republic
n
1 a form of government in which the people or their elected representatives possess the supreme power
2 a political or national unit possessing such a form of government
3 a constitutional form in which the head of state is an elected or nominated president
4 any community or group that resembles a political republic in that its members or elements exhibit a general equality, shared interests, etc the republic of letters (C17: from French république, from Latin respublica literally: the public thing, from res thing + publica public)
Adygei Republic , Adygea (Russian)
n a constituent republic of SW Russia, bordering on the Caucasus Mountains: chiefly agricultural but with some mineral resources. Capital: Maikop. Pop.: 450000 (1995 est.). Area: 7600 sq. km (2934 sq. miles)
Adzhar Autonomous Republic , Adzharia
n an administrative division of SW Georgia, on the Black Sea: part of Turkey from the 17th century until 1878; mostly mountainous, reaching 2805 m (9350 ft.), with a subtropical coastal strip. Capital: Batumi. Pop.: 386700 (1993 est.). Area: 3000 sq. km (1160 sq. miles)
Altai Republic
n another name for →
Gorno-Altai Republic
banana republic
n
Informal and derogatory a small country, esp. in Central America, that is politically unstable and has an economy dominated by foreign interest, usually dependent on one export, such as bananas
Bashkir Republic
n a constituent republic of E central Russia, in the S Urals: established as the first Soviet autonomous republic in 1919; rich mineral resources. Capital: Ufa. Pop.: 4080000 (1995 est.). Area: 143600 sq. km (55430 sq. miles), (Also called)
Bashkiria Bashkortostan (Russian)
Buryat Republic , Buryatia (Russian)
n a constituent republic of SE central Russia, on Lake Baikal: mountainous, with forests covering over half the total area. Capital: Ulan-Ude. Pop.: 1053000 (1995 est.). Area: 351300 sq. km (135608 sq. miles)
Central African Republic
n a landlocked country of central Africa: joined with Chad as a territory of French Equatorial Africa in 1910; became an independent republic in 1960; a parliamentary monarchy (1976--79); consists of a huge plateau, mostly savanna, with dense forests in the south; drained chiefly by the Shari and Ubangi Rivers. Official language: French; Sango is the national language. Religion: Christian and animist. Currency: franc. Capital: Bangui. Pop.: 3376000 (1998 est.). Area: 622577 sq. km (240376 sq. miles), (Former names)
Ubangi-Shari until 1958
Central African Empire 1976--79, (French name)
République Centrafricaine
Chechen Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia, on the N slopes of the Caucasus Mountains: major oil and natural gas resources; formed an Autonomous Republic with Ingushetia from 1936 until 1944 and from 1957 until 1991; separated from Ingushetia in 1992; fighting between Chechen separatists and Russian forces (1994--96). Capital: Grozny. Pop. (including Ingushetia): 1234000 (1995 est.). Area (including Ingushetia): 19300 sq. km (7450 sq. miles), (Also called)
Chechenia Chechnya
Chuvash Republic
n a constituent republic of W central Russia, in the middle Volga valley: generally low-lying with undulating plains and large areas of forest. Capital: Cheboksary. Pop.: 1361000 (1995 est.). Area: 18300 sq. km (7064 sq. miles), (Also called)
Chuvashia
Czech Republic
n a country in central Europe; formed part of Czechoslovakia until 1993; mostly wooded, with lowlands surrounding the River Morava, rising to the Bohemian plateau in the W and to highlands in the N. Language: Czech. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: koruna. Capital Prague. Pop.: 10302000 (1998 est.). Area: 78864 sq. km (30450 sq. miles).
Dagestan Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia, on the Caspian Sea: annexed from Persia in 1813; rich mineral resources. Capital: Makhachkala. Pop.: 2009000 (1995 est.). Area: 50278 sq. km (19416 sq. miles), (Also called)
Dagestan, Daghestan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
n the. See →
Congo →
2
Dominican Republic
n a republic in the Caribbean, occupying the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola: colonized by the Spanish after its discovery by Columbus in 1492; gained independence from Spain in 1821. It is generally mountainous, dominated by the Cordillera Central, which rises over 3000 m (10000 ft.), with fertile lowlands. Language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Santo Domingo. Pop.: 7883000 (1998 est.). Area: 48441 sq. km (18703 sq. miles), (Former name (until 1844))
Santo Domingo
Federal Republic of Germany
n the official name of →
Germany formerly of West Germany formerly of West Germany
Fifth Republic
n the French republic established in 1958 as the successor to the Fourth Republic. Its constitution is characterized by the strong position of the president
First Republic
n the republic in France, which lasted from the abolition of the monarchy in 1792 until Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself emperor in 1804
Fourth Republic
n the fourth period of republican government in France or the republic itself (1945--58)
German Democratic Republic
n (formerly) the official name of →
East Germany (Abbrevs.)
