- A unitary form of government is a system in which all powers of the government are concentrated in a single central authority.
- The central government holds all the power and delegates some authority to local governments for administrative convenience.
- The local governments are subordinate to and controlled by the central government, which has the authority to create or abolish them.
- Examples of countries with a unitary form of government include France, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

- A federal form of government is a system in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units, such as states or provinces.
- Both the central government and the constituent units have their own spheres of authority, and neither can change the fundamental division of powers without the consent of the other.
- The division of powers is usually laid out in a constitution, which serves as the supreme law of the land.
- Examples of countries with a federal form of government include the United States, Canada, and Germany.

Aspect	Unitary Form of Government	Federal Form of Government
Division of Power	All powers concentrated in central authority	Power divided between central authority and constituent units
Control over Local Governments	Central government controls and can create or abolish local governments	Constituent units have their own spheres of authority
Constitutional Authority	No separate constitution for local governments	Division of powers laid out in a constitution