Editing City-state

{{short description|Independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city}}
{{For|administrative divisions that cover only cities|Independent city}}
{{original research|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Politics sidebar|expanded=Political systems}}
{{Basic forms of government}}

A '''city-state''' is an independent [[sovereignty|sovereign]] city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory.<ref name="brit">{{cite web |title=city-state {{!}} Definition, History, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/city-state |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=19 April 2020 |language=en |archive-date=23 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123070132/https://www.britannica.com/topic/city-state |url-status=live }}</ref> They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as [[Rome]], [[Carthage]], [[Athens]] and [[Sparta]] and the [[Italian city-states]] during the [[Middle Ages]] and [[Renaissance]], 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, and is generally considered to be the last real city-state left in the world, with full sovereignty, international borders, its own [[Singapore dollar|currency]], a robust [[Singapore Armed Forces|military]], and substantial international influence in its own right.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Brimelow|first=Ben|title=How a tiny city-state became a military powerhouse with the best air force and navy in Southeast Asia|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/singapore-military-best-air-force-navy-southeast-asia-2018-4|access-date=2020-10-15|website=Business Insider|archive-date=8 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408205732/https://www.businessinsider.com/singapore-military-best-air-force-navy-southeast-asia-2018-4|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Economist]]'' refers to it as the "world's only fully functioning city-state".<ref name="econ-CS"/>

Several non-sovereign cities enjoy a high degree of autonomy and are often considered to be city-states, such as [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-06|title=City-states never disappeared: Hamburg, Hong Kong, Singapore|url=https://www.smartcitylab.com/blog/governance-finance/city-states-never-disappeared-hamburg-hong-kong-singapore/|access-date=2020-10-15|website=Tomorrow.Mag|language=en|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924031355/https://www.smartcitylab.com/blog/governance-finance/city-states-never-disappeared-hamburg-hong-kong-singapore/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-16|title=Capital Facts for Hong Kong|url=https://www.worldscapitalcities.com/capital-facts-for-hong-kong/|access-date=2020-10-15|website=World's Capital Cities|language=en-US|archive-date=23 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423155133/https://www.worldscapitalcities.com/capital-facts-for-hong-kong/|url-status=live}}</ref> Cities of the [[United Arab Emirates]]—most notably [[Dubai]]—are often cited as such as well.<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19"/><ref name="Parker, Geoffrey 2005"/><ref name="Kotkin, Joel 2010">Kotkin, Joel. 2010. "A New Era for the City-State?" In ''Forbes.''</ref> Some non-sovereign overseas territories, such as [[Gibraltar]], are also sometimes called city-states.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-05-26 |title=Gibraltar profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18219307.amp |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}}</ref> 
{{TOC limit|3}}

== Historical background ==
=== Ancient and medieval world ===
{{Further|List of ancient Greek cities|List of Phoenician cities|Cities of the ancient Near East|Italian city-states|Maya city|Polis|Altepetl}}

[[File:Dubrovnik crop.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Republic of Ragusa]], a maritime city-state, was based in the [[Walls of Dubrovnik|walled city]] of [[Dubrovnik]]]]

Historical city-states included [[Sumer]]ian cities such as [[Uruk]] and [[Ur]]; [[Ancient Egypt]]ian city-states, such as [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] and [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]]; the [[Phoenicia]]n cities (such as [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] and [[Sidon]]); the five [[Philistines|Philistine]] city-states; the [[Berber people|Berber]] city-states of the [[Garamantes]]; the city-states of [[ancient Greece]] (the [[poleis]] such as [[Classical Athens|Athens]], [[Sparta]], [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]], and [[Ancient Corinth|Corinth]]); the [[Roman Republic]] (which grew from a city-state into a vast empire); the [[Italian city-states]] from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, such as [[Republic of Florence|Florence]], [[Republic of Siena|Siena]], [[Duchy of Ferrara|Ferrara]], [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]] (which as they grew in power began to dominate neighboring cities) and [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], which became powerful [[thalassocracies]]; the [[Maya civilization|Mayan]] and other cultures of pre-Columbian [[Mesoamerica]] (including cities such as [[Chichen Itza]], [[Tikal]], [[Copán]] and [[Monte Albán]]); the [[central Asia]]n cities along the [[Silk Road]]; the city-states of the [[Swahili coast]]; [[Republic of Ragusa|Ragusa]] in [[Croatia]]; [[Emirate of Tbilisi|Tbilisi]] in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]; states of the medieval Russian lands such as [[Novgorod Republic|Novgorod]] and [[Pskov Republic|Pskov]];<ref>{{cite book |last1=Alcock |first1=Antony Evelyn |title=A short history of Europe: from the Greeks and Romans to the present day |date=1998 |publisher=MacMillan |location=Houndmills |isbn=978-0-333-64830-8 |page=84}}</ref> [[Free imperial city|free imperial cities]] of  [[Geographical distribution of German speakers#Europe|German-speaking Europe]]; [[mueang]] of [[Mainland Southeast Asia|Indochina]]; [[Barangay|barangay states]] of [[Philippines|the Philippines]]; and many others. Danish historian Poul Holm has classed the [[Vikings|Viking]] colonial cities in medieval [[Ireland]], most importantly the [[Kingdom of Dublin]], as city-states.<ref>Holm, Poul, "Viking Dublin and the City-State Concept: Parameters and Significance of the Hiberno-Norse Settlement" (Respondent: Donnchadh Ó Corráin), in [[Mogens Herman Hansen]] (ed.), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=8qvY8pxVxcwC A Comparative Study of Thirty City-State Cultures] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621023251/http://books.google.com/books?id=8qvY8pxVxcwC |date=21 June 2013 }}''. Denmark: Special-Trykkeriet Viborg. (University of Copenhagen, Polis Center). 2000. pp.&nbsp;251–62.</ref>

