Anautonomous administrative division (also referred to as anautonomous area,zone,entity,unit,region,subdivision,province, orterritory) is a subnationaladministrative division orinternal territory of asovereign state that has a degree ofautonomy —self-governance — under the national government. Autonomous areas are distinct from other constituent units of afederation (e.g. a state, or province) in that they possess unique powers for their given circumstances. Typically, it is either geographically distinct from the rest of thestate or populated by a national minority, which may exercisehome rule. Decentralization of self-governing powers and functions to such divisions is a way for a national government to try to increase democratic participation or administrative efficiency or to defuse internal conflicts. States that include autonomous areas may befederacies,federations, orconfederations. Autonomous areas can be divided intoterritorial autonomies, subregional territorial autonomies, and local autonomies.
| Division | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Azad Kashmir | Controlled by: PakistanClaimed by:  India | Azad Kashmir is a self-governing polity which has not been formally annexed byPakistan. It was established after arebellion against the Maharajah of Kashmir, and the subsequentFirst Kashmir War.[1] It is located within the historicKashmir region, which isdisputed betweenIndia,Pakistan andChina. |
 United Kingdom | Three of the four constituentcountries of the United Kingdom, namelyScotland,Wales andNorthern Ireland, each have an elected,devolved legislature which has the ability to legislate in devolved matters. TheParliament of the United Kingdom which retains sovereignty (the United Kingdom is aunitary state), can dissolve the devolved legislatures at any time, and legislates in matters that are not devolved, as well as having the capacity to legislate in areas that are devolved (byconstitutional convention, without the agreement of the devolved legislature). Formerly, both Scotland and England were fully sovereign states. | |
 Denmark | The two autonomous territories[2] (Danish:rigsdel,Faroese:land,Greenlandic:nuna) of therealm of the Kingdom, theFaroe Islands andGreenland, each have an elected devolved legislature which has the ability to legislate in devolved matters. TheKingdom Parliament 'Folketinget' retains sovereignty (The Kingdom of Denmark is aunitary state) and legislates in matters that are not devolved, as well as having the capacity to legislate in areas that are devolved (this does not normally occur without the agreement of the devolved legislature). | |
| Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago | TheTobago House of Assembly is a devolved legislature that is responsible for the island ofTobago.[3] |
 Vojvodina |  Serbia | |
| Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija | Controlled by: KosovoClaimed by: Serbia | In 2008,Kosovounilaterally declared itself as an independent state. Its internationalrecognition is split between those who recognize it as an independent state and those who view it as an autonomous province ofSerbia underUnited Nations administration. |
 Åland |  Finland | |
 Portugal | Although Portugal is a unitary state, its two autonomous regions have elected,devolved legislatures (Regional Legislative Assemblies of the Azores andMadeira) and local government (Governments of the Azores andMadeira) which have the ability to legislate in devolved matters. | |
 Bangsamoro |  Philippines | |
 Bougainville |  Papua New Guinea | |
 People's Republic of China | Thespecial administrative regions have the highest degree of autonomy from the central government in Beijing.Autonomous regions contain a large minority ethnic group. | |
 North Caribbean Coast |  Nicaragua | |
 South Caribbean Coast | ||
 Rodrigues |  Mauritius | |
 Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria |  Syria | |
 Zanzibar |  Tanzania | |
| Nakhchivan |  Azerbaijan | |
 Adjara |  Georgia | |
| Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia | Claimed by:Georgia Controlled by:  Abkhazia | In 1999, theRepublic of Abkhazia declared its independence from Georgia after the1992–1993 war. Georgia and most of the U.N. member states have not recognized Abkhazia's independence and still has an administrative apparatus for the claimed Autonomous Republic; its independence isrecognized by Russia and three other U.N. member states. |
| Gorno-Badakhshan |  Tajikistan | |
 Republic of Crimea / Autonomous Republic of Crimea | De jure: UkraineControlled by:  Russia | The2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia isnot recognized by most countries, including Ukraine. |
 Karakalpakstan |  Uzbekistan | |
 Gagauzia |  Moldova | |
| Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester | Claimed by:Moldova Controlled by:  Transnistria | In 1990, thePridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, commonly known as Transnistria) declared its independence from theSoviet Union. While Moldova has not formally recognized Transnistria's independence and still has an administrative apparatus for the claimed Autonomous Territorial Unit, its independence isrecognized by 3 other non-UN member states. |
 Chile | In 2007, theChamber of Deputies of Chile passed a law designating both as "special territories", granting them moreautonomy.[4] Additionally, the Juan Fernandez Islands archipelago is acommune, while Easter Island is both a commune and aprovince. | |
 Barbuda (1976) |  Antigua and Barbuda | |
| Rotuma |  Fiji | |
 Kurdistan Region (2005) |  Iraq | Semi-autonomousfederal region of Iraq; the constitution of Iraq gives a degree of autonomy to administrative divisions, such as regions andprovinces, in matters that are not within the exclusive remit of the federal government of Iraq. Regional law may take priority (in case of dispute) if the law falls within the remit of "shared authorities" and does not contradict with the provisions of the constitution of Iraq.[5] TheFederal Supreme Court of Iraq has the authority to repeal and amend regional law.[6][a] |
 Nevis (1967) |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | |
 Autonomous Region of Príncipe (1995) |  São Tomé and Príncipe | |
| Svalbard |  Norway | Although it does not fit the definition of autonomous area (not possessing partial internal sovereignty), Svalbard has the sovereignty of Norway limited by theSpitsbergen Treaty of 1920 and therefore is considered as having special status (as it is considered fully integrated with Norway, and not a dependency, it is asui generis case). |
 Heligoland |  Germany | Heligoland, Germany: Although it is part of a German state,Schleswig-Holstein, it has been excluded of some European Union normatives, such as customs union and theValue Added Tax Area. |
 Büsingen am Hochrhein | Despite being integral parts of their respective countries, these two enclaves of Switzerland predominantly use theSwiss franc as currency and are in customs union with Switzerland. | |
 Campione d'Italia |  Italy | |
 Zapatista Territories |  Mexico | ade factoautonomous region controlled or partially controlled byneo-Zapatista support bases in theMexican state ofChiapas since theZapatista uprising in 1994 and during the widerChiapas conflict.[8] |
| Russia | |
 Donetsk People's Republic | Controlled by:Russia Claimed by: Ukraine | Sovereignty disputed by Ukraine asDonetsk Oblast |
 Luhansk People's Republic | Controlled by:Russia Claimed by: Ukraine | Sovereignty disputed by Ukraine asLuhansk Oblast |
| Division | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Guernsey | United Kingdom | Guernsey, theIsle of Man, andJersey are self-governingCrown Dependencies which are not part of the United Kingdom; however, the UK is responsible for their defence and international affairs. |
 Isle of Man | ||
 Jersey |
| Division | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Aruba |  Kingdom of the Netherlands | |
 Curaçao | ||
 Sint Maarten | ||
| Netherlands |
Aruba,Curaçao, andSint Maarten are autonomous countries within theKingdom of the Netherlands, each with their own parliament. In addition they enjoy autonomy in taxation matters as well as having their own currencies.
