Empire

The term empire derives from high soleilian and meaning power or authority. Politically an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and ethnic groups united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy. The term is sometime erroneously used to describe a nation extensive in physical size. Sometimes an empire is a semantic construction, such as when a ruler assumes the title of "Emperor". The said ruler's nation logically becomes an "Empire", despite having no additional territory or hegemony as was true in the case of the New Directian Empire, though it later matched the accept definition of an empire. Historians sometimes describe the Union of Yuktobanian Republics at its peak as the Yuktobanian Empire and it does indeed fit the definition of an Empire but it was never described as such in its own time.

An imperial political structure is established and maintained in two ways: (i) as a territorial empire of direct conquest and control with force (direct, physical action to compel the emperor's goals) or (ii) as a coercive,hegemonic empire of indirect conquest and control with power (the perception that the emperor can physically enforce his desired goals). The former provides greater tribute and direct political control, yet limits further expansion because it absorbs military forces to fixed garrisons. The latter provides less tribute and indirect control, but avails military forces to further expansion. Territorial empires (e.g. the Soleilian Empire, the Yuktobanian Empire) tend to be contiguous areas, whereas hegemonic empires can be spread across vast and physically separated areas (e.g. The Directian Empire), though it can be difficult to define an empire as only one or the other as empires often fit both classifications to some extent and fall in between the two definitions.

Examples of Empires
The Soleilian Empire

The Directian Empire