Legislature

The European Parliament is a legislature of 27 countries

Legislature is a word that comes from the Latin language, meaning "those who write the laws." A legislature is therefore a group of people who vote for new laws, for example in a state or country.

Each person in the legislature is usually either elected or appointed. The constitution of that state or country usually tells how a legislature is supposed to work.

In many countries, the legislature is called a Parliament, Congress, or National Assembly. Sometimes there are two groups of members in the legislature. This is called a "bicameral" legislature. A unicameral legislature has only one group of members.

A country, district, city, or other small area may also have something like a legislature. These are often called councils, and they make smaller laws for their areas.

     Nations with bicameral legislatures.     Nations with unicameral legislatures.     Nations with unicameral legislatures and an advisory body.      No legislature.

National

• Parliament
• Congress
• Diet
• National Assembly
• Althing — Iceland
• Assembleia da República — Portugal
• Bundestag — Germany
• Riksdag — Sweden
• Cortes Generales — Spain
• Eduskunta — Finland
• Federal Assembly — Russia, Switzerland
• Folketing — Denmark
• Stortinget — Norway
• Knesset — Israel
• Assembly of Albania — Albania
• Legislative Yuan — Republic of China/Taiwan
• Islamic Consultative Assembly — Iran

Sub-National

• List of state legislatures of the United States — United States
  • General Assembly / Assembly
  • Great and General Court / General Court
  • House of Delegates
• Landtag — Germany, Austria
• Canada
  • Legislative Assembly — All provinces and territories except:
  • National Assembly — Quebec
  • House of Assembly — Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador
• Australia
  • Legislative Assembly - All States and Territories except:
  • House of Assembly - South Australia and Tasmania
  • Legislative Council - All States except Queensland
• United Kingdom
  • Scottish Parliament — Scotland
  • Northern Ireland Assembly — Northern Ireland
  • National Assembly for Wales — Wales
  • Houses of Parliament — United Kingdom overall.

Legislature Media

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  Palace of Westminster, where the legislature of the United Kingdom, the Parliament of the United Kingdom, meets, located in London

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  Map showing the terminology for each country's national legislature

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  The Palazzo Madama is the seat of the upper house of the Italian Parliament, the Senate of the Republic

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  The Congress of the Republic of Peru, the country's national legislature, meets in the Legislative Palace in 2010.

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  The British House of Commons, its lower house

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  The German Bundestag, its theoretical lower house

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  The Australian Senate, its upper house

Related pages

• Separation of powers