| Division | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Alsace (2021)[citation needed] |  France | single territorial collectivity |
 Corsica (2018)[citation needed] | single territorial collectivity | |
 French Guiana | overseas region and department and single territorial collectivity | |
 Guadeloupe | overseas region and department | |
 Martinique | overseas region and department and single territorial collectivity | |
 Mayotte | overseas region and department | |
 Réunion | overseas region and department | |
 French Polynesia | overseas collectivity | |
 Saint-Barthélemy | overseas collectivity | |
 Saint-Martin | overseas collectivity | |
 Saint-Pierre and Miquelon | overseas collectivity | |
 Wallis and Futuna | overseas collectivity | |
 New Caledonia | sui generis collectivity |
TheFrench Constitution recognises three autonomous jurisdictions.Corsica, aregion of France, enjoys a greater degree of autonomy on matters such as tax and education compared to mainland regions.[citation needed]New Caledonia, asui generis collectivity, andFrench Polynesia, anoverseas collectivity, are highly autonomous territories with their own government, legislature, currency, and constitution. They do not, however, have legislative powers for policy areas relating to law and order, defense, border control or university education. Other smaller overseas collectivities have a lesser degree of autonomy through local legislatures. The five overseas regions,French Guiana,Guadeloupe,Martinique,Mayotte, andRéunion, are generally governed the same as mainland regions; however, they enjoy some additional powers, including certain legislative powers for devolved areas.
| Division | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Cook Islands |  New Zealand | The Cook Islands is a self-governing country infree association with New Zealand that maintains some international relationships in its own name. |
 Niue | Niue is a self-governing country infree association with New Zealand that maintains some international relationships in its own name. | |
 Tokelau | Tokelau is an autonomous dependency of New Zealand. |
New Zealand maintains nominal sovereignty overthree Pacific Island nations, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. TheChatham Islands—despite having the designation ofTerritory—is an integral part of the country, situated within the New Zealand archipelago; its council is not autonomous and has broadly the same powers as other local councils, although notably it can also charge levies on goods entering or leaving the islands.[9]
| Division | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 American Samoa |  United States | All fiveinsular areas are organized as unincorporatedU.S. territories. LikeU.S. states, they are subject to thesovereignjurisdiction of theU.S. federal government. Each territory has a local government headed by ademocratically electedgovernor andlegislature with powers within the territorial geographic boundaries. |
 Guam | ||
 Northern Mariana Islands | ||
 Puerto Rico | ||
 U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Division | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nisga'a |  Canada | Created by theNisga'a Final Agreement in 2000. The Nisga'a Territory runs semi-autonomously from the rest of Canada. Located in NorthwesternBritish Columbia, within kilometres of theAlaska Panhandle. |
 Nunatsiavut | ||
 Tłı̨chǫ | ||
| Haida Nation | ||
| Toquaht | ||
| Ucluelet | ||
| Tsawwassen | ||
| Tla'amin Nation | ||
| Huu-ay-aht | ||
| Kyuquot/Cheklesahht | ||
| Uchucklesaht | ||
| Hopi Reservation | United States | |
 Cherokee Nation | ||
 Sac and Fox Nation | ||
 Choctaw Nation | ||
 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation | ||
 Navajo Nation | ||
 Haudenosaunee | ||
 Colorado River Indian Tribes | ||
| Emberá-Wounaan |  Panama | |
| Kuna de Madugandí | ||
| Kuna de Wargandí | ||
 Guna Yala | ||
 Ngöbe-Buglé | ||
 Naso Tjër Di Comarca |
Other areas that are autonomous in nature but not in name are areas designated forindigenous peoples, such asthose of the Americas:
InEthiopia, "special woredas" are a subgroup ofworedas (districts) that are organized around the traditional homelands ofspecific ethnic minorities, and are outside the usual hierarchy of akilil, or region. Theseworedas have many similarities to autonomous areas in other countries.
 |
The following autonomous regions have been proposed but not implemented following unsuccessful referendums:
The following autonomous regions were initially rejected in a referendum but were subsequently approved in a future referendum:
The following autonomous regions have been proposed as part of peace agreements:
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Denmark has established very specific territorial autonomies with its two island territories
Faroese and Greenlandic are seen as official regional languages in the self-governing territories belonging to Denmark.
Greenland [...] is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark
The Faroe Islands [...] is one of three autonomous territories in the Nordic Region
