SUBDIVISIONS OF RUSSIA

Being the largest country in the world, and one of the most populated, Russia incorporates several 'types and levels of subdivisions'.

Contents

Federal subjects

Administrative divisions

Municipal divisions

Other types of subdivisions

Federal districts

Economic regions

See also

Reference

External link

Federal subjects

Russia is a federation which consists of 85 'subjects'^[1]. These subjects are of equal federal rights in the sense that they have equal representation—two delegates each—in the Federation Council (upper house of the Russian parliament). However, they do differ in the degree of autonomy they enjoy. Autonomous okrugs, while federal subjects in their own right, are at the same time considered to be administrative divisions of other federal subjects (with Chukotka Autonomous Okrug being the only exception). The federal subjects are considered to be the second level of federal division, being subject to the federal laws (first level).

Administrative divisions

The administrative and territorial division of each federal subject is developed and maintained separately by each federal subject. The following is a generalized list of types of lower level (level 3) administrative divisions of the federal subjects:

★ ''Districts'', or ''raions''

★ ''Cities/towns'' and ''urban-type settlements'' under the jurisdiction of the federal subject

★ ''Autonomous okrugs'' under the jurisdiction of the federal subject (even though they are considered to be administrative divisions of the lower level, they have a status of federal subjects themselves and may themselves be subdivided into districts)
Typical level 4 administrative divisions include:

★ ''Selsovets'' (rural councils)

★ ''Towns'' and ''urban-type settlements'' under the jurisdiction of the district

★ ''City districts''

Municipal divisions

In the course of the Russian municipal reform, all federal subjects of Russia were to streamline the structures of the local self-government, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of Russia. The reform prescribed that each federal subject have a unified structure of the municipal government bodies by January 1, 2005, and a law enforcing the reform provisions went in effect on January 1, 2006. According to the law, the units of the municipal division (called "municipal formations") are as follows:

★ ''Municipal district'', a group of municipal settlements (often along with the inter-settlement territories) having common territory within which local self-government is carried out. In practice, municipal districts are usually formed within boundaries of existing administrative districts (raions).

★ ''Municipal settlement'':

★
★ ''Municipal urban settlement'', a city/town or an urban-type settlement where local self-government is carried out directly by the populace and/or via local self-government bodies which are elected or selected by other means.

★
★ ''Municipal rural settlement'', one or several rural localities where local self-government is carried out directly by the populace and/or via local self-government bodies which are elected or selected by other means.

★ ''Municipal urban okrug'', a municipal urban settlement not incorporated into a municipal district, where local self-government bodies have power of resolving the issues of local significance, as well as of exercising some state powers conferred on them by the federal and regional laws.

★ ''Intra-city territory of a federal city'', a part of a federal city's territory where local self-government is carried out directly by the populace and/or via local self-government bodies which are elected or selected by other means.

★ ''Inter-settlement territory'', territory located outside the territories of municipal settlements.

Other types of subdivisions

Federal districts

All of the federal subjects are grouped into seven 'federal districts'^[2], each administered by an envoy appointed by the President of Russia. Federal districts' envoys serve as liaisons between the federal subjects and the federal government and are primarily responsible for overseeing the compliance of the federal subjects with the federal laws.

Economic regions

For economic and statistical purposes the federal subjects are grouped into twelve 'economic regions'^[3]. Economic regions and their parts sharing common economic trends are in turn grouped into economic zones and macrozones.

See also

★ History of the administrative division of Russia

★ List of federal subjects of Russia by area

★ List of federal subjects of Russia by population

★ Types of inhabited localities in Russia

Reference

1. Конституция Российской Федерации, Статья 65 (Constitution of Russia, Article 65)
2. "Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов" (ОК 024-95) введённый 1 января 1997 г., в ред. Изменения № 05/2001. Секция I. Федеральные округа (''Russian Classificaton of Economic Regions'' (OK 024-95) of January 1, 1997 as amended by the Amendments #1/1998 through #5/2001. Section I. Federal Districts)
3. "Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов" (ОК 024-95) введённый 1 января 1997 г., в ред. Изменения № 05/2001. Секция II. Экономические районы (''Russian Classificaton of Economic Regions'' (OK 024-95) of January 1, 1997 as amended by the Amendments #1/1998 through #5/2001. Section II. Economic Regions)

External link

★ ''Local government in Russia: Its powers vary across the country'' at Citymayors.com