Autonomous administrative division

Created by international agreements#edit

Notes:

• Svalbard, Norway: Although it does not fit the definition of autonomous area (not possessing partial internal sovereignty), Svalbard has the sovereignty of Norway limited by the Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920^[23] and therefore is considered as having special status (as it is considered fully integrated with Norway, and not a dependency, it is a sui generis case).
• Heligoland, Germany: Although it is part of a German state, Schleswig-Holstein, it has been excluded from some European Union normatives, such as customs union and the Value Added Tax Area.^[24]
• Büsingen am Hochrhein, Germany and Campione d'Italia, Italy: Despite being integral parts of their respective countries, these two enclaves of Switzerland predominantly use Swiss franc as currency^[25][26] and are in customs union with it.^[27]
• Alsace and Moselle, France: While it does not enjoy outright autonomy, there is a special local law in the region most famously the Concordat in Alsace–Moselle.

Created by internal statutes#edit

Dependent, overseas and associated territories with autonomy#edit

All first level divisions are autonomous#edit

Sub-first level autonomous areas#edit

Areas designated for indigenous peoples#edit

Other areas that are autonomous in nature but not in name are areas designated for indigenous peoples, such as those of the Americas:

• Aboriginal (First Nation or Native American or Indian) Indian reserve and Indian reservation, in, respectively, Canada and the United States.
• the five comarcas indígenas ("indigenous regions") of Panama.

In Ethiopia, "special woredas" are a subgroup of woredas (districts) that are organized around the traditional homelands of specific ethnic minorities, and are outside the usual hierarchy of a kilil, or region. These woredas have many similarities to autonomous areas in other countries.

A number of entities are also officially called "autonomous", though they do not have an exceptional freedom from external authority, and would not fall under the definition of autonomous area. They are listed here for clarity.

Independent cities called "autonomous"#edit

Capitals in bold.

Self-declared entities called "autonomous"#edit

In some monarchies, usually composite monarchies, regional territories held different degrees of autonomy. Real and personal unions are seen as independent states rather than autonomous regions within a larger state.

Formal proposals#edit

The following autonomous regions have been proposed but not implemented following unsuccessful referendums or other political reasons:

• Cordillera Autonomous Region within the Philippines (1990, 1998)
• Special Autonomous Region of East Timor within Indonesia (1999)
• Corsica within France (2003)
• North East England within the United Kingdom (2004)
• Darfur Region within Sudan (2016)

The following autonomous regions were initially rejected in a referendum but were subsequently approved in a future referendum:

• Scotland within the United Kingdom (Rejected 1979, Approved 1997)
• Wales within the United Kingdom (Rejected 1979, Approved 1997)

The following autonomous regions have been proposed as part of peace agreements:

• Kosovo within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1999)
• Western Sahara Authority within Morocco (2003)
• Sahara Autonomous Region within Morocco (2007)
• Community of Serb Municipalities within Kosovo (2013)
• Taiwan within China

Campaigns#edit

• Cornwall within the United Kingdom
• Yorkshire within the United Kingdom
• England within the United Kingdom
• Hungarian Autonomous Region within Serbia
• Corsica within France
• Occitania within France
• Savoie within France
• Veneto within Italy
• Silesia within Poland
• Székely Land within Romania
• Vilnius Region within Lithuania
• Assyria within Iraq

• Autocephaly
• Autonomous province
• Constituent country
• Countries of the United Kingdom
• Crown Dependencies
• Dependent territory (includes list)
• Devolution
• Federated state
• Imperial immediacy
• List of administrative divisions by country
• Lists of autonomous areas by country
  • Autonomous administrative divisions of China
  • Autonomous administrative divisions of India
  • Autonomous administrative divisions of Russia
  • Autonomous administrative divisions of Spain
• List of leaders of dependent territories
• List of national capitals serving as administrative divisions
• List of sovereign states
• Non-sovereign monarchy
• Protectorate
• Regional autonomy
• Personal union
• Region (administrative)
• Regional state
• Special administrative region
• Vassal state

