Simone Lawson
The length of a country's constitution differs from nation to nation. While some countries have lengthy constitutions, others have shorter ones. The country with the shortest constitution in the world is Monaco, with approximately 3,800 words. In contrast, India has the longest constitution, with 145,000 words.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country with the shortest constitution | Monaco |
| Number of words | 3,800 or 3,814 |
| Year of adoption | 1911 |
| Year of revision | 1962 |
| Country with the longest constitution | India |
| Number of words | 145,000 or 146,385 |
| Number of articles | 444 or 448 |
| Number of parts | 22 or 25 |
| Number of schedules | 12 |
| Number of amendments | 118 |
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What You'll Learn
Monaco has the shortest constitution
The world's second-smallest country by area, Monaco, has the shortest constitution in the world. This diminutive principality, famous as a playground for the rich, has a constitution of approximately 3,800 words. In contrast, India's constitution, the world's lengthiest, has 145,000 words.
The Constitution of Monaco was first adopted in 1911 and was extensively revised by Prince Rainier III on December 17, 1962. It is the fundamental law of the country, outlining the arms of government, administrative offices, and councils that share legislative and advisory powers with the prince. The prince holds the highest executive powers, while the Minister of State is the head of government.
According to Article 93, the constitution cannot be suspended but can be reviewed in full or in part. To initiate the review process, there must be a joint agreement between the prince and the unicameral National Council. Either the prince or the National Council can initiate this process, but for the National Council to do so, a two-thirds majority of the members elected at the assembly must support the proceeding.
The U.S. Constitution, drafted in 1787, is generally considered the world's oldest written national constitution still in use. It has 7,762 words and was a group effort involving some of the country's greatest minds. While the U.S. Constitution is significantly longer than Monaco's, it is still much shorter than the constitutions of some U.S. states, such as Alabama, which has a 300,000-word constitution.
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India has the longest constitution
India is the world's largest democracy, and it also has the longest constitution of any sovereign state in the world. The Constitution of India is a lengthy document, containing approximately 145,000 words. To put that into perspective, the US Constitution has only 4,400 words, making the Indian constitution over 30 times longer.
The Indian constitution was composed between 1947 and 1950 and came into effect on January 26, 1950, which is celebrated annually as Republic Day. The constitution was drafted by a 389-member Constituent Assembly, which was elected by the members of the provincial assemblies. The assembly took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period.
The original text of the Indian Constitution contained 395 articles in 22 parts and eight schedules. It has since been amended numerous times, and the number of articles has increased to 448, spread across 25 parts and 12 schedules. The constitution has been amended over 100 times, with some sources placing the exact number at 103. These amendments have added to the length of the document, which continues to grow over the years.
The Indian constitution is the supreme legal document of the country. It lays out the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, as well as the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. The constitution also establishes a federal system of government, with each state and union territory having its own government. The document possesses both federal and unitary features, such as a single constitution, single citizenship, and a strong central government.
The length and complexity of the Indian constitution have led to criticisms that it is "unwieldy and incomprehensible." Jhelum Chowdhury of Crystal Research and Consulting compared it to "the proverbial elephant being touched in different parts by many blind men, coming up with their own interpretation of the nature of the creature." The frequent amendments to the constitution have also been a source of scepticism for dissenters, who argue that the constant changes contribute to a lack of unanimity in understanding the rules.
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US Constitution is the oldest
The US Constitution, written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, is the world's oldest surviving written framework of government. It has served as the model for many other constitutions worldwide.
The US Constitution was crafted by 55 of the country's greatest minds, including George Washington, who came together in Philadelphia in 1787 to create the framework of the US government. The document's first three words, "We the People," affirmed that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. This was a novel concept at the time, as it stated that the people, not the states, were the source of the government's legitimacy.
The Constitution's seven articles delineate the framework of the federal government, establishing a system of checks and balances. The first three articles embody the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative (a bicameral Congress), the executive (the President and subordinate officers), and the judicial (the Supreme Court and other federal courts). The remaining articles outline concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments in relation to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment.