In [[Cyprus]], the [[Phoenicia]]n settlement of [[Kition]] (in present-day Larnaca) was a city-state that existed from around 800 BC until the end of the 4th century BC.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Some of the most well-known examples of city-state culture in human history are the ancient [[Greek city-states]] and the merchant city-states of [[Italian Renaissance|Renaissance Italy]], which organised themselves as independent centers. The success of regional units coexisting as [[autonomy|autonomous]] actors in loose geographical and cultural unity, as in [[Italy]] and [[Greece]], often prevented their [[Amalgamation (politics)|amalgamation]] into larger national units.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} However, such small political entities often survived only for short periods because they lacked the resources to defend themselves against incursions by larger states (such as Roman conquest of Greece). Thus they inevitably gave way to larger organisations of society, including the [[empire]] and the [[nation-state]].<ref>Sri Aurobindo, "Ideal of Human Unity" included in ''Social and Political Thought'', 1970.</ref>{{request quotation|date=August 2015}}

===Central Europe===
[[File:Free Imperial Cities 1792.png|thumb|upright=1.3|The [[Free imperial city|Free imperial cities]] as of 1792.]]

In the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (962–1806) over 80 [[Free imperial city|Free Imperial Cities]] came to enjoy considerable autonomy in the Middle Ages and in early modern times, buttressed legally by [[international law]] following the [[Peace of Westphalia]] of 1648. Some, like three of the earlier [[Hanseatic cities]] – [[Bremen]], [[History of Hamburg|Hamburg]] and [[Free City of Lübeck|Lübeck]] – pooled their economic relations with foreign powers and were able to wield considerable diplomatic clout. Individual cities often made protective alliances with other cities or with neighbouring regions, including the [[Hanseatic League]] (1358 – 17th century), the [[Swabian League of Cities]] (1331–1389), the [[Décapole]] (1354–1679) in the Alsace, or the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]] ({{circa}} 1300 – 1798). The [[Cantons of Switzerland|Swiss cantons]] of [[Canton of Zürich|Zürich]], [[Canton of Bern|Bern]], [[Canton of Lucerne|Lucerne]], [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]], [[Canton of Solothurn|Solothurn]], [[Canton of Basel|Basel]], [[Canton of Schaffhausen|Schaffhausen]], and [[Canton of Geneva|Geneva]] originated as city-states.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, some cities – then members of different [[confederation|confederacies]] – officially became sovereign city-states, such as the [[Bremen (state)|Free Hanseatic City of Bremen]] (1806–11 and again 1813–71), the [[Free City of Frankfurt |Free City of Frankfurt upon Main]] (1815–66), the [[Hamburg|Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg]] (1806–11 and again 1814–71), the [[Free City of Lübeck|Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck]] (1806–11 and again 1813–71), and the [[Free City of Kraków]] (1815–1846). Under [[Habsburg]] rule the city of [[Fiume]] had the status of a [[Corpus separatum (Fiume)|''corpus separatum'']] (1779–1919), which – while falling short of an independent sovereignty – had many attributes of a city-state.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

===Italy===
{{Main|Italian city-states}}
{{See also|Medieval commune|Lombard League|Maritime republics|Signoria}}

[[File:Italy 1494.svg|thumb|right|Italy in 1494, after the [[Peace of Lodi]]]]

In [[Northern Italy|Northern]] and [[Central Italy]] during the medieval and Renaissance periods, city-states — with various amounts of associated land — became the standard form of polity. Some of them, despite being [[de facto]] independent states, were formally part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The era of the Italian states, in particular from the 11th to the 15th centuries, featured remarkable economic development, trade, manufacture, and mercantile capitalism, together with increasing urbanization, with remarkable influence throughout much of the Mediterranean world and Europe as a whole. During this time, most of the Italian city-states were ruled by one person, such as the [[Signoria]] or by a dynasty, such as the [[House of Gonzaga]] and the [[House of Sforza]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy - Italy in the 14th and 15th centuries|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy|access-date=2021-05-12|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=25 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225042403/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27717/Italy|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Examples of Italian city-states during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance====

