Administrative division

An administrative division is a territorial unit within a country or other jurisdiction, established to organize government and public administration. Its boundaries and powers are defined by the governing authority.

Sovereignty: The authority of a state to govern itself and control its territory. A jurisdiction's sovereignty frames who may create divisions and assign them powers.
Administrative hierarchy: An ordered structure of administrative units, with larger units containing smaller ones. Many countries organize divisions into nested levels of authority.
Municipality: A local government unit, typically serving a city, town, or surrounding area. Municipalities are common divisions for providing local services and exercising local powers.
Federal state: A sovereign state in which constitutional authority is divided between national and constituent governments. Its constituent units may possess protected powers unlike ordinary administrative divisions.
Gerrymandering: The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage a political group. Administrative boundaries can constrain or interact with the lines used to draw electoral districts.
Jurisdiction: The territory or subject matter over which a legal authority has power. A division operates within the jurisdiction that establishes its boundaries and functions.
Decentralization: The transfer of decision-making authority from central government to lower levels or local institutions. It changes how much responsibility divisions exercise rather than merely where they lie.
County: A territorial and administrative unit used in some countries, often between local and regional levels. Counties illustrate a widely used intermediate division with country-specific responsibilities.
Unitary state: A sovereign state in which the central government holds ultimate constitutional authority. Its divisions generally derive their powers from the central state rather than shared sovereignty.
Regionalism: Political or cultural identification with, or advocacy for, a region. Persistent divisions can reinforce regional identities and demands for recognition.

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