Country Profiles

The profiles on this page highlight different strategies nations have adopted to deliver justice, including how to select judges, structure judicial review, and meet the needs of diverse populations. There is much to be learned from the experience and innovation of judiciaries around the world.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a landlocked country located in South and Central Asia, sharing a border with Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and China. Its population of over forty-one…

Brazil

Brazil is a democracy with a civil law system based on Roman and German traditions. It is the largest, most populous, country in Latin America. Brazil’s diverse population of over 200 million…

Canada

The Canadian justice system has with two official languages (English and French), includes two legal systems (common law and civil law), and affirms Aboriginal rights and…

China

China is the second largest country in land area, with snow-capped mountains, deserts, rivers, canyons, fertile plains, and 56 different ethnic groups. The Han constitute 91% of China’s population…

Colombia

The Republic of Colombia is known for its complex political history and biodiversity. The country is also culturally diverse with five major ethnic groups. The Spanish colonized Colombia in 1525…

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire throughout most of the 19th century when it was also known as Bohemia. In 1918, after World War I and the empire’s fall, the independent…

Denmark

Denmark, a peninsula and an archipelago of over 400 islands in Scandinavia, is a constitutional monarchy with a democratic government. The region’s earliest inhabitants, traced to 10,000 BCE, were…

Georgia

The Republic of Georgia is in the South Caucusus, situated between Turkey and Russia, with a long coastline along the Black Sea. Its history spans over 2,500 years and the Georgian language,…

Germany

With over 80 million citizens, the Federal Republic of Germany is the European Union’s most populous member state. It is bordered by Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and…

Hungary

Hungary is a unitary parliamentary republic with a civil law system. Its sources of law include the constitution, acts of parliament, published governmental and ministerial decrees, and the…

India

The Republic of India is the most populous nation in the world with over 1.4 billion residents. India has twenty-two official languages including Hindi, Bengali, and Telugu and is the birthplace…

Japan

Japan is a constitutional monarchy, with the emperor serving a largely symbolic role. The Japanese archipelago includes over 3,000 islands; its four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and…

Kosovo

Kosovo, the smallest country in the Balkans, was the center of the Medieval Serbian Empire until its integration into the Ottoman Empire in the mid-15th century. During the Ottoman period, Islam…

Lebanon

Situated on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon has a rich history dating back to 3000 BC when it was settled by the Canaanites (Phoenicians) who developed thriving city states…

Maldives

The Maldives is a constitutional democracy made up of 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean, comprised of 18 administrative atolls. Most of the Maldives sits less than six feet above sea level, and…

Mexico

Mexico (United Mexican States) is one of Latin America’s largest countries, has the region’s second-largest economy, and is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. It was home to…

Mongolia

Located in Central Asia between Russia and China, Mongolia was the center of the largest contiguous land empire in world history. Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, united the…

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, is the world’s third largest island country; it includes the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, where over 85% of the population resides…

Peru

Peru was the seat of the Incan empire, which spanned from northern Ecuador to central Chile until its collapse when the Spanish arrived in 1533. Mestizos - Peruvians of mixed indigenous and…

Philippines

The Philippines is an archipelago in the South China Sea made up of over 7,000 islands with a population of more than 100 million people. Its original inhabitants migrated from southeast China…

Republic of Korea

The first settlers on the Korean peninsula arrived 700,000 years ago. Korea’s early history included periods of dynastic rivalries. Under the leadership of the Joseon Dynasty in the late 14th…

Russia

The Russian Federation is the largest (geographically) country in the world, with 11 time zones across two continents and coasts on three oceans (the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic). Russia has a…

Rwanda

Resting on le pays des mille collines (the land of a thousand hills), the Republic of Rwanda boasts a strong presidency, dual legislature (the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate), and a unique…

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established by King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (Ibn Saud) in 1932. It is home to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam. Evidence of human…

Singapore

Singapore, located on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, is one of the world’s smallest countries and one of only three city states. Malaya and Singapore were administered as a joint British…

Spain

The modern Kingdom of Spain is a parliamentary monarchy which follows the European continental legal tradition. Although the majority of Spain’s territory is on the Iberian Peninsula, it also…

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island nation south of India. It is known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” because of its natural beauty, including lush forests, coastline, and vast tea…

Turkey

Modern-day Turkey is located on the Anatolian plateau, at the intersection of Europe and Asia. Its population of over 80 million people includes two major ethnic groups: Turks (~75%) and Kurds…

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is a federal monarchy comprised of seven emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah. Located along the coast of the Arabian…

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a monarchy: the head of state is an unelected position, occupied by virtue of birth. The British monarch has been a mostly ceremonial figure since the mid-17th century, but…

United States

The Constitution of the United States (1789) is one of the oldest written constitutions in the world; it is also among the shortest at only four pages. The US constitution sets forth a federal…

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is located at the crossroads of Central Asia and the Middle East. It was the heart of the ancient Silk Road, the commercial link between Europe and Asia from the 2nd century BC into the…

Vietnam

National policy in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is established by the Vietnam Communist Party which convenes a Party congress every five years. The National Assembly is the highest organ of…