*[[Republic of Florence]], [[Duchy of Milan]], [[Duchy of Ferrara]],<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = Haney
 | first1 = John
 | title = Cesare Borgia
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=R1MbAQAAMAAJ
 | series = World leaders past & present
 | location = New York
 | publisher = Chelsea House
 | date = 1987
 | page = 74
 | isbn = 9780877545958
 | access-date = 4 October 2020
 | quote = [...] the duchy of Ferrara — a small but strategically important city-state situated between Venice and the Romagna.
}}
</ref> [[History of San Marino|San Marino]], [[Duchy of Modena and Reggio]], [[Duchy of Urbino]], [[Duchy of Mantua]] and the [[Republic of Lucca]].

*The powerful [[maritime republics]]: [[Republic of Venice]], [[Republic of Genoa]], [[Republic of Amalfi]], [[Republic of Pisa]], [[Republic of Ancona]] and [[Duchy of Gaeta]].

===Southeast Asia===
In the history of [[Mainland Southeast Asia]], aristocratic groups, Buddhist leaders, and others organized settlements into autonomous or semi-autonomous city-states. These were referred to as ''[[mueang]]'', and were usually related in a tributary relationship now described as [[Mandala (political model)|mandala]] or as ''over-lapping sovereignty'', in which smaller city-states paid tribute to larger ones that paid tribute to still larger ones—until reaching the apex in cities like [[Ayutthaya (city)|Ayutthaya]], [[Bagan]], [[Bangkok]] and others that served as centers of Southeast Asian royalty. The system existed until the 19th century, when [[colonization]] by European powers occurred. [[Rattanakosin Kingdom|Siam]], a regional power at the time, needed to define their territories for negotiation with the European powers so the Siamese government established a [[nation-state]] system, incorporated their tributary cities ([[Lan Xang]], [[Dark Ages of Cambodia|Cambodia]] and some Malay cities) into their territory and abolished the mueang and the tributary system.<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1            = Scott
 |first1           = James C.
 |author-link1     = James C. Scott
 |title            = The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia
 |year            = 2009
 |url              = https://archive.org/details/artofnotbeinggov0000scot
 |url-access       = registration
 |series           = Yale agrarian studies
 |publisher        = Yale University Press
 |publication-date = 2009
 |isbn             = 9780300156522
 |access-date      = 2017-10-08
 |df               = dmy-all
}}
</ref>{{request quotation|date=October 2017}}<ref>Winichakul, Thongchai. 1997. Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press</ref><ref>Baker, Chris and Pasuk Phongpaichit. 2009. ''A History of Thailand: 2nd ed.'' Sydney: Cambridge University Press</ref>

In early Philippine history, the [[Barangay state|barangay]] was a complex sociopolitical unit which scholars have historically<ref name="ManoloQuezon20171002">{{Cite news |url=http://news.abs-cbn.com/blogs/opinions/10/02/17/opinion-bamboozled-by-the-barangay |title=The Explainer: Bamboozled by the barangay |last=Quezon |first=Manolo |date=2017-10-02 |work=ABS-CBN News |access-date=2017-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002143838/http://news.abs-cbn.com/blogs/opinions/10/02/17/opinion-bamboozled-by-the-barangay |archive-date=2017-10-02 |url-status=live |language=en-US |author-link=Manolo Quezon}}</ref> considered the dominant organizational pattern among the various [[Filipinos|peoples]] of the [[Geography of the Philippines|Philippine archipelago]].<ref name="Junker2000">{{Cite book |last=Junker |first=Laura Lee |title=Raiding, Trading, and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press
|year=2000 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Lbsfi30OXgMC&pg=PA74 74], [https://books.google.com/books?id=Lbsfi30OXgMC&pg=PA130 130] |isbn=9789715503471 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lbsfi30OXgMC}} {{ISBN|971-550-347-0}}, {{ISBN|978-971-550-347-1}}.</ref> These sociopolitical units were sometimes also referred to as barangay states, but are more properly referred to using the technical term ''[[polity]]''.<ref name="Junker2000"/><ref name="Junker1990">{{cite journal | title=The Organization of Intra-Regional and Long-Distance Trade in Pre-Hispanic Philippine Complex Societies | author=Junker, Laura Lee | journal=Asian Perspectives | year=1990 | volume=29 | issue=2 | pages=167–209}}</ref> Evidence suggests a considerable degree of independence as city states ruled by [[Datu]]s, [[Raja]]hs and [[Sultan]]s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ycT9AQAAQBAJ&q=Barangay+city-states&pg=PA108|title=Urban Development and Civil Society: The Role of Communities in Sustainable Cities|first1=Michael|last1=Carley|first2=Harry|last2=Smith|date=5 November 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134200504|access-date=7 May 2018|via=Google Books|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204182628/https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=ycT9AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA108&dq=Barangay+city-states&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjnrM3VlIzZAhWFv7wKHWDWCaUQ6AEIKzAB#v=onepage&q=Barangay+city-states&f=false|archive-date=4 February 2018}}</ref> Early chroniclers<ref name="Plasencia1589">{{Cite web |last=Plasencia |first=Fray Juan de |title=Customs of the Tagalogs |location=[[Nagcarlan, Laguna]] |year=1589 |url=http://www.filipiniana.net/Search.do?searchString=%20Plasencia,%20Juan%20de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123052115/http://www.filipiniana.net/Search.do?searchString=%20Plasencia%2C%20Juan%20de |archive-date=23 January 2009}}</ref> record that the name evolved from the term ''[[balangay]]'', which refers to a plank boat widely used by various cultures of the Philippine archipelago prior to the arrival of European colonizers.<ref name="Junker2000"/>