1. ^ Lucas I. González (11 February 2008). "Political Power, Fiscal Crises, and Decentralization in Latin America: Federal Countries in Comparative Perspective (and some Contrasts with Unitary Cases)". Publius: The Journal of Federalism. 38 (2). Oxford University Press: 211–247. doi:10.1093/publius/pjn001.
2. ^ Olausson, Pär M. (2007) Autonomy and Islands: A Global Study of the Factors that Determine Island Autonomy, Turku: Åbo Akademi University Press, pp. 21–25
3. ^ For example: "China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region". United Nations. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
4. ^ See International recognition of Kosovo for states that do and do not recognize the Republic of Kosovo.
5. ^ Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984
6. ^ "The Joint Declaration (and following pages)". Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, The Government of the HKSAR. 1 July 2007.
7. ^ Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987
8. ^ "Joint declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China and The Government of the Republic of Portugal on the question of Macao". io.gov.mo.
9. ^ a b c d e "Provinces of China". Statoids. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
10. ^ Åland convention
11. ^ (in French) Edouard Gourdon, Histoire du Congrès de Paris, Paris, 1857, full text at google Print
12. ^ Later confirmated by the Act on the Autonomy of Åland of 1920 (which was later replaced by new legislations by the same name in 1951 and 1991) and the League of Nations in 1922 following the Åland crisis.
13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Benedikter, Thomas (19 June 2006). "The working autonomies in Europe". Society for Threatened Peoples. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
14. ^ Good Friday Agreement (1998)
15. ^ "Agreement reached in the multi-party negotiations" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
16. ^ Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement (1946)
17. ^ South Tyrol has a considerable level of self-government, consisting of a large range of exclusive legislative and executive powers and a fiscal regime that allows it to retain 90% of revenue, while remaining a net contributor to the national budget. name="17">"South Tyrol", Wikipedia, 2026-02-02, retrieved 2026-02-07>
18. ^ "Accordo Degasperi-Gruber". Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
19. ^ Oslo Accords (1993)
20. ^ Oslo II Accord (1995)
21. ^ "Area C and the future of Palestinian economy" (PDF). World Bank. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
22. ^ 1995 Oslo Interim Agreement. Text of the Accord
23. ^ "Treaty concerning the Archipelago of Spitsbergen, and Protocol [1925] ATS 10". austlii.edu.au.
24. ^ Article 6 of Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 (as amended) on the common system of value added tax (OJ L 347, 11 December 2006, p. 1) Eur-lex.europa.eu.
25. ^ NM Currency Converter. "Currency converter Swiss Franc, CHF". nm-devises.com.
26. ^ "Stampato C. 257". leg13.camera.it.
27. ^ "2.1.2 Erhebungsgebiet". admin.ch. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013.
28. ^ "Barbuda Local Government Act of 1976" (PDF).
29. ^ "Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh". BBC News. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
30. ^ Treaty of Moscow (1921) and Treaty of Kars (1921)
31. ^ "Cameroon grants 'special status' its to restive regions. They don't feel special". 13 January 2020.
32. ^ In 2007, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile passed a law designating both as "special territories", granting them more autonomy. name="33">"Easter Islands now a "special territory" with more autonomy".> Additionally, the Juan Fernandez Islands archipelago is a commune, while Easter Island is both a commune and a province.
33. ^ "Easter Islands now a "special territory" with more autonomy".
34. ^ The special administrative regions have the highest degree of autonomy from the central government in Beijing. Autonomous regions contain a large minority ethnic group.
35. ^ "LEI N.º 3/ 2014 de 18 de Junho". Jornal da República. Dili: Government of East Timor. 2014..
36. ^ "Rotuma Act". Laws of Fiji (1978 ed.). Suva, Fiji: Government of Fiji. 1927. Archived from the original on 19 April 2005..
37. ^ De facto, Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia, but de jure they are still part of Georgia. On 9 February 2026, the nominal autonomous government of South Ossetia was abolished.
38. ^ The flag of Abkhazia shown is the proposed flag of the Georgian government from 2013.
39. ^ "Regions of Georgia". Statoids. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
40. ^ "Departments of Greece". Statoids. 1 September 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
41. ^ Semi-autonomous federal region of Iraq; the constitution of Iraq gives a degree of autonomy to administrative divisions, such as regions and provinces, in matters that are not within the exclusive remit of the federal government of Iraq. Regional law may take priority (in case of dispute) if the law falls within the remit of "shared authorities" and does not contradict with the provisions of the constitution of Iraq. name="43">"Constitution of Iraq (Article 115)". Constitute.> The Federal Supreme Court of Iraq has the authority to repeal and amend regional law. name="44">"Constitution of Iraq (Article 93)". Constitute.>
