Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically localised and has limited powers. While in some countries, "government" is normally reserved purely for a national administration (government), the term local government is always used specifically in contrast to national government – as well as, in many cases, the activities of sub-national, first-level administrative divisions. Local governments generally act only within powers specifically delegated to them by law and/or directives of a higher level of government. In federal states, local government generally comprises a third or fourth tier of government, whereas in unitary states, local government usually occupies the second or third tier of government.
Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, which rank immediately below the national government and form the country's first level of jurisdiction and administrative division. They include 43 prefectures proper, two urban prefectures, one "circuit" or "territory" and one metropolis. In 1868, the Meiji Fuhanken sanchisei administration created the first prefectures to replace the urban and rural administrators in the parts of the country previously controlled directly by the shogunate and a few territories of rebels/shogunate loyalists who had not submitted to the new government such as Aizu/Wakamatsu. In 1871, all remaining feudal domains (han) were also transformed into prefectures, so that prefectures subdivided the whole country. In several waves of territorial consolidation, today's 47 prefectures were formed by the turn of the century. In many instances, these are contiguous with the ancient ritsuryō provinces of Japan.
The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there are five levels of local government; the provincial, prefecture, county, township, and village.
The Provinces of Saudi Arabia, also known as Regions, and officially the Emirates of the Provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are the 13 first-level administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Myanmar is divided into twenty-one administrative subdivisions, which include 7 regions, 7 states, 1 union territory, 1 self-administered division, and 5 self-administered zones. Following is the table of government subdivisions and its organizational structure based on different regions, states, the union territory, the self-administered division, and the self-administered zones:
At the top level of administration, Belarus is divided into six regions. The city of Minsk has a special status as the capital of Belarus. Minsk also serves as the administrative center of Minsk Region.
Since 1949, Slovakia has been divided into a number of kraje. Their number, borders and functions have been changed several times. There are eight regions of Slovakia and they correspond to the EU's NUTS 3 level of local administrative units. Each kraj consists of okresy. There are 79 districts.
The Faroe Islands are divided into 29 municipalities, six regions/shires and since 2007 there has been only one constituency, earlier there were seven constituencies. Each region has one sheriff.
The administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. These divisions were created in 2002. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces and four special municipalities. The second-level divisions are cities, counties, and districts. These are further subdivided into third-level entities: towns, dongs (neighborhoods), ris (villages), and workers’ districts.
The administrative divisions of Ukraine are subnational administrative divisions within the geographical area of Ukraine under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Constitution. Ukraine is a unitary state with 3 levels of administrative divisions: 27 regions, 136 raions and 1469 hromadas.
A frazione is a type of subdivision of a comune (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most frazioni were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territorial subdivisions in the country.
Epirus is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of Western Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and Ionian Islands to the west and Albania to the north. The region has an area of about 9,200 km2 (3,600 sq mi). It is part of the wider historical region of Epirus, which overlaps modern Albania and Greece but lies mostly within Greek territory.
The administrative divisions of India are subnational administrative units of India; they are composed of a nested hierarchy of administrative divisions.
A cercle is the second-level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight régions and one capital district (Bamako); the régions are subdivided into 49 cercles. These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city.
The Marmara Region is a geographical region of Turkey.
The administrative divisions of Tanzania are controlled by Part I, Article 2.2 of the Constitution of Tanzania. Tanzania is divided into thirty-one regions. Each region is subdivided into districts. The districts are sub-divided into divisions and further into local wards. Wards are further subdivided for management purposes: for urban wards into streets and for rural wards into villages. The villages may be further subdivided into hamlets.
The Alopekis is a small, foxlike dog from Greece with pricked ears, a sickle-shaped tail, and a smooth short coat.
The Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration is a government ministry in charge for assisting the President in regards to developing the rural and disadvantages areas in Indonesia. Through its community development, it would help to speed up the development of villages. It's also the responsible for the Transmigration Program.
