An
administrative division,
administrative unit,
administrative entity or
country subdivision (or, sometimes,
geopolitical division or
subnational entity) is a portion of a
country or other region delineated for the purpose of
administration. Administrative divisions are each granted a certain degree of
autonomy and are usually required to manage themselves through their own
local governments. Countries are divided up into these smaller units to make managing their land and the affairs of their people easier. For example, a country may be divided into
provinces, which, in turn, are divided into
counties, which, in turn, may be divided in whole or in part into
municipalities; and so on.