This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) Look up prefecture in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. For subsequent types of praefectura, see Prefect. Prefecture (from the Latin Praefectura) indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures. Contents 1 Literal prefectures 1.1 Antiquity 1.2 Ecclesiastic 2 Analogous prefectures 2.1 Brazilian equivalent of prefecture 2.2 Greek equivalent of prefecture 2.3 Chinese equivalents of prefecture 2.3.1 The ancient sense 2.3.2 The modern sense 2.4 French préfecture 2.5 Japanese sense of prefecture 2.6 Mongolian equivalent 2.7 Moroccan Préfecture 2.8 Venezuelan equivalent 3 Moscow, Russia 4 See also // Literal prefectures Antiquity It has been used most prominently to denote a somewhat self-governing body or area since the tetrarchy, when emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into four districts (each divided into dioceses, grouping under a Vicarius (a number of Roman provinces, listed under that article), although he maintained two pretorian prefectures as an administrative level above the also surviving dioceses (a few of which were split). Ecclesiastic

As Canon law is strongly inspired by Roman law, it is not surprising that the Catholic Church has several offices under a prefect. That term occurs also in otherwise styled offices, such as the head of a congregation or department of the Roman Curia. Various ecclesiastical areas, too small for a diocese, are termed prefects. Analogous prefectures Brazilian equivalent of prefecture In Brazil, the prefecture (prefeitura in Portuguese) is the Prefeitura Municipal, home to the Executive of a city and to the mayor's office. Greek equivalent of prefecture Main article: Prefectures of Greece Modern Greece, under its 1975 Constitution, is divided into 51 nomoi (Greek: νομοί) which form the units of local government. These are most commonly translated into English as prefectures. Each nomos is headed by a prefect (nomarch), who was until recently a ministerial appointee but is nowadays elected by direct popular vote. Municipal elections in Greece are held every four years and voting for the election of nomarchs and mayors is carried out concurrently but with separate ballots. Chinese equivalents of prefecture Main article: Prefecture (China) The ancient sense Xian (县/縣) Main article: County (PRC and ROC)

When used in the context of Chinese history, especially China before the Tang Dynasty, the word "prefecture" is used to translate xian (县/縣). This unit of administration is translated as "county" when used in a contemporary context. Zhou Main article: Zhou (country subdivision) In the context of Chinese history during or after the Tang Dynasty, the word "prefecture" is used to translate zhou (州), another ancient unit of administration in China. The modern sense In modern-day People's Republic of China, the prefecture (地区; pinyin: dìqū) is an administrative division found in the second level of the administrative hierarchy. In addition to prefectures, this level also includes autonomous prefectures, leagues, and prefecture-level cities. The prefecture level comes under the province level, and in turn oversees the county level. French préfecture Main article: Prefectures in France In France, a préfecture is the capital city of a département. As there are 100 départements in France, there are 100 préfectures in France. A préfecture de région is the capital city of a région. Japanese sense of prefecture Main article: Prefectures of Japan

In reference to the Japanese system of administrative subdivisions, prefecture is used as the translation for todōfuken (都道府県?). The system of local government in Japan consists of two classes: prefectures as the large-area local governing units, and municipalities (市町村) as the basic local-level governing units. Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, and each is further divided into municipalities. These prefectures and municipalities neither overlap geographically nor leave any area uncovered; all residents of Japan are therefore residents of one municipality and one prefecture. The prefecture plays a sufficiently large role in personal identity that Japanese introducing themselves often mention their prefecture of origin as well as (or instead of) their municipality. The prefectures and municipalities function as more than just the country’s administrative units: they are incorporated bodies—independent from the national government—that possess their own basic spheres of responsibility and local residents as their constituents, holding administrative authority within their respective geographical boundaries. In Hokkaidō and several other prefectures, subprefectures are used as special administrative units, due to peculiarities of governmental evolution and the difficulty in centrally governing certain geographically large or remote areas.

