The atlas / Countries
Politics, put into practice.
From ancient empires to modern republics. Explore how states and regimes organize power, shape society, and engage with the world.
204 profiles
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- Current states & regions
Uruguay
A South American presidential republic, Uruguay is recognized for solid democracy, strong secularism, broad social rights, and progressive policies, pairing institutional stability with a market economy.
- Current states & regions
Utah (United States)
A western US state with a Mormon majority, Utah combines the Latter-day Saints Church's influence over family and customs, a flat income tax, balanced budgets, a booming tech sector, a welcoming stance toward refugees and strict alcohol control.
- Current states & regions
Vatican City
A city-state governed by the Holy See, the Vatican combines religious sovereignty, an absolute elective monarchy, and clerical administration, functioning as the institutional center of the Catholic Church and a global diplomatic actor.
- Current states & regions
Venezuela
A South American presidential republic, Venezuela lives under an authoritarian regime of socialist and nationalist orientation, marked by concentration of power, a prolonged economic crisis, and heavy emigration of its population.
- Current states & regions
Vermont (United States)
A small rural New England state, Vermont combines direct-democracy town meetings, the progressive politics of Bernie Sanders, cooperatives, dairy farming and environmentalism, with one of the least religious populations in the country and permissive gun laws.
- Early modern
Viceroyalty of New Spain
The Spanish viceroyalty covering Mexico, Central America, today's US Southwest and the Philippines, governed by a viceroy and audiencias under royal patronage, with the Inquisition, a caste society, haciendas, silver mining and Crown-monopolized trade.
- Current states & regions
Vietnam
A single-party socialist state, Vietnam maintains the Communist Party's political control alongside market reforms that opened the economy, promoting rapid industrial growth and integration into global trade.
- Current states & regions
Washington, D.C. (United States)
The capital of the United States, Washington concentrates federal power and government institutions, with the strong weight of the public machine, a globalist orientation, and a central role in the country's diplomacy and military power.
- 20th & 21st centuries
Weimar Republic
Germany's first democracy, the Weimar Republic united parliamentarism, proportional representation, and intense cultural life, but was undermined by economic crises and political instability that paved the way for Nazism.
- Current states & regions
Wyoming (United States)
The least populous U.S. state, Wyoming levies no state income or corporate tax, bases its economy on oil, gas, and mining, and combines a strong gun culture with deep distrust of the federal government.
- Current states & regions
Zapatista Chiapas (Mexico)
Zapatista territories in southern Mexico, self-governed since 1994 by mostly Maya communities through caracoles and Good Government Councils, rejecting political parties and the state, with cooperative agrarian economy and strong women's leadership.
- Current states & regions
Zug (Switzerland)
Switzerland's smallest canton and one of the lowest-taxed jurisdictions in the world, Zug attracts holdings and foundations through low taxation, hosts the Crypto Valley around Ethereum and accepts tax payments in bitcoin, under cantonal direct democracy.
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