# Administrative division > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Administrative_division > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Administrative_division.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_division > Source revision: 1356940697 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Territorial entity for administration purposes For administrative division in the sense of a company department, see [Division (business)](/source/Division_(business)). "Political division" redirects here. For division into political factions, see [Political polarization](/source/Political_polarization). "Administrative entity" redirects here. For the executive departments, see [Government agency](/source/Government_agency). Part of the Politics series Basic forms of government List of forms · List of countries Source of power Democracy (rule by many) Demarchy Direct Economic Liberal Representative Social Socialist Others Oligarchy (rule by few) Anocracy Aristocracy Broligarchy Gerontocracy Kleptocracy Kritarchy Meritocracy Particracy Patriarchy Plutocracy Stratocracy Technocracy Theocracy Autocracy (rule by one) Despotism Dictatorship Military dictatorship Tyranny Anarchy (rule by none) Anarchism Free association Stateless Power ideology Monarchy Republic (socio-political ideologies) Absolute Communist Constitutional Directorial Legalist Parliamentary Presidential Semi-presidential Authoritarian Libertarian (socio-economic ideologies) Anarchism Colonialism Communism Despotism Distributism Fascism Feudalism Islamism Socialism Totalitarianism Tribalism Religious Secular State religion Secular state Separation of church and state State atheism Global Local (geo-cultural ideologies) City-state Intergovernmental organisation National government World government Nationalism Internationalism Globalism Power structure Unitarism Unitary state Empire Principality Client state Associated state Dependent territory Dominion Protectorate Puppet state Puppet monarch Satellite state Self-governing colony Tributary state Buffer state Vassal state Viceroyalty Federalism Confederation Devolution Federation Superstate Supranational union International relations Small power Middle power Regional power Emerging power Great power Superpower Related Administrative division Democracy indices Democratic transition Autocratization Democratisation Hybrid regimes Politics portal v t e Part of a series on Politics Outline Index Category Primary topics Outline of political science Index of politics articles Politics by country Politics by subdivision Political economy Political history Political history of the world Political philosophy Systems Anarchy City-state Collective leadership Confessional Democracy Dictatorship Directorial Federacy Feudalism Hybrid regime Meritocracy Monarchy Parliamentary Presidential Republic Semi-parliamentary Semi-presidential Theocracy Academic disciplines Political science (political scientists) International relations (theory) Comparative politics Election science Political analysis Political theory Policy studies Political psychology Political sociology Public administration Bureaucracy (street-level) Technocracy Adhocracy Service (Public / Civil) Policy Public policy (doctrine) Domestic policy Foreign policy Civil society Public interest Government branches Separation of powers Legislature Executive Judiciary Election commission Related topics Sovereignty Polity / State / Country Biology and political orientation Critique of political economy Political censorship Political organisations Theories of political behavior Subseries Electoral systems Elections voting Unitarism Federalism Government (forms / Governance) Ideology Culture Political campaigning Political parties Politics portal v t e **Administrative divisions**[1] (also administrative units,[2][3][4] administrative regions,[5] subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent [sovereign state](/source/Sovereign_state) is divided. Such a unit usually has an administrative authority with the power to take administrative or policy decisions for its area.[3] Administrative divisions are often used as polygons in [geospatial analysis](/source/Geospatial_analysis).[6] ## Description Usually, [sovereign states](/source/Sovereign_state) have several levels of administrative division. Common names for the principal (largest) administrative divisions include: [states](/source/Federated_state) (subnational states, rather than sovereign states), [provinces](/source/Province), [lands](/source/States_of_Germany#States), [oblasts](/source/Oblast) and [regions](/source/Region#Administrative_regions). These in turn are often subdivided into smaller administrative units known by names such as [comarcas](/source/Comarca), [raions](/source/Raion) or [districts](/source/District), which are further subdivided into [municipalities](/source/Municipality), [communes](/source/Commune_(administrative_division)) or communities constituting the smallest units of subdivision (the [local governments](/source/Local_government)). Some administrative division names (such as [departments](/source/Department_(administrative_division)), [cantons](/source/Canton_(administrative_division)), [prefectures](/source/Prefecture), [counties](/source/County) or [governorates](/source/Governorate)) can be used for principal, second-level, or third-level divisions. The levels of administrative divisions and their structure largely varies by country (and sometimes within a single country). Usually the smaller the country is (by area or population), the fewer levels of administrative divisions it has. For example, [Vatican City](/source/Vatican_City) does not have any administrative subdivisions, and [Monaco](/source/Monaco) has only one level (both are [city-states](/source/City-states)), while such countries as [France](/source/France) and [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan) have five levels each. The [United States](/source/United_States) is composed of states, possessions, [territories](/source/Territory), and a [federal district](/source/Federal_district), each with varying numbers of subdivisions. The principal administrative division of a country is sometimes called the "*first-level* (or *first-order*) administrative division" or "first administrative level". Its next subdivision might be called "second-level administrative division" or "second administrative level" and so on.[1][4][7] An alternative terminology is provided by the [Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics](/source/Nomenclature_of_Territorial_Units_for_Statistics) which terms the principal division as the second level or NUTS-2. Communities united in a [federation](/source/Federation) under a federal government are more specifically known as [federated states](/source/Federated_state). A federated state may be referred to as a province, region, canton, land, governorate, oblast, emirate, or country.[8][9][10] Administrative units that are not federated or confederated but enjoy a greater degree of autonomy or self-government than other territories within the same country can be considered [autonomous regions](/source/Autonomous_administrative_division) or de facto constituent states of that country. This relationship is by some authors called a [federacy](/source/Federacy) or [asymmetric federalism](/source/Asymmetric_federalism).[11] An example is the autonomous republic of [Karakalpakstan](/source/Karakalpakstan) within [Uzbekistan](/source/Uzbekistan).[12] ## Examples World map showing top-level divisions for every country ### Terminology Due to variations in their use worldwide, consistency in the translation of terms from non-English to English is sometimes difficult to maintain. In many of the following terms originating from British cultural influence, areas of relatively low mean population density might bear a title of an entity one would expect to be either larger or smaller. There is no fixed rule, for "[all politics is local](/source/All_politics_is_local)" as is perhaps well demonstrated by their relative lack of systemic order. In the realm of self-government, any of these can and does occur along a stretch of road—which for the most part is passing through rural, unsettled countryside. Since the terms are administrative political divisions of the local regional government, their exact relationship and definitions are subject to [home rule](/source/Home_rule) considerations, tradition, as well as state [statute law](/source/Statute_law) and local governmental (administrative) definition and control. In British cultural legacy, some territorial entities began with fairly expansive counties which encompass an appreciably large area, but were divided over time into a number of smaller entities. Within those entities are the large and small cities or towns, which may or may not be the [county seat](/source/County_seat). Some of the world's larger cities culturally, if not officially, span several counties, and those crossing state or provincial boundaries have much in common culturally as well, but are rarely incorporated within the same municipal government. Many sister cities share a water boundary, which quite often serves as a border of both cities and counties. For example, [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge%2C_Massachusetts) and [Boston](/source/Boston), [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts) appear to the casual traveler as one large city, while locally they each are quite culturally different and occupy different counties. #### List For a more comprehensive list, see [List of terms for administrative divisions](/source/List_of_terms_for_administrative_divisions). - [Area](/source/Region) - [Autonomous community](/source/Autonomous_administrative_division) - [Banner](/source/Banners_of_Inner_Mongolia) - [Barangay](/source/Barangay) - [Barony](/source/Barony_(county_division)) - [Capital city](/source/Capital_city) - [Canton](/source/Canton_(administrative_division)) - [Cantref](/source/Cantref) - [County](/source/County) - [Community](/source/Community_(Wales)) - [Constituency](/source/Constituency) - [Crown Dependency](/source/Crown_Dependencies) - [Department](/source/Department_(administrative_division)) - [District](/source/District) - [Division](/source/Division_(political_geography)) - [Duchy](/source/Duchy) - [Federal subjects](/source/Federal_subjects) - [Governorate](/source/Governorate) - [Hundred](/source/Hundred_(county_division)) - [Kampong](/source/Kampong) - [Kingdom](/source/Federal_monarchy) - Legal entity - [Local council](/source/Local_council_(disambiguation)) - [Municipality](/source/Municipality) - [Regional](/source/Regional_municipality) - [Regional county](/source/Regional_county_municipality) - [Rural](/source/Rural_municipality) - [Oblast](/source/Oblast) - [Parish](/source/Parish_(administrative_division)) - [Prefecture](/source/Prefecture) - [Principality](/source/Principality) - [Province](/source/Province) - [Public body](/source/Public_body_(Netherlands)) - [Regency](/source/Regency_(Indonesia)) - [Region](/source/Region_(administrative)) - [Republic](/source/Autonomous_republic) - [Riding](/source/Riding_(division)) - [State](/source/Federated_state) - [Special administrative region](/source/Special_administrative_region_(disambiguation)) - [Territory](/source/Territory) - [Theme](/source/Theme_(Byzantine_district)) - [Voivodeship](/source/Voivodeship) #### Urban or rural regions General terms for these [incorporated](/source/Incorporated_town) places include "[municipality](/source/Municipality)", "[settlement](/source/Human_settlement)", "locality", and "populated place". - [Borough](/source/Borough), [burgh](/source/Burgh) or "boro" - [City](/source/City) - [Hamlet](/source/Hamlet_(place)) - [Local service district](/source/Local_service_district_(disambiguation)) - [Shire](/source/Shire) - [Town](/source/Town) - [Township](/source/Township) - [Village](/source/Village) - [Ward](/source/Ward_(electoral_subdivision)) #### Indigenous - [Tribe](/source/Tribe) - [Indian reservation](/source/Indian_reservation) - [Indian reserve](/source/Indian_reserve) - [Band](/source/Band_society) - [Ranchería](/source/Rancher%C3%ADa) ## See also - [GADM](/source/GADM), a high-resolution database of country administrative areas - [ISO 3166-2](/source/ISO_3166-2), specifically *Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions — Part 2* - [List of administrative division name changes](/source/List_of_administrative_division_name_changes) - [List of etymologies of administrative divisions](/source/List_of_etymologies_of_administrative_divisions) - [List of administrative divisions by country](/source/List_of_administrative_divisions_by_country) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) ["Administrative divisions - The World Factbook"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210325023220/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/administrative-divisions). *Central Intelligence Agency*. Archived from [the original](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/administrative-divisions) on 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-26. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["General maps | Geospatial, location information for a better world"](https://www.un.org/geospatial/mapsgeo/generalmaps). *United Nations*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210410203627/https://www.un.org/geospatial/mapsgeo/generalmaps) from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-26. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) ["02003R1059-20191113"](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2003/1059). *EUR-Lex*. Article 3(1). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210521123340/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2003/1059) from the original on 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-03-25. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GeoNetwork_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GeoNetwork_4-1) ["Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924150111/http://www.fao.org/geonetwork/srv/en/metadata.show?id=12691&currTab=simple). *GeoNetwork*. FAO. Archived from [the original](http://www.fao.org/geonetwork/srv/en/metadata.show?id=12691&currTab=simple) on 24 September 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms - Administrative regions Definition"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210827100049/https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=6226). *OECD Statistics*. August 26, 2004. Archived from [the original](https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=6226) on 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Al Jawarneh, Isam Mashhour; Luca, Foschini; Paolo, Bellavista (January 2023). ["Polygon Simplification for the Efficient Approximate Analytics of Georeferenced Big Data"](https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/19/8178). *Sensors*. **23** (19). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Second Administrative Level Boundaries | Geospatial Information Section & Statistics Division | United Nations"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210404034644/https://www.unsalb.org/). *unsalb.org*. Archived from [the original](https://www.unsalb.org/) on 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-03-26. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Bird, Richard M (2009). ["Overview: Constituent units risk lengthy dependency on federal aid"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101218004657/http://www.forumfed.org/en/products/magazine/vol8_num2/overview-dependency.php). *[Forum of Federations](/source/Forum_of_Federations)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.forumfed.org/en/products/magazine/vol8_num2/overview-dependency.php) on 2010-12-18. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** *The Australian National Dictionary: Fourth Edition*, pg 1395. (2004) Canberra. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-551771-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-551771-2). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [California](https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/89503/California) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150504181415/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/89503/California) 2015-05-04 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). [Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica). Accessed 2009-11-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [Stepan, Alfred](/source/Alfred_Stepan) (1999), ["Federalism and Democracy: Beyond the U.S. Model"](https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/fesnic/fspub/6_7_Stepan_1999_Federalism_J_of_Dem.pdf) (PDF), *Journal of Democracy*, **10** (4): 19–34, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1353/jod.1999.0072](https://doi.org/10.1353%2Fjod.1999.0072), [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [201765897](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:201765897)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights](http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/8be9009ac37f2d75c1256f17004b6e68/$FILE/G0443118.doc) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171010055933/http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/8be9009ac37f2d75c1256f17004b6e68/$FILE/G0443118.doc) 2017-10-10 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), p 5. United Nations [Human Rights Committee](/source/Human_Rights_Committee). Accessed 2009-11-01. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Territorial entities](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Territorial_entities). - [World Administrative Divisions](https://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/esri::world-administrative-divisions/explore) - [SALB](http://www.unsalb.org) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140115100427/http://www.unsalb.org/) 2014-01-15 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) Second Administrative Level (Url Link inactive) Boundaries (SALB) programme of the United Nations. - [Statoids](http://www.statoids.com), an international convention with standardized two-letter-based multi-level summaries of administrative divisions worldwide (e.g. [GH.AH.AS](https://www.statoids.com/ygh.html) represents [Adansi South](/source/Adansi_South_District) (AE) in the [Accra Home](/source/Greater_Accra_Region) (AH) [region of](/source/Regions_of_Ghana) Ghana (GH)). v t e Designations for types of administrative division English terms Common English terms Area Insular area Local government area Special area Unincorporated area Unorganized area Borough County borough Metropolitan borough Canton Half-canton Capital Federal capital Imperial capital City Autonomous city Charter city Independent city Incorporated city Imperial city Free imperial city Royal free city Community Autonomous community Residential community County Administrative county Autonomous county Consolidated city-county County seat County town Metropolitan county Non-metropolitan county Regional county municipality Viscounty Country Overseas country Department Overseas department District Capital district City district Congressional district Electoral district Federal district Indian government district Land district Local government district Metropolitan district Non-metropolitan district Military district Municipal district Police district Regional district Rural district Sanitary district Service district Educational service district Local service district School district Intermediate school district Special district in the US Urban district Division Census division Police division Subdivision of India Indian reserve/reservation Indian reservation (United States) Indian reserve (Canada) Municipality City municipality County municipality Direct-controlled municipality District municipality Neutral municipality Regional municipality Resort municipality Mountain resort municipality Rural municipality Specialized municipality Prefecture Autonomous prefecture Subprefecture Super-prefecture Praetorian prefecture Province Autonomous province Overseas province Roman province Region Administrative region Special administrative region Autonomous region Capital region National capital region Development region Mesoregion Microregion Overseas region Subregion State Quasi-state City-state Federal state Free state Sovereign state Territory Capital territory Federal capital territory National capital territory Dependent territory Federal territory Incorporated territory Organized incorporated territory Overseas territory Union territory Town Census town Market town Township Charter township Civil township Paper township Survey township Urban township Unit Regional unit Zone Economic zone Exclusive economic zone Free economic zone Special economic zone Exclusion zone Military exclusion zone Free speech zone Neutral zone Self-administered zone Trade zone Free-trade zone Other English terms Current Alpine resort Bailiwick Banner Autonomous Block Cadastre Circle Circuit Colony Commune Condominium Constituency Duchy District Eldership Emirate Enclave and exclave Federal dependency Governorate Hamlet Manor Royal Muftiate Neighbourhood Parish Precinct Principality Protectorate Quarter Regency Autonomous republic Riding Sector Autonomous Shire Sultanate Suzerainty Townland Village Summer Ward Historical Agency Barony Burgh Exarchate Hide Hundred Imperial Circle March Monthon Presidency Residency Roman diocese Seat Tenth Tithing Viceroyalty Non-English terms or loanwords Current Amt Apskritis Bakhsh Barangay Bashki Bezirk Regierungsbezirk Comarca Comune Frazione Freguesia Fu Gemeinde Austria Germany South Tyrol Switzerland Gemeente Gmina Hromada Județ Kampong Kommun/Kunta Finland Sweden Län (Sweden) Landskap Finland Località Maakunta Megye Muban Mukim Njësi administrative Obec Oblast Autonomous Okrug Ostān Poblacion Purok Qark Raion Savivaldybė Selsoviet Sitio Seniūnija Shahrestān Sum China Sýsla Tehsil Townlet Vingtaine Historical Commote Gau Heerlijkheid Komunë Dominion Köping Korale Län/Lääni Landskap Sweden Landskommun Maalaiskunta Nome Egypt Greece Pagus Pargana Plasă Rreth Satrapy Socken Subah Syssel Zhou Used by ten or more countries or having derived terms. Historical derivations in italics. See also Autonomous administration Census division Electoral district List of administrative divisions by country Greek administrative divisions Slavic administrative divisions v t e Lists of administrative divisions by area by GDP (nominal) per capita by population by population density List of administrative divisions by country Authority control databases International GND FAST National United States Japan Latvia Israel Other Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Administrative division](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_division) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_division?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.