The Electoral College is an institution that is unique to the United States of America. When citizens vote in an American presidential election, they are actually voting for who they want the electors from their state to cast their votes for. In almost every state, the candidate who receives the most votes will garner the entirety of the electoral college votes for that state. It is used to determine the U.S. Presidency.

A “forward-thrust capital” is a capital city that has been re-located from one region (Rio de Janeiro) to another region (Brasilia) in order for the government to accomplish some goal.

An “anocracy” is a system of government that combines elements of democracy and autocracy, often in confusing or chaotic fashion. An “anocracy” is usually highly unstable and inefficient.

A Theocratic government is one that holds a diety, or god, as where all authority comes from.

The Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran held Khomeini as a religious leader ruling of the Islamic Republic of Iran throughout most of the 20th century. The ultimate power of the Khomeini's came from Allah, according to the beliefs of the country. The ruler was a religious authoritarian.

The Landlocked government of Lesotho has a constitutional monarchy form of government. While this country is landlocked, that is not a form of government.

King Henry the 8th's rule over England was a Monarchy which took over the authority of the Church, becoming supreme over the Church's powers. This, in many ways, is the opposite of a theocratic government.

Nazi Germany was a dictatorship under the rule of Adolf Hitler. Though Hitler cited religious and ethnic supremacy over the Jews, his government was not theocratic as he did not rule the power any god as having authority. Hitler was the supreme authority under his Nazi regime.

Ivan the Terrible's rule over Russia was essentially a monarchy, that turned more into a dictatorship. Ivan created a centrally controlled government and named himself the Tsar of Russia.

When the European empires were dividing up Africa into colonies, and later into independent states, they created “superimposed boundaries.” “Superimposed boundaries” are political barriers drawn in an area with complete disregard for the cultural, religious, and ethnic divisions within the people living there. It occurred frequently in Africa as the era of colonialism came to an end and the European powers created independent nations recklessly, without paying attention to the cultural divisions already in existence in the region.

Antarctica is not owned by any sovereign nation, but many different countries around the world have claimed all or part of the territory in their recent history. Some of the biggest claims have been made by Norway, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Argentina, but none of these claims are internationally respected or accepted.

Hadrian’s Wall once served as the final frontier of the far northern reaches of the Roman Empire. It separated civilized Britons from the barbarian Picts and Gauls. In the years since it’s significance as a political boundary has waned and it is now located entirely within the territory of England. Because it is no longer a political boundary, but once was, it is called a “relic boundary.”

In a theocracy the government is presumed to be divinely ordained by God. The highest law of the land is the law of God (in whatever that state’s religion is). Theocracies were more common in the past, but many still exist in the world today. And, many more countries which are nominally democracies or autocracies nonetheless have elements of theocracy.

Puerto Rico came into American possession in 1898, following American victory over the Spanish in the Spanish-American War. For a time it was administered as a territory of the United States; however, in the 1950s its status was changed to that of a commonwealth territory. The meaning of this is controversial and often debated, but it essentially means that Puerto Rico retains autonomy in some areas but is under the control of the American government in other areas.

Taiwan is an island off the coast of mainland China. In 1949, following his defeat in the Chinese Civil War, the nationalist Chiang Kai-Shek established his democratic China in Taiwan. For almost three decades this was the China that was recognized by most of the western world, whereas communist mainland China was considered illegitimate. Following the normalization of relations between China and the west in the wake of the death of Mao Zedong mainland China became recognized as the “real and legitimate” China. Taiwan exists in a kind of grey area in the minds of many people, although is considered part of China by the mainland Chinese government. It is called “Chinese Taipei” by many western governments out of a sort of diplomatic necessity.