Department (administrative division)

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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

(Alphabetical by country) Argentina · Benin · Bolivia · Burkina Faso · Cameroon · Colombia · Côte d'Ivoire · El Salvador · France · Gabon · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Nicaragua · Niger · Peru · Paraguay · Senegal · Uruguay

[edit] See also

v • d • e
French terms for country subdivisions
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