The 2008 CIA World Factbook - United States. Central Intelligence Agency (popular romance novels .TXT) 📗

own constitution

Botswana
  March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

Brazil
  5 October 1988

British Virgin Islands
  13 June 2007

Brunei
  29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of
  Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1
  January 1984)

Bulgaria
  adopted 12 July 1991

Burkina Faso
  2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991
  formally adopted; last amended January 2002

Burma
  30 May 2008

Burundi
  28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum

Cambodia
  promulgated 21 September 1993

Cameroon
  20 May 1972 approved by referendum, adopted 2 June 1972;
  revised January 1996

Canada
  made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial
  decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution
  consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a
  federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April
  1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from
  Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and
  Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments

Cape Verde
  25 September 1992; a major revision on 23 November 1995
  substantially increased the powers of the president; a 1999 revision
  created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)

Cayman Islands
  1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994

Central African Republic
  ratified by popular referendum 5 December
  2004; effective 27 December 2004

Chad
  passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum
  removed constitutional term limits

Chile
  11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989,
  1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005

China
  most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

Christmas Island
  Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as
  amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23
  November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992

Colombia
  5 July 1991; amended many times

Comoros
  23 December 2001

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  18 February 2006

Congo, Republic of the
  approved by referendum 20 January 2002

Cook Islands
  4 August 1965

Costa Rica
  7 November 1949

Cote d'Ivoire
  approved by referendum 23 July 2000

Croatia
  adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001

Cuba
  24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002

Cyprus
  16 August 1960
  note: from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer
  participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for
  a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better
  relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held
  intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974
  Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own
  constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated
  State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern
  Cyprus (TRNC)" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence
  in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5
  May 1985, although the "TRNC" remains unrecognized by any country
  other than Turkey

Czech Republic
  ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993

Denmark
  5 June 1953 constitution allowed for a unicameral
  legislature and a female chief of state

Dhekelia
  Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in
  Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal
  document

Djibouti
  multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September
  1992

Dominica
  3 November 1978

Dominican Republic
  28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002

Ecuador
  10 August 1998

Egypt
  11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980, 25 May 2005, and 26
  March 2007

El Salvador
  20 December 1983

Equatorial Guinea
  approved by national referendum 17 November 1991;
  amended January 1995

Eritrea
  a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was
  replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet
  implemented

Estonia
  adopted 28 June 1992

Ethiopia
  ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995

European Union
  based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris,
  which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951;
  the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community
  (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957;
  the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union
  (Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the
  Treaty of Nice in 2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty,
  signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for
  ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum
  before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in
  French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback
  to the ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council
  agreed on a clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental
  Conference to form a political agreement and put it into legal form;
  this agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, would have served as a
  constitution and was presented to the European Council in October
  2007 for individual country ratification; it was rejected by Irish
  voters in June 2008, again stalling the ratification process

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998

Faroe Islands
  5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Fiji
  enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make
  multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998

Finland
  1 March 2000

France
  adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October
  1958
  note: amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to
  comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam
  Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in
  1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to
  a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional
  treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that
  the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by
  referendum

French Polynesia
  4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Gabon
  adopted 14 March 1991

Gambia, The
  approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; effective
  16 January 1997

Georgia
  adopted 24 August 1995

Germany
  23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the
  united Germany 3 October 1990

Ghana
  approved 28 April 1992

Gibraltar
  5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007

Greece
  11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

Greenland
  5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Grenada
  19 December 1973

Guam
  Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950

Guatemala
  31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended
  25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June
  1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993

Guernsey
  unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Guinea
  23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

Guinea-Bissau
  16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26
  February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996

Guyana
  6 October 1980

Haiti
  approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles
  reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a
  military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military
  government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to
  constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically
  in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to
  constitutional rule in May 2006

Holy See (Vatican City)
  new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN
  PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces
  the first Fundamental Law of 1929)

Honduras
  11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many
  times

Hong Kong
  Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National
  People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"

