There are and were a very large number of republics in the world. A republican form of government can be combined with many different kinds of economy and democracy. Some examples for certain forms of republic are:

Antiquity

• Athens (...-...)
• Carthage (...-...)
• Roman Republic (509 BC-c. 27 BC)
• Sparta (...-...)

Middle Ages and Renaissance

• Venice (...-...)
• ...

Enlightenment and later

Federal republics

Republics governed by representative democracy, in which the states play a crucial role:

• Brazil
• Ethiopia
• Germany (since ...)
• Nigeria
• USA (since ...)

Confederations

Confederal republics are usually governed by a combination of representative democracy and direct democracy:

• Switzerland (since ....)

Islamic Republics

Republics governed in accordance with Islamic law:

• Afghanistan (....)
• Pakistan (....)
• Iran (since Iranian Revolution)
• Mauritania

Democratic Republics

• Algeria
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• East Timor
• Laos
• North Korea (....)
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Sri Lanka

People's Republics

Meant to be governed by the people, this name is generally used by far-east communist states:

• Algeria
• Bangladesh
• China (....)
• Laos
• North Korea (....)

Socialist Republics

• Libya
• Sri Lanka
• Vietnam

Soviet and related (former) Communist Republics

In the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, some associated countries, and/or their successors would use the name "republic", while not completely corresponding with a "western" view on the essential characteristics of a republic:

• GDR (....-....)

Arab Republics

• Egypt
• Syria is the "Arab Republic" reflecting its theoretically pan-Arab Ba'athist government.

Other

A wide array of other adjectives are used: democratic is common but in most cases meaningless and/or redundant. Other modifiers are rooted in tradition and history, equally only with a limited practical and/or political meaning:

• San Marino qualifies itself as the "Most Serene Republic"
• Uruguay is the "Eastern Republic".
• Guyana is a "Co-operative Republic"

Many republics, however, did not seek to add such qualifiers to their name:

• French Republic (1st: 1792-1799; 2nd: 1848-1852; 3rd: 1870-1940; 4th: 1945-1958 and 5th since 1958)