===20th-century cities under international supervision===

====Danzig====
{{Main|Free City of Danzig}}

The Free City of Danzig was a semi-[[autonomous]] city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the [[Baltic Sea]] port of Danzig (now [[Gdańsk]], [[Poland]]) and nearly 200 towns in the surrounding areas. It was created on 15 November 1920<ref>{{cite book| title = Danzig&nbsp;– Biographie einer Stadt| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9ifeo6zdSMcC| date = February 2011| publisher = C.H. Beck| language = de| isbn = 978-3-406-60587-1| page = 189| last1 = Loew| first1 = Peter Oliver| author-link1 = Peter Oliver Loew| access-date = 24 May 2020| archive-date = 30 March 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330105540/https://books.google.com/books?id=9ifeo6zdSMcC| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title = Das Bistum Danzig in Lebensbildern| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VMvgZQrdkxcC| year = 2003| publisher = LIT Verlag| language = de| isbn = 3-8258-6284-4| page = 8| last1 = Samerski| first1 = Stefan| access-date = 24 May 2020| archive-date = 30 March 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330105522/https://books.google.com/books?id=VMvgZQrdkxcC| url-status = live}}</ref> under the terms of Article 100 (Section XI of Part III) of the 1919 [[Treaty of Versailles]] after the end of [[World War I]].

====Fiume====
{{Main|Free State of Fiume}}

After a prolonged period where the city of [[Fiume]] enjoyed considerable autonomy under [[Habsburg]] rule (see [[Corpus separatum (Fiume)]]), The Free State of Fiume was proclaimed as a fully independent free state which existed between 1920 and 1924. Its territory of {{convert|28|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} comprised the city of Fiume (now in [[Croatia]] and, since the end of World War II, known as [[Rijeka]], both names meaning "river" in the respective languages) and rural areas to its north, with a corridor to its west connecting it to [[Italy]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

====Jerusalem====
{{Main|Corpus separatum (Jerusalem)}}

Under the [[United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine]] of 1947, [[Mandatory Palestine]] was to be partitioned into three states: a Jewish state of [[Israel]], an Arab state of [[Palestine]], and a ''corpus separatum'' ([[Latin language|Latin]] for "[[Corpus separatum (disambiguation)|separated body]]") consisting of a Jerusalem city-state under the control of [[United Nations Trusteeship Council]]. Although the plan had some international support and the UN accepted this proposal (and still officially holds the stance that Jerusalem should be held under this regime), implementation of the plan failed as the [[1948 Palestine war]] broke out with the [[1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine]], ultimately resulting in Jerusalem being split into [[West Jerusalem]] and [[East Jerusalem]]. Israel would eventually gain control of East Jerusalem in the [[Six-Day War]] in 1967.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

====Memel====
{{Main|Klaipėda Region}}

The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the [[Council of Ambassadors]]. The Memel Territory was to remain under the control of the [[League of Nations]] until a future day when the people of the region would be allowed to vote on whether the land would return to Germany or not. The then predominantly [[ethnic German]] Memel Territory ([[Prussian Lithuanians]] and Memellanders constituted the other ethnic groups), situated between the river and the town of that name, was occupied by [[Lithuania]] in the [[Klaipėda Revolt]] of 1923.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