Hungary
  18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April
  1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals
  and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and
  also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997
  amendment streamlined the judicial system

Iceland
  16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times

India
  26 January 1950; amended many times

Indonesia
  August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and
  Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of
  amendments concluded in 2002

Iran
  2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the
  presidency and eliminate the prime ministership

Iraq
  ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the
  Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum )

Ireland
  adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937

Isle of Man
  unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of
  1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution

Israel
  no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
  constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
  the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli
  citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and
  Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft
  constitution

Italy
  passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended
  many times

Jamaica
  6 August 1962

Japan
  3 May 1947

Jersey
  unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Jordan
  1 January 1952; amended many times

Kazakhstan
  first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January
  1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995

Kenya
  12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with
  amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a
  new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005

Kiribati
  12 July 1979

Korea, North
  adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972,
  revised again in April 1992, and September 1998

Korea, South
  17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten nine times;
  current constitution approved on 29 October 1987

Kosovo
  ratified 9 April 2008; effective 15 June 2008

Kuwait
  approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Kyrgyzstan
  adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by
  President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2
  February 2003 significantly expanded the powers of the president at
  the expense of the legislature; during large-scale demonstrations in
  November 2006, President BAKIEV and the opposition negotiated a new
  constitution granting greater powers to the parliament and the
  government; amendments added on 30 December 2006 redistributed some
  power back to the president, but both November and December 2006
  versions were annulled in September 2007, and a new version was
  approved by referendum on 21 October 2007; the BAKIEV-initiated
  referendum was criticized by Western observers for voting
  irregularities, particularly ballot stuffing

Laos
  promulgated 14 August 1991

Latvia
  15 February 1922; restored to force by the Constitutional Law
  of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council on 21
  August 1991; multiple amendments since

Lebanon
  23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently
  Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of
  October 1989

Lesotho
  2 April 1993

Liberia
  6 January 1986

Libya
  none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow
  of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced
  the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in
  December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the
  Establishment of the People's Authority

Liechtenstein
  5 October 1921

Lithuania
  adopted 25 October 1992

Luxembourg
  17 October 1868; occasional revisions

Macau
  Basic Law, approved on 31 March 1993 by China's National
  People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"

Macedonia
  adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991;
  amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments
  strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to
  the judiciary

Madagascar
  19 August 1992 by national referendum

Malawi
  18 May 1994

Malaysia
  31 August 1957 (amended many times, latest in 2007)

Maldives
  new constitution ratified 7 August 2008

Mali
  adopted 12 January 1992

Malta
  1964 constitution; amended many times

Marshall Islands
  1 May 1979

Mauritania
  12 July 1991

Mauritius
  12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Mayotte
  4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Mexico
  5 February 1917

Micronesia, Federated States of
  10 May 1979

Moldova
  new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August
  1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979

Monaco
  17 December 1962

Mongolia
  12 February 1992

Montenegro
  19 October 2007 (approved by the Assembly)

Montserrat
  effective 19 December 1989

Morocco
  10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create
  bicameral legislature) September 1996

Mozambique
  30 November 1990

Namibia
  ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990

Nauru
  29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)

Nepal
  9 November 1990; note - a new interim constitution was
  promulgated in January 2007; the November 2006 peace agreement calls
  for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new permanent
  constitution

Netherlands
  adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002

Netherlands Antilles
  29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the
  Netherlands, as amended

New Caledonia
  4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

New Zealand
  consists of a series of legal documents, including
  certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The
  Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter;
  adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987

Nicaragua
  9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005

Niger
  new constitution adopted 18 July 1999

Nigeria
  new constitution adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999

Niue
  19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)

Norfolk Island
  Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005

Northern Mariana Islands
  Constitution of the Commonwealth of the
  Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant
  Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986

Norway
  17 May 1814; amended many times

Oman
  none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal
  decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a
  constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal
  succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from
  holding interests in companies doing business with the government,
  establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil
  liberties for Omani citizens

Pakistan
  12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored 30 December
  1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended
  31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007; restored