How is a representative democracy different from a direct democracy?

In representative democracy, citizens elect representatives, who in turn represents their interests in the elected government. The vast majority of democracies in the world are representative.

In a direct democracy, citizens have more direct ways to participe in the government, and in the making of the laws of the country or region. There are very few places in the world where direct democracy is the norm, Switzerland being perhpas the most noteworthy example.