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first-level administrative division

vr.tr.first-level-administrative-division · thing-q10864048

Let an agent handle first-level administrative divisions by country, name, code, status and history, using official sources and attributing positions on disputed areas neutrally.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.PLC
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify Which division.

List

Country divisions.

List

Country divisions.

  1. What are the first-level divisions of this country, according to official sources? provenance
  2. What are their ISO 3166-2 codes? provenance

Name

Names and capitals.

Name

Names and capitals.

  1. What is the official name and capital of this division? provenance
  2. Which transliteration is official? provenance
Status Powers.

Powers

Responsibilities.

Powers

Powers.

  1. What powers does this division have under the constitution? provenance
  2. Is it autonomous or special? provenance

Disputed

Contested areas.

Disputed

Disputed areas.

  1. Is this division disputed or not recognised by some states? boundary
  2. How should different positions be attributed? action
History Changes.

Reforms

Reorganisations.

Reforms

Reorganisations.

  1. Has this division been created, merged or renamed, and when? provenance
  2. Which code changes followed? provenance

Historical

Former divisions.

Historical

Historical divisions.

  1. What historical first-level divisions existed here, according to historians? provenance
  2. How do they map to current units? provenance
Data Statistics.

Stats

Official statistics.

Stats

Statistics.

  1. Which statistics are published at this level? provenance
  2. For which year? provenance

Maps

Boundary data.

Maps

Boundary data.

  1. Where can official boundary data be downloaded? provenance
  2. Under what licence? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.PLC
Other names and narrower kinds
historical first-order administrative division, provincial administration commission, county in Czechoslovakia, provinces of the Qing Empire, province of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, Administrative divisions of Czechoslovakia, dependency, province, apostolic delegation or legation, vilayet of Tajik ASSR, department of the Batavian Republic

What it is Filled

A subnational administrative unit directly subordinate to or under administration of a national government, such as a state, province, region, oblast, county or governorate, and historical equivalents such as provinces of the Qing Empire or viceroyalties; ISO 3166-2 provides codes for many current divisions but does not cover every current or historical division, and some divisions are disputed or have special status.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle first-level administrative divisions by country, name, code, status and history, using official sources and attributing positions on disputed areas neutrally.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • These divisions occupy the first level below national government.
  • Many current divisions have ISO 3166-2 codes, but coverage is not universal.
  • Their powers vary by country.
  • Some divisions are disputed or have special status.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Present a disputed division's status as settled.
  • Use outdated names or boundaries without stating the date.
  • Impersonate a regional government or its officials.

Only with a human decision

  • Publishing maps or lists that take a position on disputed divisions.

May

  • Identify divisions by official name and ISO 3166-2 code.
  • Report the status of disputed or special-status divisions with attribution.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Boundaries and names of regions carry identity and political weight.
  • Errors can misdirect services, statistics and representation.

Who is affected

  • Residents
  • Regional governments
  • People in disputed areas

Owners Filled

Steward

The national government and the constitution of each country.

Master systems

  • ISO 3166-2 code list
  • National statistical and administrative registers

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q1048835 - registry parent class
  • Q1799794 - registry parent class

related

  • administrative territorial entity of a specific level - category
  • ISO 3166-2 - standard
  • administrative territorial entity of India - example
  • administrative territorial entity of France - example

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.first-level-administrative-division
  • Wikidata: Q10864048 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10864048)
  • ISO 3166-2: country-subdivision code subdivision code

Direct properties required Filled

  • Territorial area: square kilometres - Calculate area from dated boundary data using a stated geodetic method and specifying whether inland water is included.
  • Boundary length: kilometres - Measure the boundary from dated geographic data at a stated resolution because coastline detail and territorial claims affect the result.

Recognition required Filled

  • States, provinces, regions
  • ISO 3166-2 codes
  • Second-level divisions are smaller units within them
  • Areas on maps with names, capitals and codes.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • find the first-level divisions of a country
  • look up ISO 3166-2 codes
  • explain powers and status in general terms
  • track historical and changed divisions

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Outdated codes after reforms
  • Unattributed positions on disputed areas
  • Confusing levels across countries

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • ISO 3166-2
  • National constitutions and territorial law

Context of use required Filled

  • Administration, statistics, addresses and geography.
  • federal states
  • provinces and regions
  • oblasts and governorates
  • autonomous and special regions
  • historical first-level divisions

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q10864048: first-level administrative division - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: First-level administrative division - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should each country list be a separate entry?
  • How should ISO updates be tracked?
  • How should historical divisions be linked?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q10864048/spec.json