12 States of the Federation
The Federation of Asteria is a federal republic consisting of 12 States, a federal district (where the nation's capital is held), multiple areas of military occupation or influence, and various smaller possessions. All of the Federation's states are located on the mainland, with parts of which extending to islands in the ocean.
States are the primary subdivisions of the Federation and possess a number of powers and rights under the Asterian Constitution, such as regulating intrastate commerce, running elections, creating local governments, and ratifying constitutional amendments. Each state has its own constitution, grounded in republican principles, and government, consisting of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. All states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state is represented by two Senators, while Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census. Additionally, each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College, the body that elects the President of the Federation, equal to the total of Representatives and Senators in Congress from that state. Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Federation. Since the establishment of the Federation in 1766, the number of states has expanded from the original 4 to 12. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states.