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An 'autonomous area' is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the country or is populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federacies. Autonomous areas can be divided into territorial autonomies, personal autonomies (cultural autonomy) and local autonomies.
For a list of autonomous areas, see List of autonomous areas by country and List of territorial autonomies.

Contents

Contemporary

China

Autonomous banner

Autonomous county

Autonomous prefecture

Autonomous region

Special administrative region

Russia

Autonomous okrug

Autonomous oblast

Other countries

Autonomous city

Autonomous commune

Autonomous community

Autonomous province

Autonomous region

Autonomous republic

Autonomous sector

Historical

Other

Notes

See also

Bibliography

Contemporary

Many autonomous areas lie within two of the world's largest countries, People's Republic of China and Russia.

China

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Main articles: Autonomous areas of China

China (PRC) has four types of autonomous area:

Autonomous banner

Found only as divisions of Inner Mongolia. In effect, these are autonomous counties (see below).

Autonomous county

Main articles: Autonomous counties of China

The most numerous type of autonomous area in China, found both within and outside the larger autonomous prefectures and regions.

Autonomous prefecture

Autonomous region

Main articles: Autonomous regions of China

A first-level administrative subdivision of China. There are five ARs in China. They are Inner Mongolia AR, Tibet AR, Ningxia Hui AR, Xinjiang Uyghur AR, and Guangxi Zhuang AR.

Special administrative region

Main articles: Special administrative region (People's Republic of China)

Although not autonomous in name, China's special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau) enjoy a high degree of autonomy.

Russia

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Apart from its republics, which by definition have a degree of autonomy, Russia has two types of autonomous region:

Autonomous okrug

Main articles: Autonomous okrugs of Russia

''Okrug'' is a transliterated Slavic loanword usually translated as "district". The sizes of okrugs, however, vary more widely than other areas commonly identified as "districts", from large first-level divisions to third-level divisions within cities. , there are six autonomous okrugs of Russia, each equivalent in size to a state, province or entire country elsewhere.

Autonomous oblast

Main articles: Autonomous oblasts of Russia

''Oblast'' is a transliterated Slavic loanword usually understood to mean "province". , one autonomous oblast exists: the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.

Other countries

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The other types of autonomous area to be found in the world are:

Autonomous city

Main articles: Buenos Aires, Tashkent, Autonomous cities of Spain

Four cities are formally designated by their countries as autonomous: the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent; the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla; and the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires. Another Argentinian city that has been pressing for autonomous status is Rosario, a city of around one million inhabitants that receives less subsidy than the smaller provincial capital Santa Fe.

Autonomous commune

Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, is described as an autonomous commune (''commune autonome'').

Autonomous community

Main articles: Tokelau, Autonomous communities of Spain

The region-like areas into which Spain's provinces are grouped are known as autonomous communities (''comunidades autónomas''), as are the three atolls constituting the New Zealand territory of Tokelau.

Autonomous province

Six countries formally designate areas of their territory as autonomous provinces:

★ The Åland Islands, a part of Finland;

★ The two provinces of Trento (or Trentino) and Bolzano (or South Tyrol) in Italy;

★ The Bougainville province in Papua New Guinea;

★ Jeju-do, a South Korean offshore island;

★ The Serbian provinces of Kosovo^[1] and Vojvodina.

Autonomous region

In addition to the autonomous regions of China mentioned above, various other areas of the world are formally described as autonomous regions:

★ the Faroe Islands and Greenland^[2], two autonomous regions within the Kingdom of Denmark;

★ Rodrigues, an autonomous dependency within the Republic of Mauritius.

★ Iraqi Kurdistan;

★ the three autonomous regions of India;

★ the five "autonomous regions with special statute" in Italy;

★ the two autonomous regions of Portugal (the Azores and Madeira);

★ Mount Athos in Greece;

★ Zelaya in Nicaragua;

★ the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, within the Philippines.

★ the five municipalities, or caracoles in Chiapas, in the southeast of Mexico.

★ Nunatsiavut, a self-governing region of Labrador Inuit in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador

★ The Nisga'a of British Columbia and Tli Cho of the Northwest Territories have self-government as a result of treaties

Autonomous republic

In addition to the Russian republics mentioned above, areas known as "autonomous republics" exist within some of the countries established following the end of the Soviet Union:

★ the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic within Azerbaijan;

★ Abkhazia and the Autonomous Republic of Adjaria within Georgia;

★ the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province within Tajikistan;

★ the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine;

★ the Karakalpakstan Republic within Uzbekistan.

Autonomous sector

The Bissau Region, in which Guinea-Bissau's capital Bissau is found, is described as an "autonomous sector" (''sector autónomo'').

Historical

★ Bantustans of apartheid-era South Africa and Namibia

★ Carpatho-Ukraine and Slovakia within Czechoslovakia (1938-1939)

★ Grand Duchy of Finland

★ Hungarian Autonomous Province

Other

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

★ "Indian" (First Nation or Native American) reserves and reservations, in, respectively, Canada and the United States;

★ the five ''comarcas indígenas'' ("indigenous regions") of Panama.
If elected, the Action démocratique du Québec party, now the official opposition in the Canadian province of Quebec, promises to work to make Quebec an autonomous region within the Canadian confederation.

Notes

1. Currently under United Nations administration.
2. Also described as a "self-governing territory".

See also

★ List of autonomous areas by country

★ Country subdivision

★ Personal union

Bibliography

★ 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