====Ottoman====
Some proposals for the [[partition of the Ottoman Empire]] envisaged international zones at [[Istanbul]]/Constantinople or the wider [[Turkish straits]],<ref>{{multiref|
{{cite book |last1=Bennett |first1=G. |title=British Foreign Policy during the Curzon Period, 1919–24 |date=9 August 1995 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-230-37735-6 |page=80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6iSBDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA80 |language=en}}|
{{cite journal |last1=Stevens |first1=Harold Ray |title=Conrad, Geopolitics, and "The Future of Constantinople" |journal=The Conradian |date=2006 |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=15–27 |jstor=20873573 |issn=0951-2314}}|
{{cite journal |title=Constantinople as a Free City |journal=The Literary Digest |date=3 December 1921 |volume=71 |issue=1650 |page=19 |url=https://archive.org/details/literarydigest71newy/page/n616 |publisher=Funk & Wagnalls |location=New York}}|
{{cite book |last1=Helmreich |first1=Paul C. |title=From Paris to Sèvres: the partition of the Ottoman Empire at the Peace Conference of 1919–1920 |date=1974 |publisher=Ohio State University Press |location=Columbus |isbn=978-0-8142-0170-1 |pages=22–23, 40, 44, 154–155, 189–190 |url=https://archive.org/details/fromparistosevre0000helm}}
}}</ref> and possibly also at [[İzmir]]/Smyrna.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tusan |first1=Michelle |title=The Last Treaty: Lausanne and the End of the First World War in the Middle East |date=15 June 2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-37108-7 |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WjHEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA155 |language=en}}</ref> Although the [[allies of World War I]] occupied both after the 1918 [[Armistice of Mudros]], the British-led [[occupation of Istanbul]] recognised Turkey as de jure sovereign, while the Greek [[occupation of Smyrna]] was [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|an attempted annexation]]. The 1923 [[Treaty of Lausanne]] re-established Turkish control of both areas.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

====Shanghai====
{{Main|Shanghai International Settlement}}

The Shanghai International Settlement (1845–1943) was an international zone with its own legal system, postal service, and currency.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

====Tangier====
{{Main|Tangier International Zone}}

[[File:Tangier 12.JPG|thumb|Tangier]]

The international zone within the city of [[Tangier]], in North Africa was approximately {{convert|373|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. It was at first under the joint administration of France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, plus later Portugal, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. The international zone was initially attached to Morocco. It then became a French-Spanish protectorate from 1923 until 29 October 1956, when it was reintegrated into the state of Morocco.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

====Trieste====
{{Main|Free Territory of Trieste}}

The Free Territory of Trieste was an independent territory situated in Central Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, facing the north part of the Adriatic Sea, under direct responsibility of the [[United Nations Security Council]] in the aftermath of World War II, from 1947 to 1954.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

==== West Berlin ====
In the 20th century [[West Berlin]], though lacking sovereignty, functioned from 1948 until 1990 as a state legally not belonging to any other state, but ruled by the [[Western Bloc|Western Allies]]. They allowed – notwithstanding their overlordship as occupant powers – its internal organisation as one state simultaneously being a city, officially called Berlin (West). Though West Berlin maintained close ties to the [[West Germany|West German]] Federal Republic, it never legally formed a part of it.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==Modern city-states==
===Vatican City===
[[File:Vatican City map EN.svg|thumb|left|[[Vatican City]], a city-state well known for being the smallest country in the world]]
{{Main|Vatican City}}
Until September 1870, the city of [[Rome]] had been controlled by the [[pope]] as part of his [[Papal States]]. When King [[Victor Emmanuel II]] seized the city in 1870, [[Pope Pius IX]] refused to recognize the newly formed [[Italian unification|Kingdom of Italy]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Because he could not travel without effectively acknowledging the authority of the king, Pius IX and his successors each claimed to be a "[[Prisoner in the Vatican]]", unable to leave the {{convert|0.49|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} papal [[enclave]] once they had ascended the [[throne|papal throne]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The [[Roman Question|impasse]] was resolved in 1929 by the [[Lateran Treaties]] negotiated by the Italian dictator [[Benito Mussolini]] between King [[Victor Emmanuel III]] and [[Pope Pius XI]]. Under this treaty, Vatican City was recognized as an independent state, with the Pope as its head. The [[Vatican City|Vatican City State]] has its own [[citizenship]], [[diplomatic corps]], [[Flag of Vatican City|flag]], and [[Postage stamps and postal history of Vatican City|postage stamp]]s. With a population of less than 1,000 (mostly clergymen), it is by far the smallest sovereign country in the world.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

{{Multiple image

 | image1            = Monaco Monte Carlo 1.jpg
 | caption1          = [[Monaco]], known for its [[Monte Carlo Casino|casino]], [[Monarchy of Monaco|royalty]] and scenic [[Port Hercules|harbour]]
 | width             = 240
 | direction         = vertical
 | image2            = 1 Singapore city skyline 2010 day panorama.jpg
 | caption2          = [[Singapore]], modern city-state and [[island country]]
}}

