Administrative division, administrative unit, country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, first-level subdivision, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, independent sovereign state (country) is divided. Such a unit usually has an administrative authority with the power to take administrative or policy decisions for its area.Usually, the countries have several levels of administrative divisions. The common names for the principal (largest) administrative divisions are: states (i.e. "federated states", rather than sovereign states), provinces, lands, oblasts, governorates, cantons, prefectures, regions, departments, and emirates. These, in turn, are often subdivided into smaller administrative units known by names…
