  29. [29]
    "Europe :: Norway". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  30. [30]
    "Asia:: Oman". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  31. [31]
    "Asia :: Papua New Guinea". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  32. [32]
    "Asia:: Qatar". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  33. [33]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Saint Kitts and Nevis". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  34. [34]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Saint Lucia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  35. [35]
    "Central America and Caribbean :: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  36. [36]
    "Asia :: Saudi Arabia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  37. [37]
    Saudi Arabia - ConstitutionArchived 2007-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
  38. [38]
    "Empty Reforms: Saudi Arabia's New Basic Laws May 1992". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  39. [39]
    http://saudinf.com/main/c541.htm Archived 2000-10-04 at the Wayback Machine The Basic Law - Saudi Arabia Information
  40. [40]
    "Europe:: Sweden". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  41. [41]
    "Europe:: Thailand". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  42. [42]
    "Australia-Oceania :: Tonga". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  43. [43]
    "Australia-Oceania :: Tuvalu". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  44. [44]
    "Asia:: United Arab Emirates". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  45. [45]
    "Europe:: United Kingdom". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  46. [46]
    "Europe :: Holy See". CIA The World Factbook. Archived from the original on 2010-07-11. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  47. [47]
    "Wallis and Futuna: Royal dispute sees palace occupied in French territory". BBC News. 14 April 2016.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article List_of_current_monarchies, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.