How is France Divided Administratively? (with picture) How is France Divided Administratively? Last Modified Date: 19 December 2016 Copyright Protected: 10 hilariously insightful foreign words France is situated in the northwest of Europe and is one of the member countries of the European Union. Its political system is made up of several layers of administrative divisions, which include regions, departments, arrondisements, cantons and communes. These divisions encompass not only France, but also other countries that were previously colonized by the French government, and are currently considered as being under the French territory. For administrative purposes, these countries are called "overseas regions" while France in Europe is called the "Metropolitan." The French territory is first divided into 26 regions, 22 in Metropolitan and four overseas. Regions are governed by a regional council of elected members and have neither legislative nor regulatory power. However, they do impose their own taxes, leading them to have considerable budgets to manage the country’s decentralized services. Regions are further subdivided into 100 departments, 96 in Metropolitan and four overseas.

The four overseas regions and departments are one and the same: French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and the Reunion. French departments are administered by a general council of elected members and are represented by two-digit numbers, which are designated to each department following the alphabetical order. These numbers appear in INSEE (Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Démographiques) codes, social security numbers and French postal codes. They are also currently used as the final digits at the end of French vehicle registration numbers. Departments are comprised of 341 arrondisements, or districts, which are run by officials elected by the president. Unlike regions and departments though, arrondisements are not legal entities in the eyes of the law. Arrondisements are then subdivided into 4,032 cantons that serve as constituencies during the elections for the general council of each department. Cantons are actually made up of 36,781 communes, which is the lowest administrative division of France. Most of these communes, 36,569 of them, belong to France Metropolitan while the remaining 212 belong to overseas regions.

There is no exact definition of a French commune. Paris, a city with more than 2 million inhabitants, is considered a commune. Similarly, Rochefourchat is a one-person commune situated in the region of Rhône-Alpes. A mayor and its municipal council run a commune. Despite the disparity in the sizes of French communes, the powers of those who govern them remain the same. Having said that, there are three communes – Paris, Marseille and Lyon – which are further subdivided into 45 municipal arrondisements, each with its own arrondisement mayor and council. The administrative divisions in French overseas regions are the same as in France Metropolitan. The four overseas regions/departments are divided into 12 arrondisements, which are further subdivided into 153 cantons. These 153 cantons are made up of 212 communes. Overseas regions are governed in the same manner as in Metropolitan, and with the same authority accorded to those elected to power. Over the years, the regional and departmental face of France has altered very little. The lower administrative divisions, however, have merged and separated often over the course of time.

For instance, smaller French communes may merge to form an additional canton to facilitate administrative and political purposes, to regroup resources and share common public services. Due to these volatile changes, the French administration is reputed to be one of the most complicated in Europe. Ad EN Wikipedia URL A county is a geographical region of a country used for administrative or other purposes, in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French conté or cunté denoting a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count ( earl ) or a viscount . The modern French is comté, and its equivalents in other languages are contea, contado, comtat, condado, Grafschaft, graafschap, Gau, etc. (cf. conte , comte, conde, Graf ). When the Normans conquered England , they brought the term with them. The Saxons had already established the districts that became the historic counties of England , calling them shires [2] (many county names derive from the name of the county town with the word "shire" added on: for example, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire ). [3] The Vikings introduced the term earl (from Old Norse, jarl) to the British Isles.

Thus, "earl" and "earldom" were taken as equivalent to the continental use of "count" and "county". So the later-imported term became a synonym for the native English word scir ([ʃiːr]) or, in Modern English , shire. Since a shire was an administrative division of the kingdom, the term "county" evolved to designate an administrative division of national government in most modern uses. A county may be further subdivided into districts, hundreds , townships or other administrative jurisdictions within the county. A county usually, but not always, contains cities , towns , townships , villages , or other municipal corporations. Depending on the nation, municipalities may or may not be subject to direct or indirect county control. Outside English-speaking countries, an equivalent of the term "county" is often used to describe sub-national jurisdictions that are structurally equivalent to counties in the relationship they have with their national government; but which may not be administratively equivalent to counties in predominantly English-speaking countries. Argentina Provinces in Argentina are divided into departments (departamentos), except in the Buenos Aires Province , where they are called partidos . The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires is divided into communes (comunas).