GDR, DDR
Gorno-Altai Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia: mountainous, rising over 4350 m (14500 ft.) in the Altai Mountains of the south. Capital: Gorno-Altaisk. Pop.: 200000 (1995 est.). Area: 92600 sq. km (35740 sq. miles), (Also called)
Altai Republic
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Republic
n an administrative division of Tajikistan: generally mountainous and inaccessible. Capital: Khorog. Pop.: 167000 (1991 est.). Area: 63700 sq. km (24590 sq. miles), (Also called)
Badakhshan
Ingush Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia: part of the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Republic from 1936 until 1992. Capital: Nazran, (Also called)
Ingushetia
Irish Republic
n See →
Ireland 1 →
2
Kabardino-Balkar Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia, on the N side of the Caucasus Mountains. Capital: Nalchik. Pop.: 787000 (1995 est.). Area: 12500 sq. km (4825 sq. miles), (Also called)
Kabardino-Balkaria
Kalmuck Republic , Kalmyk Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia, on the Caspian Sea: became subject to Russia in 1646. Capital: Elista. Pop.: 320000 (1995 est.). Area: 76100 sq. km (29382 sq. miles), (Also called)
Kalmykia
Karachai-Cherkess Republic , Karachayevo-Cherkess Republic
n a constituent republic of W Russia, on the N side of the Caucasus Mountains. Capital: Cherkessk. Pop.: 435000 (1995 est.). Area:14100 sq. km (5440 sq. miles), (Also called)
Karachai-Cherkessia
Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Republic
n an administrative division in NW Uzbekistan, on the Aral Sea: came under Russian rule by stages from 1873 until Uzbekistan became independent in 1991. Capital: Nukus. Pop.: 1343000 (1993 est.). Area: 165600 sq. km (63900 sq. miles), (Also called)
Kara-Kalpakia Kara-Kalpakstan
Karelian Republic
n a constituent republic of NW Russia between the White Sea and Lakes Onega and Ladoga. Capital: Petrozavodsk. Pop.: 789000 (1995 est.). Area: 172400 sq. km (66560 sq. miles), (Also called)
Karelia
Khakass Republic
n a constituent republic of S central Russia, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory: formed in 1930. Capital: Abakan. Pop.: 583000 (1995 est.). Area: 61900 sq. km (23855 sq. miles), (Also called)
Khakassia (Russian)
Khmer Republic
n the former official name (1970--76) of →
Kampuchea
Komi Republic
n a constituent republic of NW Russia: annexed by the princes of Moscow in the 14th century. Capital: Syktyvkar. Pop.: 1203000 (1995 est.). Area: 415900 sq. km (160540 sq. miles)
Malagasy Republic
n the former name (1958--75) of →
Madagascar
Mari El Republic
n a constituent republic of W central Russia, in the middle Volga basin. Capital: Yoshkar-Ola. Pop.: 766000 (1995 est.). Area: 23200 sq. km (8955 sq. miles)
Mongolian People's Republic
n the former name of →
Mongolia →
1
Mordvinian Republic
n a constituent republic of W central Russia, in the middle Volga basin Capital: Saransk. Pop.: 960000 (1995 est.). Area: 26200 sq. km (10110 sq. miles), (Also called)
Mordovian Republic Mordovia
Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic
n a region belonging to Azerbaijan, from which it is separated by part of Armenia; annexed by Russia in 1828; unilaterally declared secession from the Soviet Union in 1990. Capital: Nakhichevan. Pop.: 315000 (1994). Area: 5500 sq. km (2120 sq. miles)
North Ossetian Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia, on the N slopes of the central Caucasus Mountains. Capital: Vladikavkaz. Pop.: 658000 (1995 est.). Area: about 8000 sq. km (3088 sq. miles), (Also called)
North Ossetia, Alania
Republic of Ireland
n See →
Ireland 1 →
2
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
n (formerly) the largest administrative division of the Soviet Union, (Abbrev)
RSFSR
Sakha Republic (Russian)
n an administrative division in E Russia, in NE Siberia on the Arctic Ocean: the coldest inhabited region of the world; it has rich mineral resources. Capital: Yakutsk. Pop.: 1060700 (1994). Area: 3103200 sq. km (1197760 sq. miles), (Former names)
Yakut Republic, Yakutia
Second Republic
n
1 the republican government of France from the deposition of Louis Philippe (1848) until the Second Empire (1852)
2 the period during which this form of government existed (1848--52)
Tatar Republic
n a constituent republic of W Russia, around the confluence of the Volga and Kama Rivers. Capital: Kazan. Pop.: 3755000 (1995 est.) Area: 68000 sq. km (26250 sq. miles)
Third Republic
n in France
1 the governmental system established after the fall of Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War and lasting until the German occupation of 1940
2 the period during which this governmental system functioned (1870--1940)
Tuva Republic
n a constituent republic of S Russia: mountainous. Capital: Kizyl. Pop.: 308000 (1995 est.). Area: 170500 sq. km (65800 sq. miles), (Also called)
Tuvinian Autonomous Republic
Udmurt Republic
n a constituent republic of W central Russia, in the basin of the middle Kama. Capital: Izhevsk. Pop.: 1641000 (1995 est.). Area: 42100 sq. km (16250 sq. miles)
United Arab Republic
n the official name (1958--71) of →
Egypt
Weimar Republic
n the German republic that existed from 1919 to Hitler's accession to power in 1933
Yakut Republic
n the former name of the →
Sakha Republic