The Law To Know

Legal world maps

One question, one map. Which countries are monarchies? Which are federations? Who can strike down a law? Where do ordinary citizens help decide criminal trials? Choose a map, click a country, and see the answer in plain English.

Part of the Legal Families Atlas family of tools. Every map uses only facts that change rarely.

If a statute breaks the constitution, who has the power to set it aside?

Not yet covered
AfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAshmore and Cartier IslandsAustraliaAustralian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCook IslandsCosta RicaCôte d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern and Antarctic LandsGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaNorthern CyprusNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandsPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRepublic of the CongoRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint-BarthélemySamoaSan MarinoSão Tomé and PríncipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSomalilandSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsU.S. Virgin IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

A special constitutional court or council (70)

Every court can, with a top court having the last word (30)

Both: a constitutional court and every court (5)

Only the supreme court (or a chamber of it) (7)

Checked before the law is passed, not afterwards (2)

Courts cannot strike down laws (9)

The 9 maps

Monarchy or republic?

Does the country have a monarch as head of state, or a president?

Commonwealth realmMonarchy with its own monarchRepublic

Federal or unitary?

Is power shared between a national government and states or provinces that have powers of their own?

FederalUnitary, with strong regional self-governmentUnitary

Who can strike down a law?

If a statute breaks the constitution, who has the power to set it aside?

A special constitutional court or councilEvery court can, with a top court having the last wordBoth: a constitutional court and every courtOnly the supreme courtChecked before the law is passed, not afterwardsCourts cannot strike down laws

Juries and lay judges

Do ordinary citizens help decide serious criminal trials?

Jury trialsMixed panels of lay and professional judgesCitizen participation that advises the judgeProfessional judges only

One chamber or two?

Does the national parliament have one chamber, or two?

Two chambersOne chamber

How is the government chosen and held to account?

Is the head of government chosen by and answerable to parliament, or elected separately?

PresidentialParliamentarySemi-presidentialMonarch with strong powersSingle-party stateOther arrangements

Separate administrative courts or one set of courts?

When a citizen sues the state, does the case go to special administrative courts, or to the ordinary courts?

Separate administrative courts, with their own top courtOrdinary courts hear administrative cases

One family law for all, or by community?

Is marriage and family law the same for everyone, or does it depend on a person's religious community?

One civil family law for everyoneSeparate personal laws by religious communityOne religious law as the state's family law

Whose empire left its law behind?

Which empire's law shaped the country's legal system most?

British EmpireFrench EmpireSpanish EmpirePortuguese EmpireDutch, Belgian, German or Italian empiresRussian Empire or Soviet UnionNot colonised by a European power

Simplified, and only what we have checked

Each country is placed in the group that fits its main feature, and some sit near a boundary. Countries we have not checked are shown pale and are not guessed. The notes on each map say where a classification needs care. This is an educational overview, not legal advice.

Cite this page

TheLawToKnow Tools. Legal World Maps. https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/legal-world-maps.

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