Australia In the eastern states of Australia , counties are used in the administration of land titles . They do not generally correspond to a level of government, but are used in the identification of parcels of land. Canada Canada's five oldest provinces – New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Ontario , Quebec and Prince Edward Island – are divided into counties. In addition to counties, Ontario is also subdivided into territorial districts, district municipalities, metropolitan municipalities, and regional municipalities. British Columbia , Manitoba , Newfoundland and Labrador , Northwest Territories , Nunavut , Saskatchewan , and Yukon use municipalities as regional subdivisions. In Alberta , a county used to be a type of municipal status; but this was changed to " municipal district " under the Municipal Government Act, when the County Act was repealed in the mid-1990s. County or municipal district in an Alberta municipality's name now refers to the same rural municipality status (not a level of government between a municipality and the province). [4] People's Republic of China The word "county" is used to translate the Chinese term xiàn (县 or 縣).

In Mainland China , governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC), counties are the third level of local government, coming under both the province level and the prefecture level . There are 1,464 counties in the PRC out of a total of 2,862 county-level divisions. The number of counties has remained more or less constant since the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). The county remains one of the oldest levels of government in China and significantly predates the establishment of provinces in the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). The county government was particularly important in imperial China because this was the lowest layer at which the imperial government functioned. The head of a county during imperial times was the magistrate . In older context, "prefecture" and "district" are alternative terms to refer to xiàn before the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The English nomenclature "county" was adopted following the establishment of the ROC. Contrary to the typical rural location of a county in Western countries, a city in China may enclose several counties. In this sense, a county is similar to a district of a city.

In the 19th century, Shanghai was a county of the city of Songjiang, but today, Songjiang is a district of the city of Shanghai. Denmark Denmark was divided into counties (amter) from 1662 to 2006. On 1 January 2007 the counties were replaced by five Regions . At the same time, the number of municipalities was slashed to 98. The counties were first introduced in 1662, replacing the 49 fiefs (len) in Denmark–Norway with the same number of counties. This number does not include the subdivisions of the Duchy of Schleswig , which was only under partial Danish control. The number of counties in Denmark (excluding Norway) had dropped to c. 20 by 1793. Following the reunification of South Jutland with Denmark in 1920, four counties replaced the Prussian Kreise . Aabenraa and Sønderborg County merged in 1932 and Skanderborg and Aarhus were separated in 1942. From 1942 to 1970, the number stayed at 22.

[5] The number was further decreased by the 1970 Danish municipal reform, leaving 14 counties plus two cities unconnected to the county structure; Copenhagen and Frederiksberg . In 2003, Bornholm County merged with the local five municipalities, forming the Bornholm Regional Municipality . The remaining 13 counties were abolished on 1 January 2007 where they were replaced by five new regions. In the same reform, the number of municipalities was slashed from 270 to 98 and all municipalities now belong to a region. France A comté was a territory ruled by a count (comte) in medieval France. In modern France, the rough equivalent of a "county" as used in many English-speaking countries is a department . Germany For the situation in Germany compare Kreise . Each administrative district consists of an elected council and an executive, and whose duties are comparable to those of a county executive in the United States, supervising local government administration. Hungary The administrative unit of Hungary is called megye (historically, they were also called vármegye , or comitatus in Latin ), which can be translated with the word county.

The 19 counties constitute the highest level of the administrative subdivisions of the country together with the capital city Budapest, although counties and the capital are grouped into seven statistical regions. Counties are subdivided to municipalities, the two types of which are towns and villages, each one having their own elected mayor and council. 23 of the towns have the rights of a county although they do not form independent territorial units equal to counties. Municipalities are grouped within counties into subregions (kistérség in Hungarian), which have statistical and organizational functions only. The vármegye was also the historic administrative unit in the Kingdom of Hungary , which included areas of present-day neighbouring countries of Hungary. Its Latin name (comitatus) is the equivalent of the French comté. Actual political and administrative role of counties changed much through history. Originally they were subdivisions of the royal administration, but from the 13th century A.D. they became self-governments of the nobles and kept this character until the 19th century when in turn they became modern local governments.

Iran The provinces of Iran are further subdivided into counties called shahrestan ( Persian : شهرستان shahrestān‎‎), an area inside an ostan , and consisting of a city centre, a few bakhsh ( Persian : بخش bakhsh‎‎), and many villages around them. There are usually a few cities ( Persian : شهر shahar‎‎) and rural agglomerations ( Persian : دهستان dehestān‎‎) in each county. Rural agglomerations are a collection of a number of villages. One of the cities of the county is appointed as the capital of the county. Each shahrestan has a government office known as Farmandari, which coordinates different events and government offices. The Farmandar, or the head of Farmandari, is the governor of the Shahrestan. Fars Province has the highest number of Shahrestans, with 23, while Semnān and South Khorasan have only 4 Shahrestans each; Qom uniquely has one, being coextensive with its namesake county . Iran had 324 Shahrestans in 2005.

