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Anautonomous republic is a type ofadministrative division similar to aprovince orstate. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within thesuccessor states of theSoviet Union, but the majority are located withinRussia. Many of these republics were established during the Soviet period asAutonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, or ASSRs.[1]
The designation also can refer to the following 16 former French territories in Africa before 1960, when all gained independence, except forDjibouti, which voted in areferendum to remain part ofFrance as anoverseas department:
