In the terminology of political geography and historiography a national department (French: département, Spanish: departamento) is an administrative political subdivision of a country established by the cognizant (usually legislative) government authority holding sovereign power for the territory.

Departments are roughly equivalent to a state, province or county (since each is established by home rule, size and definitions vary considerably from one country to another), and may exist either with or without a subnational representative assembly and executive head depending upon the countries constitutional structure.

[edit] Countries using departments

[edit] Former countries using departments

[edit] See also

• Category:Departments of the Duchy of Warsaw
• Category:Administrative divisions

v • d • e French terms for country subdivisions arrondissement · département · préfecture · sous-préfecture

v • d • e Types of administrative country subdivision Smallcaps indicate a type used by ten or more countries. Current English terms Autonomous area · Bailiwick · Banner (Autonomous banner) · Block · Borough (County borough · Metropolitan borough) · Cadastral division · Capital (Federal capital) · Canton · Circle · Circuit · City (Autonomous city · Chartered city · Independent city) · Colony · Commune · Community (Autonomous community · Residential community) · Condominium · Constituency · County (Administrative county · Autonomous county · Metropolitan county) · Council · Department · District (Autonomous district) · Capital district · City district · Federal district · Metropolitan district · Municipal district · Subdistrict) · Division · Duchy · Eldership · Federal dependency · Governorate · Hamlet · Insular area · Local administrative unit · Local Government Area · Municipality (Direct-controlled municipality · District municipality · Regional municipality · Regional county municipality · Rural municipality) · Neighbourhood · Parish (Civil parish) · Periphery · Prefecture (Autonomous prefecture · Subprefecture) · Principality (Co-principality) · Protectorate · Province (Autonomous province) · Quarter · Regency · Region (Autonomous region · Capital region · Special administrative region) · Republic (Autonomous republic) · Reservation (Reserve) · Shire · State · Suzerainty · Territory (Autonomous territorial unit · Capital territory · Dependent territory · National territory · Union Territory) · Town · Townland · Township (Township (Scotland) · Civil township) · Urban (urbanized) area · Village · Ward Current non-English and loanword terms Amt · Arrondissement · Bakhsh · Baladiyah · Barangay · Bairro · Bezirk / Regierungsbezirk · Comarca · Comune · Daïra · Frazione · Freguesia · Gmina · Judeţ · Kommun · Liwa · Località · Oblast · Okrug · Ostān · Plasă · Powiat · Raion · Ranchería · Shabiyah · Shahr · Shahrestān · Sýsla · Taluka · Tehsil · Vingtaine · Voivodeship · Wilayah · Woreda Defunct and historical English terms Agency (British India) · Agency (Pakistan) · Barony · Diocese · Exarchate · Free imperial city · Hide (unit) · Hundred · Imperial Circle · March · Praetorian prefecture · Presidency · Residency · Riding · Rural district · Sanitary district · Tithing · Urban district · Viscountcy (Viscounty) Defunct and historical non-English terms Burgh · Deme · Commote · Heerlijkheid · Katepanikion  · Naucrary · Nome · Pargana · Satrapy · Theme See also Political division · Census division · Electoral division

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