Ireland The island of Ireland was historically divided into 32 counties, of which 26 later formed the Republic of Ireland and 6 made up Northern Ireland . These counties are traditionally grouped into 4 provinces - Leinster (12), Munster (6) Connacht (5) and Ulster (9). Historically, the counties of Meath , Westmeath and small parts of surrounding counties constituted the province of Mide , which was one of the "Five Fifths" of Ireland (in the Irish language the word for province, Cúige, from Cúig, five means "a fifth"); however, these have long since become the three northernmost counties of Leinster province. In the Republic each county is administered by an elected " county council ", and the old provincial divisions are merely traditional names with no political significance. The number and boundaries of administrative counties in the Republic of Ireland were reformed in the 1990s. For example, County Dublin was divided into three: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown , Fingal , and South Dublin - the City of Dublin had existed for centuries before.

The cities of Cork and Galway have been separated from the town and rural areas of their counties. The cities of Limerick and Waterford were merged with their respective counties in 2014. Thus, the Republic of Ireland now has thirty-one 'county-level' authorities, although the borders of the original twenty-six counties are still officially in place. [6] In Northern Ireland, the six county councils and the smaller town councils were abolished in 1973 and replaced by a single tier of local government. However, in the north as well as in the south, the traditional 32 counties and 4 provinces remain in common usage for many sporting, cultural and other purposes. County identity is heavily reinforced in the local culture by allegiances to county teams in Hurling and Gaelic football . Each Gaelic Athletic Association county has its own flag/colours (and often a nickname too), and county allegiances are taken quite seriously. See the counties of Ireland and the Gaelic Athletic Association . Italy In Italy the word county is not used; the administrative sub-division of a region is called provincia . Italian provinces are mainly named after their principal town and comprise several administrative subdivisions called comuni (communes).

There are currently 110 provinces in Italy. In the context of pre-modern Italy, the Italian word contado generally refers to the countryside surrounding, and controlled by, the city state. The contado provided natural resources and agricultural products to sustain the urban population. In contemporary usage, contado can refer to a metropolitan area, and in some cases large rural/suburban regions providing resources to distant cities. Jamaica Jamaica is divided into fourteen parishes which are grouped together into three historic counties : Cornwall , Middlesex , and Surrey . Kenya Counties are the current second level political division in Kenya. Each county has an assembly where members of the county assembly (MCAs) sit. This assembly is headed by a Governor. Each county is also represented in the Senate of Kenya by a senator. Additionally, a Women's Representative is elected from each county to the Parliament of Kenya to represent women's interests. Counties replaced provinces as the second level division after the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya . Korea County is the common English translation for the character 군 that denotes the current second level political division in Korea. Liberia Liberia has 15 counties, each of which elects two senators to the Liberian Senate.

Lithuania Apskritis (pl. apskritys) is the Lithuanian word for county. Since 1994 Lithuania has 10 counties; before 1950 it had 20. The only purpose with the county is an office of a state governor who shall conduct law and order in the county. See counties of Lithuania . New Zealand After New Zealand abolished its provinces in 1876, a system of counties similar to other countries' systems was instituted, lasting until 1989. They had chairmen, not mayors as boroughs and cities had; many legislative provisions (such as burial and land subdivision control) were different for the counties. During the second half of the 20th century, many counties received overflow population from nearby cities. The result was often a merger of the two into a "district" (e.g. Rotorua ) or a change of name to "district' (e.g. Waimairi) or "city" (e.g. Manukau City ). The Local Government Act 1974 began the process of bringing urban, mixed, and rural councils into the same legislative framework.

Substantial reorganisations under that Act resulted in the 1989 shake-up, which covered the country in (non-overlapping) cities and districts and abolished all the counties except for the Chatham Islands County, which survived under that name for a further 6 years but then became a "Territory" under the "Chatham Islands Council". Norway Norway is divided into 19 counties (sing. fylke, plur. fylke/fylker) since 1972. Up to that year Bergen was a separate county, but is today a municipality in the county of Hordaland . All counties form administrative entities called county municipalities (sing. fylkeskommune, plur. fylkeskommunar/fylkeskommuner), further subdivided into municipalities , (sing. kommune, plur. kommunar/kommuner). One county, Oslo , is not divided into municipalities, rather it is equivalent to the municipality of Oslo. Each county has its own county council (fylkesting) whose representatives are elected every four years together with representatives to the municipal councils .