===Monaco===
{{Main|Monaco}}

The [[Monaco|Principality of Monaco]] is a very small independent city-state bordering France. [[Monaco-Ville]] (the ancient fortified city) and Monaco's well-known area [[Monte Carlo]] are districts of a continuous urban zone, not distinct cities, though they were three separate municipalities (''communes'') until 1917. The Principality of Monaco and the city of Monaco (each having specific powers) govern the same territory. Though they maintain a small [[Military of Monaco|military]], largely for ceremonial purposes, they would still have to rely on France for defence in the face of an aggressive power.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

===Singapore===
{{Main|Singapore}}
Singapore is an island city-state in [[Southeast Asia]] bordering Malaysia to the north and Indonesia to the south. 6 million people live and work within {{convert|728.3|km2}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Environment |website=Base |url=https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/society/environment/latest-data |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=19 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719053602/https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/society/environment/latest-data |url-status=live }}</ref> making Singapore the [[List of countries by population density|2nd-most-densely populated country in the world]] after Monaco. Singapore was part of the Federation of [[Malaysia]] for two years before it was [[Singapore in Malaysia#Expulsion|expelled from the federation]] in 1965, becoming an independent [[republic]], a city and a [[sovereignty|sovereign]] country. ''[[The Economist]]'' refers to the nation as the "world's only fully functioning city-state".<ref name="econ-CS"/> In particular, it has its own [[Singapore dollar|currency]], a large commercial [[Changi Airport|airport]], one of the busiest trans-shipment [[Port of Singapore|maritime ports in the world]], and fully fledged [[Singapore Armed Forces|armed forces]] to safeguard the nation's sovereignty against potential regional aggressors.<ref name="econ-CS">{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/20150718_singapore.pdf|title=The Singapore exception |date=18 July 2015|first=Simon|last=Long |newspaper=The Economist |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125020203/https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/20150718_singapore.pdf |archive-date=25 November 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Oliver |first1=Robert T. |title=Leadership in Asia : persuasive communication in the making of nations |date=1989 |publisher=University of Delaware Press |location=Newark |isbn=087413353X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3BUEhOo8ycC&pg=PA200 |pages=200}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Singapore 2065 : leading insights on economy and environment from 50 Singapore icons and beyond |publisher=World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. |location=Singapore |isbn=978-9814663397|last1=Quah |first1=Euston |date=30 July 2015 }}</ref> Singapore is also referred to as the only island city-state in the world by WorldAtlas.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-15 |title=Cities That Are Also Sovereign States |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/cities-that-are-also-sovereign-states.html |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US |quote=Singapore is the only island city-state in the world and is home to some of the richest people in the world.}}</ref>

==States with similar characteristics==
A number of other small states share many of these characteristics, and are sometimes cited as modern city-states. [[Luxembourg]], [[Djibouti]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xOkdAAAAMAAJ&dq=DJIBOUTI+DEVELOPMENT+PROBLEM+The+Republic+of+Djibouti+is+in+effect+a+city+-+state+%2C+with+few+natural+resources+%2C+few+trained+workers+%2C+no+permanent+streams+and+very+little+arable+land&pg=PA239 "Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs, Volume 2."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409030253/https://books.google.com/books?id=xOkdAAAAMAAJ&dq=DJIBOUTI+DEVELOPMENT+PROBLEM+The+Republic+of+Djibouti+is+in+effect+a+city+-+state+,+with+few+natural+resources+,+few+trained+workers+,+no+permanent+streams+and+very+little+arable+land&pg=PA239 |date=9 April 2023 }} United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs. April 15, 1992. Page 239: "The Republic of Djibouti is in effect a city - state, with few natural resources, few trained workers, no permanent streams and very little arable land. Some 75% of the population live in the capital city, the economy of which is focused on the port, airport, railway, the French garrison, and the re-export of consumer goods."</ref> [[Qatar]],<ref name="Parker, Geoffrey 2005. Pg. 219">Parker, Geoffrey. 2005. ''Sovereign City: The City-state Through History'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 219</ref><ref>Roberts, David. 2014. ''Qatar: Securing the Global Ambitions of a City-state.'' London: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd.</ref> [[Brunei]],<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19"/> [[Kuwait]],<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19" /><ref name="Parker, Geoffrey 2005. Pg. 219" /><ref>El-Katiri, Laura, Bassam Fattouh and Paul Segal. 2011 ''Anatomy of an oil-based welfare state: rent distribution in Kuwait.'' Kuwait City: Kuwait Programme on Development, Governance and Globalisation in the Gulf States</ref> [[Bahrain]],<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19" /><ref name="Parker, Geoffrey 2005. Pg. 219" /> and [[Malta]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://president.gov.mt/emblem_malta?l=1 |title=The emblem of Malta, Department of Information, Official Website of President of Malta |publisher=Doi.gov.mt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022001053/http://president.gov.mt/emblem_malta?l=1 |archive-date=22 October 2013 |access-date=20 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.creativemalta.gov.mt/internationalisation/introduction |title=''Draft National Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries – Creative Malta'' |publisher=Creativemalta.gov.mt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728080308/http://www.creativemalta.gov.mt/internationalisation/introduction |archive-date=28 July 2013 |access-date=20 October 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/coins/html/mt.en.html|title=Malta|website=[[European Central Bank]]|access-date=7 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407084112/https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/coins/html/mt.en.html|archive-date=7 April 2014}}</ref> are each politically and economically centered on a single city; in the cases of Luxembourg, Djibouti and Kuwait, this [[primate city]] is so dominant as to give its name to the country. These countries are distinct from true city-states such as Singapore in that they comprise both their primate city (such as [[Luxembourg City]]) and a number of peripheral cities and towns (such as [[Esch-sur-Alzette]] and [[List of towns in Luxembourg|ten other towns]] in Luxembourg) with autonomous [[Municipality|municipal authorities]], and may also include substantial rural areas (such as the sparsely-populated [[Éislek]] forest of northern Luxembourg).{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Occasionally, [[microstate]]s with high population densities such as [[San Marino]] are cited as city-states, despite lacking a large urban centre.<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19">Hansen, Mogens. 2000. "Introduction: The Concepts of City-States and City-State Culture." In ''A Comparative Study of Thirty City-State Cultures,'' Copenhagen: Copenhagen Polis Centre. Pg. 19</ref><ref name="Parker, Geoffrey 2005">Parker, Geoffrey. 2005. ''[https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/S/bo3534946.html Sovereign City: The City-state Through History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215223655/https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/S/bo3534946.html |date=15 December 2022 }}'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN|9781861892195|1861892195}}. {{doi|10.2747/0272-3638.28.4.398}}.</ref><ref name="Mogens, Hansen 2002. Pg. 91">Mogens, Hansen. 2002. ''A Comparative Study of Six City-State Cultures: An Investigation'' p. 91</ref>