42. ^ "Provinces of Iraq". Statoids. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
43. ^ "Districts of Mauritius". Statoids. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
44. ^ In 1990, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, commonly known as Transnistria) declared its independence from the Soviet Union. While Moldova has not formally recognized Transnistria's independence and still has an administrative apparatus for the claimed Autonomous Territorial Unit, its independence is recognized by 3 other non-UN member states.
45. ^ "Departments of Nicaragua". Statoids. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
46. ^ Azad Kashmir is a self-governing polity which has not been formally annexed by Pakistan. It was established after a rebellion against the Maharajah of Kashmir, and the subsequent First Kashmir War. name="52">"Azad Kashmir | Meaning, History, Population, & Government | Britannica".> It is located within the historic Kashmir region, which is disputed between India, Pakistan and China.
47. ^ "Provinces of Papua New Guinea". Statoids. 1 June 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
48. ^ "Provinces of the Philippines". Statoids. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
49. ^ a b c d Claimed by Ukraine and considered by most of the international community to be part of Ukraine.
50. ^ See section 3 and 4 about Nevis Island Legislature and Administration in The Saint Christopher and Nevis Constitution Order 1983. Published online by Georgetown University and also by University of the West Indies. Retrieved 8 August 2006.
51. ^ "Sao Tome and Principe". Central Intelligence Agency. 12 February 2008. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
52. ^ Since 1999, it hasn't been under the direct control of Serbia. It became an "entity under interim international administration" and later a partially recognised state.
53. ^ "Regions of Tajikistan". Statoids. 16 October 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
54. ^ "Regions and territories: Zanzibar". BBC News. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
55. ^ The Tobago House of Assembly is a devolved legislature that is responsible for the island of Tobago. name="VisitTobago-62">Tobago Division Of Tourism - About Tobago, Governance Archived 2007-07-10 at the Wayback Machine>
56. ^ Three of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom, namely Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each have an elected, devolved legislature which has the ability to legislate in devolved matters. The Parliament of the United Kingdom which retains sovereignty (the United Kingdom is a unitary state), can dissolve the devolved legislatures at any time, and legislates in matters that are not devolved, as well as having the capacity to legislate in areas that are devolved (by constitutional convention, without the agreement of the devolved legislature). Formerly, both Scotland and England were fully sovereign states.
57. ^ * Benedikter, Thomas (2006-06-19). "The working autonomies in Europe". Society for Threatened Peoples. Archived from the original on 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2019-08-30. Denmark has established very specific territorial autonomies with its two island territories
    Ackrén, Maria (November 2017). "Greenland". Autonomy Arrangements in the World. Archived from the original on 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-08-30. Faroese and Greenlandic are seen as official regional languages in the self-governing territories belonging to Denmark.; "Greenland". International Cooperation and Development. European Commission. 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2019-08-27. Greenland [...] is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark; "Facts about the Faroe Islands". Nordic cooperation. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2015. The Faroe Islands [...] is one of three autonomous territories in the Nordic Region
58. ^ a b Included on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories.
59. ^ "Chatham Islands Council Act 1995 No 41 (as at 01 July 2013), Public Act Contents – New Zealand Legislation". www.legislation.govt.nz.
60. ^ "December 2005 report of the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status" (PDF). pfraa.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2009.
61. ^ Doug Hertzler. "Debunking Myths Part II: Bolivia's Autonomy Initiatives". Retrieved 1 April 2010.
62. ^ Even though France administer Mayotte after 1974 and 1976 independence referendum, Comoros continued to claim Mayotte as an autonomous island, despite have no government-in-exile for it.
63. ^ "Autonomous Islands of Comoros". Statoids. 16 October 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
64. ^ Spanish (aka Castilian) is official in
65. ^ Basque is official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Basque Country and Navarre.
66. ^ Occitan is official in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia.
