Civil law refers to a legal system that is based on written statutes and judicial decisions, as opposed to common law systems which are based on precedents set by earlier court cases. In civil law countries, laws are codified and applied uniformly across the board, with little room for interpretation or discretion by judges. Civil law systems are predominantly found in Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia, while common law systems are more commonly found in English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.