The US Constitution has endured for over two centuries due to its framers' wisdom in separating and balancing governmental powers, safeguarding the interests of majority rule and minority rights, liberty and equality, and federal and state governments. The document is also flexible, allowing for amendments to meet the changing needs of the nation. To date, there have been 33 constitutional amendments ratified by Congress, with the most recent, the 27th Amendment dealing with congressional pay, ratified in 1992.
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Alabama has the longest state constitution
The Constitution of Monaco, with approximately 3,800 words, is the shortest written constitution in the world. The country's laws and regulations remain applicable until they are no longer compatible with the constitution.
In contrast, the US state of Alabama has the longest state constitution in the world. The Constitution of Alabama, with 369,380 to 388,882 words, is more than two-and-a-half times the length of the second-longest, the English-language version of the Constitution of India. Alabama has had seven constitutions to date, all but the current one established via State Conventions. The current version, Alabama's seventh constitution, was adopted on November 28, 2022, as a recodification of the Alabama Constitution of 1901.
The Alabama Constitution, like all other state constitutions, defines a tripartite government organised under a presidential system. Executive power is vested in the Governor of Alabama, legislative power in the Alabama State Legislature, and judicial power in the Judiciary of Alabama. Despite the recompilation of the constitution and the removal of obsolete, duplicative, and overtly racist provisions, the constitution remains the longest in America.
The length of Alabama's constitution can be attributed to its amendment process. In 2014, Alabama added 12 amendments to its constitution, bringing the total number to over 376,000 words. The state's constitution is amended by a vote of the people, with each county represented by a five-member panel. This process has resulted in a lengthy document that includes various local laws and decisions, such as providing a special gravesite for a serviceman and community member.
The complexity of the Alabama Constitution has been a source of criticism. The heavy involvement of state legislators in local affairs has created confusion about decision-making responsibilities and blurred the lines of accountability. Additionally, it has interfered with the development of a culture of statewide planning and policymaking. Despite efforts for constitutional reform, granting local governments more independence has been a challenging issue to address.
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UK has an unwritten constitution
The UK's constitution is different from many other countries in that its core aspects are not contained in a single legal source. It is often said to have an 'unwritten' constitution, but this is not strictly true; it is largely written, but in different documents. It has never been codified; brought together in a single document. In this respect, the UK is different from most other countries, which have codified constitutions. But not all: New Zealand and Israel also lack a codified constitution.
The UK's constitution comprises written and unwritten arrangements that establish the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a political body. The sources of the UK constitution are various, including both law and other less formal documents, without legal force. Acts of the UK Parliament form a major source for aspects of the UK constitution. Conventions are harder to pin down as being constitutionally significant due to being unwritten agreements without hard legal force, but they remain an integral element of the constitution. For example, that the Prime Minister should be a member of the House of Commons able to command the confidence of that institution is only a convention.
The UK's uncodified constitution means that it is harder to understand. However, it is also easier to amend than in countries with codified constitutions with elaborate amendment procedures. This flexibility has enabled the removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords, the introduction of the Human Rights Act, devolution to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and the creation of the Supreme Court.
The UK's constitution has multiple guardians, including the Supreme Court, the House of Lords Constitution Committee, the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the Lord Chancellor, and specific constitutional watchdogs, such as the Judicial Appointments Commission or the Electoral Commission. In the absence of a codified constitution, parliament is the ultimate guardian. All members of parliament – MPs and peers – therefore have an important responsibility to uphold key constitutional principles.
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Frequently asked questions
Monaco has the shortest constitution in the world, with approximately 3,800 words.
The length of the constitution of Monaco is significantly shorter than that of other countries. For context, India has the longest written constitution in the world, with 145,000 to 146,385 words.
The constitution of Monaco was first adopted in 1911 and was extensively revised in 1962.
No, the constitution of Monaco cannot be suspended, but it can be reviewed in full or in part with the joint agreement of the prince and the unicameral National Council.
Japanese has the shortest constitution in its native writing system due to its concise nature and the concise meaning expression of kanji.