== Non-sovereign city-states ==
[[File:Hong Kong Harbour Night 2019-06-11.jpg|thumb|The city of [[Hong Kong]] enjoys a high degree of autonomy, and is sometimes considered a city-state.]]
Some cities or urban areas, while not sovereign states, may nevertheless be constituent states of a [[federation]], or enjoy a high degree of autonomy. As such, they function as "city-states" within the context of the sovereign state to which they belong. Historian [[Mogens Herman Hansen]] describes this aspect of self-government as: "The city-state is a self-governing, but not necessarily independent, political unit."<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19" /> A city with more limited self-government may be referred to as an [[independent city]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Some non-sovereign cities which have a high degree of autonomy, and have been described as city-states, include:

*[[Spain]]: [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2iQVUhGSoQC&q=Ceuta+city+state&pg=PA197 |title=A History of African Higher Education from Antiquity to the Present |last1=Lulat |first1=Y. G.-M. |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |date=2015 |page=197 |isbn=9780313320613 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102052322/https://books.google.com/books?id=L2iQVUhGSoQC&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=Ceuta+city+state&source=bl&ots=4qLYHdtdK-&sig=D_UztLN-5p5wt_wTe8SS3HUF9Wo&hl=de&sa=X&ei=JgIlVYyfAoKPsgG0x4GYCg&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q=Ceuta%20city%20state&f=false |archive-date=2 November 2017 }}</ref> (as [[Autonomous cities of Spain|autonomous cities]])
* [[China]]: [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]]<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19" /> (as [[Special administrative regions of China|special administrative regions]])
* [[City of London]] (as [[City of London Corporation|a self governing city]])
* [[United Kingdom]]: [[Gibraltar]]<ref>Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia, Bernard A. Cook p.506, {{ISBN|0815313365}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=P7-2AgAAQBAJ&dq=gibraltar+city+state&pg=PT550] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409152850/https://books.google.com/books?id=P7-2AgAAQBAJ&dq=gibraltar+city+state&pg=PT550|date=9 April 2023}}</ref> (as a [[British Overseas Territories|British Overseas Territory]])

