Administrative-territorial division (administrative-territorial organization) - the division of the territory of a unitary state into parts ( administrative-territorial units ), in accordance with which the system of local authorities is built. It is caused by natural, political, economic, ethnic, national and other factors. The administrative-territorial division (structure) is also inherent in the subjects of federal states, since the latter, as a rule, are unitary states. Unlike unitary states, the territorial structure of federations is characterized by a federal structure .
The subjects of the federation, as a rule, have a unitary administrative-territorial structure, but can also be federations (for example, the RSFSR ). However, the units into which the subjects of the federation are divided are, as a rule, subjects of local self-government , and their rights are protected by special laws.
Due to the less complicated form of relations between administrative-territorial units and the state as a whole, the latter, as a rule, can change its administrative-territorial division without complicated procedures for approving such decisions at the local level. When states collapse or when new states are separated from another state, internal administrative borders can be transformed into state borders (for example, the former USSR ), which leads to numerous interstate territorial disputes.
Features of the administrative-territorial division of individual countries
There are states in which there is no administrative-territorial division. For example, the Principality of Monaco , although administratively it is divided into 3 communes: La Condamine, Monaco and Monte Carlo.
Federal law relates the issue of the administrative-territorial structure of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to the competence of representative (legislative) bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (subparagraph “l” of paragraph 2 of Article 5 of the Federal Law of October 6, 1999 (edition of February 9, 2009) No. 184-FZ “On the general principles of the organization of legislative (representative) bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation”; Decision of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation of July 10, 2003 No. 289-O). Moreover, when determining the administrative-territorial structure of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the provisions of the Federal Law of October 6, 2003 No. 131-FZ “On General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation” must be taken into account. Prior to the adoption of Federal Law No. 131, regional authorities had broader powers in the formation of their own system of administrative-territorial division and local self-government.
See also
- Territorial device
- Federated device
- Unitary state
- Local government
- Territorial organization of the company
- Locality
- Table of administrative units by country