A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations (such as trade unions), or groups.^[1]

The term was chosen for the United States Congress to emphasize the status of each state represented there as a self-governing unit. Subsequent to the use of congress by the US legislature, the term has been adopted by many states within unions, and by unitary nation-states in the Americas, to refer to their legislatures.

Political congress

Congresses of nations

The following congresses were formal meetings of representatives of different nations:

• The Congress of Berlin (1878), reorganizing conditions in the Balkans,
• The Congress of Gniezno (1000)
• The Congress of Panama was an 1826 meeting of representatives from several Latin American republics organized by Simon Bolivar in an attempt to promote Pan-American unity.
• The Congress of Tucumán (1816)
• The Congress of Vienna (1815) was a conference of ambassadors of European states whose goal was to reorganize Europe following the Napoleonic Wars,
• The National Congress of Belgium was a temporarily legislative assembly in 1830, decided to create a constitution for the new state.

• The Congress of the Council of Europe.

Congresses within nations

Countries with Congresses and presidential systems:

• The Congress of Guatemala (Spanish: Congreso de la República) is the unicameral legislature of Guatemala.
• The Congress of Honduras (Spanish: Congreso nacional) is the legislative branch of the government of Honduras.
• The Congress of Mexico (Spanish: Congreso de la Unión) is the legislative branch of Mexican government.
• The Congress of Paraguay is the bicameral legislature of Paraguay.
• The Peoples Congress of Albania Albania
• The National Congress of Kosovo Kosovo
• The Congress of the Argentine Nation (Spanish: Congreso de la Nación Argentina) is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina.
• The Congress of the Dominican Republic is the bicameral legislature of the Dominican Republic.
• The Palau National Congress (Palauan: Olbiil era Kelulau) is the bicameral legislative branch of the Republic of Palau.
• The Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia is the unicameral legislature of the Federated States of Micronesia.
• The Congress of the Philippines (Filipino: Kongreso ng Pilipinas) is the legislative branch of the Philippine government.
• The Congress of the Republic of Peru (Spanish: Congreso de la República) is the unicameral legislature of Peru.
• The Congress of the United States is the bicameral legislative branch of the United States federal government.
  • The United States Continental Congress was its predecessor.
• The National Congress of Bolivia is the national legislature of Bolivia.
• The National Congress of Brazil (Portuguese: Congresso Nacional) is Brazil's legislature.
• The National Congress of Chile (Spanish: Congreso Nacional) is the legislative branch of the government of Chile.
• The National Congress of Ecuador is the unicameral legislature of Ecuador.

Other countries with Congresses:

• In France, the Congress of France (congrès) denotes a formal and rarely convened joint session of both houses of Parliament to ratify an amendment to the Constitution or to listen to a speech by the President of the French Republic.
• Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados), the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch
• The legislature of the People's Republic of China is known in English as the National People's Congress. The PRC is nevertheless not a congressional system.
• The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union was legislature and supreme institution of state power in the Soviet Union during 1989—1991
  • Congress of People's Deputies of Russia, a Russian institution modelled after USSR one, existed in 1990—1993.

Political party and organizations

Congress is included in the name of several political parties, especially those in former British colonies:

• The African National Congress of South Africa
• The All Ceylon Tamil Congress of Sri Lanka
• The All People's Congress of Sierra Leone
• The Basotho Congress Party of Lesotho
• The Congress of Democrats of Namibia
• The Indian National Congress of India
• The Lesotho Congress for Democracy of Lesotho
• The Lesotho Peoples' Congress of Lesotho
• The Malawi Congress Party of Malawi
• The Malaysian Indian Congress of Malaysia
• The National Congress of American Indians
• The National Congress of Fiji
• The National Congress of the Canaries
• The National Congress (Sudan)
• The Nationalist Congress Party of India
• The Nationalist Trinamool Congress of India
• The Nepali Congress of Nepal
• The Ngwane National Liberatory Congress of Swaziland
• The Pan-Africanist Congress of South Africa
• The People's National Congress of Guyana
• The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress of Sri Lanka
• The Tamil Maanila Congress of India
• The Ugandan People's Congress of Uganda
• The United National Congress of Trinidad and Tobago
• The Kerala Congress of India

It has been used for meetings of independence-minded nationalists or revolutionaries:

• The African National Congress
• The Indian National Congress
• The Iraqi National Congress

Party congresses

Many political parties also have a party congress every few years to make decisions for the party and elect governing bodies. This is sometimes called a political convention.

Non-political congresses

Chess congress

A Chess congress is a chess tournament, in one city, where a large number of contestants gather to play competitive chess over a limited period of time; typically one day to one week.

Scientific congress

Congress is an alternative name for a large national or international academic conference.

World Congress on Men's Health WCMH, an annual meeting for Men's Health with a multidisciplinary approach from urology, oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, occupational medicine, mental health, primary care, public policy, aging and others is one example of this.

Transportation

• Congress, a ship caught in a storm at St Ives, Cornwall in 1909.

Other

• Congress is the title of an instrumental on the 2005 Enter the Haggis album, Casualties of Retail.

References

1. ^ http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/congress

See also

• Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
• Congress Poland
• Congressional Country Club
• List of African Union member states by political system
• United States Congress

External links

International Congress Calendar