second-level administrative division
Let an agent identify what the second-level division is in a given country, relay its powers, names and codes from official sources, and separate the abstract level from the specific units and from statistical divisions.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identify What the level is here.
Level
Level in the hierarchy.
Level
Level.
- What is the second-level unit in this country, and what sits above and below it? definition
- Is the unit administrative or statistical? boundary
Codes
Codes.
Codes
Codes.
- Which codes identify the units, and where are they published? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific unit? action
Govern Powers and administration.
Powers
Powers.
Powers
Powers.
- What powers and services does the unit hold under national law? provenance
- Which entry fits the national local government system? action
Institutions
Councils and executives.
Institutions
Institutions.
- How is the unit governed, elected or appointed? provenance
- Which entry fits local elections? action
Compare Comparison across countries.
Mapping
Equivalences.
Mapping
Mapping.
- How do second-level units compare across countries in size and powers? measurement
- Which references are standard? provenance
Statistics
Statistical levels.
Statistics
Statistics.
- How do statistical classifications such as NUTS map onto administrative levels? provenance
- Which entry fits statistical geography? action
History Change over time.
Reforms
Reforms.
Reforms
Reforms.
- How have second-level units been created, merged and abolished? provenance
- Which entry fits a former unit? action
Origins
Origins.
Origins
Origins.
- Where do the names and forms of these units come from historically? provenance
- Which entry fits administrative divisions generally? action
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 second-order administrative division, subdivision of the Illyrian Provinces, district of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, tumān of Tajik ASSR, tuman (Bukhara Emirate), Mutamadiyah, unique territorial entity, douzaine
What it is Filled
An administrative unit at the second tier below the national level, subordinate to or under the administration of a first-level unit such as a state, province or region, which may but need not contain lower units such as municipalities; examples include counties in many countries, districts, departments of France, provinces of Spain and prefectures within Chinese provinces, with powers and names that vary widely.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent identify what the second-level division is in a given country, relay its powers, names and codes from official sources, and separate the abstract level from the specific units and from statistical divisions.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Second tier of a hierarchy
- Powers and names vary by country
- Usually has an administration or council
- Coded in national and international schemes
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Treat divisions in different countries as equivalent when their powers differ.
- Use outdated boundaries or names without noting the date.
- Take a side in a disputed boundary or name as if it were settled.
Only with a human decision
- Changing boundaries or names in an authoritative dataset.
May
- Describe second-level administrative divisions and how they nest in a country's hierarchy.
- Map and link divisions using official codes and gazetteers.
Moral aspects Filled
- Boundaries decide who governs, taxes and represents people.
- Names of divisions can carry political and cultural meaning.
Who is affected
- Residents
- Local governments
- Users of statistics
Owners Filled
Steward
The national government under whose law the divisions exist.
Master systems
- National statistical and administrative gazetteers
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1799794 - registry parent class
related
- administrative territorial entity - by level
- first-level administrative division - the level above
- statistical territorial unit - a non-governmental division
contains
- municipality - typical lower units
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.second-level-administrative-division
- Wikidata: Q12357832 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12357832)
- ISO 3166-2: per country covers some second-level units
- national codes: per country such as INSEE, FIPS or GB codes
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
An administrative tier is an institutional classification rather than a physical object with intrinsic measurable properties.
Recognition required Filled
- The unit is subordinate to or under the administration of a first-level division.
- The unit may contain municipalities or equivalent lower units, but these are not required.
- Levels differ by country, and a statistical division may not be a government.
- Not a physical object; seen on administrative maps and in codes.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- identify the second-level unit type in a country
- relay names, powers and codes
- distinguish administrative from statistical levels
- route to the specific unit entry
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Mismatching levels between countries
- Outdated units after reforms
- Confusing statistical with administrative units
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- National constitutions and local government law
- ISO 3166-2 and national coding standards
- Statistical classifications such as NUTS
Context of use required Filled
- Organising government between the first level and local units.
- counties and districts
- departments of France and provinces of Spain and Italy
- prefecture-level divisions in China
- raions and districts in post-Soviet states
- historical second-level units
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q12357832: second-level administrative division - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Second level administrative division - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should each country second-level type be a separate entry?
- How should national code lists be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases for historical units; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q12357832/spec.json