Messini is a municipal unit (
dimotiki enotita) and seat (
edra) of the
municipality (
dimos) of Messini within the regional unit (
perifereiaki enotita) of
Messenia in the region (
perifereia) of
Peloponnese, one of 13 regions into which
Greece has been divided. Before 2011 the same hierarchy prevailed, according to Law 2539 of 1997, the Kapodistrias Plan, except that Messenia was a
nomos and the Municipal unit was a locality (
topiko diamerisma). The
dimos existed under both laws, but not with the same constituents.