Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | DenmarkReviewed | MaltaReviewed | BotswanaReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law (Nordic) | Mixed (civil and common law) | Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law |
| System of government | Constitutional monarchy | Unitary parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Constitutional Act of Denmark (Grundloven) | Constitution of Malta | Constitution of Botswana |
| In force since | 1953 | 1964 | 1966 |
| Capital | Copenhagen | Valletta | Gaborone |
| Official languages | Danish | Maltese, English | English, Setswana |
| Currency | Danish krone (DKK) | Euro (EUR) | Botswana pula (BWP) |
| Population | 5,900,000 | 540,000 | 2,680,000 |
| Division of powers | Parliamentary government in which the cabinet is drawn from and answerable to the Folketing, with an independent unified judiciary. | A parliamentary republic with a ceremonial President, a Cabinet led by the Prime Minister answerable to the House of Representatives and an independent judiciary. | Unitary. Districts and sub-districts administer central policy, and the House of Chiefs (Ntlo ya Dikgosi) is an advisory chamber that must be consulted on bills affecting customary law, tribal organisation and tribal property. |
| How law is made | Bills pass three readings in the Folketing and receive royal assent. A minority of members can require certain bills to be put to a referendum. | Bills are passed by the House of Representatives and assented to by the President before publication in the Government Gazette. | Bills are introduced in the National Assembly, take three readings with committee scrutiny between the second and third, and go to the President for assent. Bills affecting customary law, tribal property or the organisation of the tribes must first be referred to the Ntlo ya Dikgosi for its opinion, though that opinion does not bind the Assembly. |
| Legal profession | A single advokat profession admitted after a law degree, practical training and a bar course; judges are appointed from experienced lawyers. | Advocates are admitted to the bar after a law degree and warrant; legal procurators and notaries handle procedural filing and authentication of deeds. | A fused profession of attorneys admitted by the High Court after a recognised law degree and articles of pupillage; there is no split between advocates and attorneys, and the Law Society of Botswana regulates practice. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.