a state which places most power in the hands of a central government is a

A state which places most power in the hands of a central government is called a unitary state. In a unitary system, the central government holds the primary authority, and any administrative divisions or local governments exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate to them. This contrasts with a federal system, where power is shared between central and regional governments with constitutionally guaranteed autonomy for the regions.