[[File:Middle Bridge, Basel, Switzerland.JPG|thumb|The city of [[Basel]], located on the [[Rhine]], is a historic city-state and a [[Cantons of Switzerland|Swiss canton]].]]
Some cities that are constituent states in a federation, and as such can be accurately described as non-sovereign city-states with a high degree of autonomy, include:
* [[Argentina]]: [[Buenos Aires]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/324047-100799-0-Qu%C3%A9-dice-la-Ley-Cafiero |title= Qué dice la Ley Cafiero |language=es |publisher=Infobae.com |access-date=2 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328173455/http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/324047-100799-0-Qu%C3%A9-dice-la-Ley-Cafiero |archive-date=28 March 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Austria]]: [[Vienna]]<ref>[http://www.wien.gv.at/english/history/overview/capital.html City of Vienna, "From the Capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Capital of the Republic - History of Vienna"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414011542/https://www.wien.gv.at/english/history/overview/capital.html |date=14 April 2023 }}, retrieved 17 May 2010.</ref>
* [[Belgium]]: [[Brussels]]
* [[Germany]]: [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]], [[Berlin]] and [[Hamburg]]<ref name="Hansen, Mogens 2000. Pg. 19" />
* [[Mexico]]: [[Mexico City]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.consejeria.cdmx.gob.mx/images/leyes/estatutos/Constitucion_Politica_de_la_Ciudad_de_Mexico_3.pdf|title=Constitution of Mexico City|language=es|publisher=Gobierno de la Ciudad de México|access-date=2021-02-08|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715022650/https://data.consejeria.cdmx.gob.mx/images/leyes/estatutos/Constitucion_Politica_de_la_Ciudad_de_Mexico_3.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Russia]]: [[Moscow]] and [[Saint Petersburg]]<ref>Kremlin.ru. [http://kremlin.ru/news/20605 Договор между Российской Федерацией и Республикой Крым о принятии в Российскую Федерацию Республики Крым и образовании в составе Российской Федерации новых субъектов] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319083750/http://kremlin.ru/news/20605 |date=19 March 2015 }} (''Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on Ascension to the Russian Federation of the Republic of Crimea and on Establishment of New Subjects Within the Russian Federation'') {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
* [[Switzerland]]: [[Canton of Basel-Stadt|Basel-Stadt]] and [[Canton of Geneva|Geneva]]
{{TOC limit|3}}
<!--- DO NOT ADD WASHINGTON, D.C. TO THIS LIST:
Non-sovereign city-states have a high degree of autonomy. Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution grants the United States Congress "exclusive jurisdiction" over the city. The 1973 Home Rule Act devolved certain Congressional powers to an elected mayor and the thirteen-member Council of the District of Columbia. However, Congress remains free to enact any legislation for the District so long as constitutionally permissible, to review and overturn any legislation by the city government, and technically to revoke the city government at any time. Congress regularly intervenes in local affairs, e.g. the budget is set by the mayor but must be approved by Congress.
-->

== Proposed city-states ==
{{Main|Urban secession}}

===Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order===
{{Main|Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order}}
The Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order is a proposed city-state in [[Albania]]n capital of [[Tirana]] which will be established if approved by the [[Albanian Parliament]] and a national referendum.<ref name="nyt_article">{{Cite news |last=Higgens |first=Andrew |date=21 September 2024 |title=Albania Is Planning a New Muslim State Inside Its Capital |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/21/world/europe/albania-tirana-muslim-state-bektashi.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 September 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |archive-date=21 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921090757/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/21/world/europe/albania-tirana-muslim-state-bektashi.html }}</ref> The state, which would be led by the [[Bektashi Order]], is planned to be similar in structure to the [[Vatican City]]. The idea has been proposed by Albanian Prime Minister [[Edi Rama]] and leader of the Bektashi Order [[Baba Mondi]] in the hope that sovereignty would help promote moderate Muslim values instead of radical ideologies. The Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order would be surrounded by the suburbs of eastern Tirana and would be the [[microstate|smallest nation in the world]].

===London===
{{Main|London independence}}
The London independence movement seeks a city-state separate from the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/eu-referendum/londependence/|title='Londependence' May Be a Dream, but More Autonomy for the City Is Not|date=28 June 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=2 March 2017|archive-date=21 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321084335/https://www.nytimes.com/live/eu-referendum/londependence/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Hong Kong===
{{Excerpt|Hong Kong independence|paragraphs=1|only=paragraph}}

==See also==
*[[Charter city]]
*[[City network]]
*[[Consolidated city-county]]
*[[Federal district]]
*[[Pyu city-states]]
*[[Royal free city]]
*[[Sheikhdom of al-ʽIrqa]]
*[[List of fictional city-states in literature]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*[[Mogens Herman Hansen]] (ed.), ''A comparative study of thirty city-state cultures : an investigation conducted by the Copenhagen Polis Centre'', Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, 2000. (Historisk-filosofiske skrifter, 21). {{ISBN|87-7876-177-8}}.
*Mogens Herman Hansen (ed.), ''A comparative study of six city-state cultures : an investigation'', Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, 2002. (Historisk-filosofiske skrifter, 27). {{ISBN|87-7876-316-9}}.
* Geoffrey Parker, [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/S/bo3534946.html ''Sovereign City: The City-State Ancient and Modern''], London: [[Reaktion Books]], 2004. {{ISBN|978-186189-219-5}}.
* Tom Scott, [https://academic.oup.com/book/1536 ''The City-State in Europe, 1000-1600: Hinterland, Territory, Region''], Oxford: [[Oxford University Press]], 2012. {{ISBN|978-019173-868-5}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|City-states}}

{{Cities}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:City-State}}
[[Category:City-states| ]]
[[Category:Types of countries]]
[[Category:Political geography]]