67. ^ Catalan/Valencian is official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, Balearic Islands Valencian Community.
68. ^ Galician is official in the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia.
69. ^ Asturian is recognised and protected by law in the Spanish autonomous community of Asturias.
70. ^ Aragonese is recognised and protected by law in the Spanish autonomous community of Aragon.
71. ^ From 2017 to 2018, Catalonia was directly rule from Madrid by the Senate of Spain amidst the unilateral Catalan declaration of independence and the constitutional crisis thereafter. This direct rule ended after Quim Torra was elected as the new president of Catalonia.
72. ^ "5 departamentos se suman a la autonomía; Gran Chaco la primera región autónoma". eju.tv. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
73. ^ "Las autonomías indígenas avanzan a paso lento per seguro, entre consensos e interrogantes" Diálogos en Democracia, 21 March 2010 (Supplement to Pulso Bolivia).
74. ^ "Constitucional act granting special status of Easter Island and Juan Fernández Islands. As the special charter is being discussed, they remain being governed as provinces of the Valparaíso Region". Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
75. ^ "The World's Working Regional Autonomies, Thomas Benedikter". Anthem Press. 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
76. ^ Dissolved following the takeover of its territory by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, still de jure exists
77. ^ Dissolved following the takeover of its territory by the Wa State, still de jure exists
78. ^ "Background briefing on the Crown Dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man" (PDF). www.justice.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-01.
79. ^ "Panama Provinces". Statoids. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
80. ^ Pinduli, Irene; Spivacow, R; Del Valle, E; Vidal, S; Negri, AL; Previgliano, H; Farías Edos, R; Andrade, JH; Negri, GM (20 January 2006). "Prevalence of urolithiasis in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires, Argentina". Urological Research. 34 (1): 8–11. doi:10.1007/s00240-005-0003-7. PMID 16425020. S2CID 23228563.
81. ^ "Provinces of Cambodia". Statoids. 13 May 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
82. ^ "Prefectures of the Central African Republic". Statoids. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
83. ^ "Regions of Guinea-Bissau". Statoids. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
84. ^ "DECRETO por el que se declaran reformadas y derogadas diversas disposiciones de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, en materia de la reforma política de la Ciudad de México" [DECREE declaring reformed and repealed various provisions of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, regarding the political reform of Mexico City]. Diario Oficial de la Federación [Official Journal of the Federation] (in Spanish). 29 January 2016.
85. ^ "Regions of Uzbekistan". Statoids. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
86. ^ a de facto autonomous region controlled or partially controlled by neo-Zapatista support bases in the Mexican state of Chiapas since the Zapatista uprising in 1994 and during the wider Chiapas conflict. name="94">Reyes Godelmann, Iker (30 July 2014). "The Zapatista Movement: The Fight for Indigenous Rights in Mexico". Australian Institute of International Affairs. Retrieved 2020-06-16.>
87. ^ de facto independent, dissolved following the start of World War I
88. ^ French protectorate during the Collapse of the Principality of Albania
89. ^ It gained undeclared independence with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and continued to exist as a unrecognised political entity to its peaceful reintegration into Moldova in 1995.
90. ^ This list only includes seats which existed until 1876.
91. ^ a b c d The TBVC States were granted nominal independence and continued to exist until 1994.
92. ^ Continued to function in exile until 1977
93. ^ Continued to function in exile until 1979
94. ^ de facto not effected, all but 4 members of the Southern Ireland House of Commons constituted the Second Dáil of the Irish Republic instead
95. ^ Continued to exist de jure until 1945

Works cited#edit

• M. Weller and S. Wolff (eds), Autonomy, Self-governance and Conflict Resolution: Innovative Approaches to Institutional Design in Divided Societies. Abingdon, Routledge, 2005
• From Conflict to Autonomy in Nicaragua: Lessons Learnt, report by Minority Rights Group International
• P.M. Olausson, Autonomy and Islands, A Global Study of the Factors that determine Island Autonomy. Åbo: Åbo Akademi University Press, 2007.
• Thomas Benedikter (ed.), Solving Ethnic Conflict through Self-Government - A Short Guide to Autonomy in Europe and South Asia, EURAC Bozen 2009,
• Thomas Benedikter, 100 Years of Modern Territorial Autonomy - Autonomy around the World, Berlin/Zürich, LIT 2021, ISBN 978-3-643-91401-9 (pb)
• Benedikter, Thomas (2010). "The World's Modern Autonomy Systems". Bozen: EURAC – via Academia.edu.

• Autonomy World Map

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