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political territorial entity

vr.tr.political-territorial-entity · thing-q1048835

Let an agent identify and describe political territorial entities by type, level and period, handle contested status neutrally, and link to official geographic and administrative data.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.PLC

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify What kind of entity.

Type

Entity type.

Type

Type.

  1. What type and level of political entity is this, in its national system? definition
  2. What is its official name and code? provenance

Facts

Key facts.

Facts

Facts.

  1. What are its boundaries, capital, population and government, according to official sources? provenance
  2. When was it established? provenance
History Changes over time.

Changes

Boundary changes.

Changes

Changes.

  1. How have this entity boundaries and status changed, according to historical sources? provenance
  2. What did it replace or become? provenance

Historical

Historical types.

Historical

Historical types.

  1. What was a landgraviate, general governorate or partido? definition
  2. Where can historical maps be found? provenance
Contested Disputed status.

Status

Recognition.

Status

Recognition.

  1. Is the status or boundary of this entity disputed, and by whom? boundary
  2. Are all positions attributed neutrally? boundary

Names

Contested names.

Names

Names.

  1. Which names are used by different parties, and which is used in this context? provenance
  2. Is the choice explained neutrally? boundary
Data Datasets.

Codes

Codes and identifiers.

Codes

Codes.

  1. Which ISO or national codes identify this entity? provenance
  2. How are code changes tracked? provenance

Boundaries

Boundary data.

Boundaries

Boundary data.

  1. Where can boundary data be obtained? provenance
  2. Which vintage should be used? boundary

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.PLC
Other names and narrower kinds
city or town of Quebec, Czech lands, guayrato, general governorate, landgraviate, partido, populated center of Peru, Huamani, German Templer colonies in Palestine, Buckinghamshire Council Community Board, Government (Dutch East Indies), administrative territorial entity of Taiwan under Qing rule

What it is Filled

A territory defined by political authority and jurisdiction, such as a country, state, province, county, municipality or historical unit like a landgraviate, general governorate or partido; political territorial entities have boundaries, governments and legal status that change over time and may be contested.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent identify and describe political territorial entities by type, level and period, handle contested status neutrally, and link to official geographic and administrative data.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Political jurisdiction
  • Defined boundaries
  • Hierarchical levels
  • Historically changing

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Present a disputed border or claim as settled in favour of one party.
  • Impersonate a territorial authority or issue documents in its name.
  • Use outdated or historical names in ways that deny a people's present identity.

Only with a human decision

  • Choosing which name or border to show for a disputed territory in a published map or dataset.

May

  • Report the name, status, borders and governing authority of a territory from official sources.
  • Explain historical changes to a territory's status.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Territorial names and borders are bound up with conflict, identity and rights.
  • People's citizenship and rights depend on which authority governs them.

Who is affected

  • Residents
  • Minorities in disputed areas
  • Neighbouring states

Owners Filled

Steward

The governing authority of the territory; national statistics and mapping agencies record it.

Master systems

  • Official administrative boundary datasets
  • National gazetteers

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q56061 - registry parent class

related

  • administrative territorial entity - category
  • administrative territorial entity of the United Kingdom - national example
  • government - authority
  • colony - historical entity type

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.political-territorial-entity
  • Wikidata: Q1048835 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1048835)
  • ISO 3166: country and subdivision codes standard

Direct properties required Filled

  • Territorial area: square kilometres - Area is calculated from a dated boundary dataset using a stated geodetic method and explicit treatment of inland water and disputed territory.
  • Boundary length: kilometres - Boundary length is measured from a dated geographic dataset with the map resolution and treatment of coastlines and disputed segments stated.

Recognition required Filled

  • Defined boundaries and government
  • Hierarchy of levels
  • Physical regions lack political authority
  • Not physical; boundaries on maps and entries in registers.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • identify the type and level of an entity
  • find boundaries, capital and government
  • trace historical changes
  • describe contested status neutrally

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Outdated boundaries
  • Presenting contested status as settled
  • Confusing entity types across countries

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • ISO 3166 codes
  • National constitutions and administrative law
  • UN standards for geographic names

Context of use required Filled

  • Organising governance over territory.
  • sovereign states
  • first-level subdivisions such as states and provinces
  • local entities such as municipalities
  • historical entities such as landgraviates and governorates
  • special and disputed entities

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q1048835: political territorial entity - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia (pt): Divisão política - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should each entity type be a separate entry?
  • How should boundary data be linked?
  • How should disputes be attributed?

Machine files

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1048835/spec.json