All but four prefectures are followed with the suffix -ken (県), as in Kanagawa-ken, which is rendered in English as Kanagawa Prefecture. The large-area governing units of Ōsaka and Kyōto are both referred to as -fu (府) (Ōsaka-fu and Kyōto-fu, respectively), but this term is also translated as prefecture. There are two government units that are not technically referred to as prefectures. Tokyo’s prefecture-level government and its area is followed by -to (都, literally, capital), and whose government calls itself the "Tōkyō Metropolitan Government" in English. Finally, Hokkaidō’s -dō (道) is a suffix for an ancient region name, even though it was so named in 1869. Hokkaidō’s government calls itself the "Hokkaidō Government" in English. Below the level of prefecture are -shi (市) cities, -chō or machi (both 町) towns, and -son or mura (both 村) villages. Additionally, cities may be subdivided into -ku (区) wards. Japan’s current prefectural system was established in the Meiji era after the new Meiji government abolished fiefs run by feudal clans known as han. This change is called the abolition of the han system; see Meiji Restoration in the History of Japan article, and the Meiji era article for more historical details of this event. Mongolian equivalent

Mongolian prefectures (Aimags) were adopted under the Manchu Empire. Today these are usually translated as "provinces". Moroccan Préfecture Main article: Administrative divisions of Morocco In Morocco, the 61 second-level administrative subdivisions are 13 prefectures and 48 provinces. They are subdivisions of the 16 regions of Morocco. Each prefecture and province are subdivided in their turn into districts (cercles, sing. cercle), municipalities (communes, sing. commune) or urban municipalities (communes urbaines, sing. commune urbaine), and arrondissements in some metropolitan areas. Venezuelan equivalent Traditionally the prefecture as being the City Hall and the prefect as being the equivalent of a mayor and commissioner until recently; now the prefectures and prefect are analogous with the figure of Town Clerk. Moscow, Russia Further information: Administrative divisions of Moscow This section requires expansion. See also County Politics of the People's Republic of China Politics of Japan Politics of the Republic of China Politics of Mongolia Province Subprefecture v · d · eTypes of administrative country subdivisions Smallcaps indicate a type used by ten or more countries. Current English terms

Autonomous area · Bailiwick · Banner (Autonomous banner) · Block · Borough (County borough · Metropolitan borough) · Cadastral division · Canton · Capital (Federal capital) · Circle · Circuit · City (Autonomous city · Chartered city · Independent city) · Colony · Commune · Community (Autonomous community · Residential community) · Condominium · Constituency · Council · County (Administrative county · Autonomous county · Metropolitan county) · Department · District (Autonomous district · Capital district · City district · Federal district · Metropolitan district · Municipal district · Subdistrict · Regional district) · Division · Duchy · Eldership · Federal dependency · Governorate · Hamlet · Insular area · Local administrative unit · Local Government Area · Municipality (Direct-controlled municipality · District municipality · Regional municipality · Regional county municipality · Rural municipality · Specialized municipality) · Neighbourhood · Parish (Civil parish) · Periphery · Prefecture (Autonomous prefecture · Subprefecture · Super-prefecture) · Principality (Co-principality) · Protectorate · Province (Autonomous province) · Quarter · Regency · Region (Autonomous region · Capital region · Special administrative region) · Republic (Autonomous republic) · Reservation (Reserve) · Riding · Shire · Special Area · State · Suzerainty · Territory (Autonomous territorial unit · Capital territory · Dependent territory · National territory · Union Territory) · Town · Townland · Township (Civil township) · Urban (urbanized) area · Village (Summer village) · Ward Current non-English and loanword terms

Amt · Arrondissement · Bairro · Bakhsh · Baladiyah · Barangay · Bezirk / Regierungsbezirk · Comarca · Comune · Daïra · Deme · Frazione · Freguesia · Gmina · İl · Judeţ · Kommun · Località · Megye · Nome · Oblast · Okrug · Ostān · Powiat · Raion · Ranchería · Shabiyah · Shahr · Shahrestān · Sýsla · Taluka · Tehsil · Vingtaine · Voivodeship · Wilayah · Woreda Defunct and historical English terms Agency · Barony · Burgh · Diocese · Exarchate · Free imperial city · Hide · Hundred · Imperial Circle · March · Praetorian prefecture · Presidency · Residency · Rural district · Sanitary district · Tithing · Urban district · Viscountcy (Viscounty) Defunct and historical non-English terms Commote · Heerlijkheid · Katepanikion · Liwa · Naucrary · Pagus · Pargana · Plasă · Satrapy · Theme See also: Census division · Electoral division · Political division · Arabic terms for country subdivisions · French terms for country subdivisions · Spanish terms for country subdivisions