House of Representatives

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House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often called a "Senate". In some countries, the House of Representatives is the sole chamber of a unicameral legislature.

The functioning of a house of representatives can vary greatly from country to country, and depends on whether a country has a parliamentary or a presidential system. Members of a House of Representatives are typically apportioned according to population rather than geography.

The United States House of Representatives, first convened in 1789, was closely patterned on the House of Commons of Great Britain.[1] It retains features such as a speaker of the house who is the presiding officer.[1]

  1. ^ a b Critchlow, Donald T.; VanderMeer, Philip R., eds. (2013). "HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES". The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199754625.