The counties handle matters as high schools and local roads, and until 1 January 2002 hospitals as well. This responsibility was transferred to the state-run health authorities and health trusts , and there is a debate on the future of the county municipality as an administrative entity. Some people, and parties, such as the Conservative and Progress Party , call for the abolishment of the county municipalities once and for all, while others, including the Labour Party , merely want to merge some of them into larger regions. Poland A second-level administrative division in Poland is called a powiat . (This is a subdivision of a voivodeship , or province, and is further subdivided into gminas .) The term is often translated into English as county (or sometimes district). Romania Romania is divided into 41 jurisdictions . A jurisdiction is called a județ . The Romanian word for county, comitat, is not currently used for any Romanian administrative divisions. Sweden The Swedish division into counties was established in 1634, and was based on an earlier division into Provinces . Sweden is today divided into 21 counties.

At the county level there is a county administrative board led by a governor appointed by the central government of Sweden , as well as an elected county council that handles a separate set of issues, notably hospitals and public transportation for the municipalities within its borders. The Swedish term used is län , which literally means " fief ". Taiwan (Republic of China) County is the common English translation for the character 縣 that denotes the current first level political division in Taiwan and surrounding islands. However, provincial cities have the same level of authority as counties. Above county, there are special municipalities (in effect) and province (suspended due to economical and political reasons). There are currently 14 counties in Taiwan. United Kingdom The United Kingdom is divided into a number of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties . There are also ceremonial counties which group small non-metropolitan counties into geographical areas broadly based on the historic counties of England . In 1974, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties replaced the system of administrative counties and county boroughs which was introduced in 1889. Most non-metropolitan counties in England are run by county councils and are divided into non-metropolitan districts , each with its own council.

Local authorities in the UK are usually responsible for education, emergency services, planning, transport, social services, and a number of other functions. In England, in the Anglo-Saxon period, shires were established as areas used for the raising of taxes , and usually had a fortified town at their centre. This became known as the shire town or later the county town . In many cases, the shires were named after their shire town (for example Bedfordshire), but there are several exceptions, such as Cumberland , Norfolk and Suffolk . In several other cases, such as Buckinghamshire , the modern county town is different from the town for which the shire is named. (See Toponymical list of counties of the United Kingdom ) The name "county" was introduced by the Normans , and was derived from a Norman term for an area administered by a Count (lord). These Norman "counties" were simply the Saxon shires, and kept their Saxon names. Several traditional counties, including Essex , Sussex and Kent , predate the unification of England by Alfred the Great , and were originally more or less independent kingdoms.

In Northern Ireland , the six county councils, if not their counties, were abolished in 1973 and replaced by 26 local government districts. The traditional six counties remain in common everyday use for many cultural and other purposes. The thirteen historic counties of Wales were fixed by statute in 1539 (although counties such as Pembrokeshire date from 1138) and most of the shires of Scotland are of at least this age. In the Gaelic form, Scottish traditional county names are generally distinguished by the designation siorramachd- literally "sherrifdom", e.g. Siorramachd Earra-ghaidheal (Argyllshire). This term corresponds to the jurisdiction of the sheriff in the Scottish legal system. Until 1974, the county boundaries of England changed little over time. In the mediæval period, a number of important cities were granted the status of counties in their own right, such as London , Bristol and Coventry , and numerous small exclaves such as Islandshire were created. In 1844, most of these exclaves were transferred to their surrounding counties.

In 1965 and 1974–1975, major reorganisations of local government in England and Wales created several new administrative counties such as Hereford and Worcester and also created several new metropolitan counties based on large urban areas as a single administrative unit. In Scotland, county-level local government was replaced by larger regions , which lasted until 1996. Modern local government in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and a large part of England is trending towards smaller unitary authorities: a system similar to that proposed in the 1960s by the Redcliffe-Maud Report for most of Britain. United States Counties in U.S. states are administrative divisions of the state in which their boundaries are drawn. 3,142 counties and county equivalents carve up the United States, ranging in quantity from 3 for Delaware to 254 for Texas . Where they exist, they are the intermediate tier of state government, between the statewide tier and the immediately local government tier (typically a city, town or village).

Counties have functional purposes in 48 of the 50 states; the other two states ( Connecticut and Rhode Island ) have abolished their counties as functional entities, and Massachusetts is in the process of doing so. Of these remaining 48 states, 46 use the term "county" while Alaska and Louisiana use the terms "borough" and "parish", respectively, for analogous jurisdictions. While the parochial system in Louisiana is analogous, parishes are by no means counties under another name. Depending on the individual state, counties or their equivalents may be administratively subdivided into townships , or towns in the New England states, New York , and Wisconsin . Except in New England, where strong government at the town level has historically existed since the area was settled, the township is generally subordinate to the county, which is generally subordinate to the state. Michigan, since 1947, has distinguished between "townships" (not self-governing) and " charter townships " (self-governing). In most states, municipal corporations (i.e. cities, villages or towns) file their reports to the state through the county.

In Virginia , however, all cities are independent and report directly to the commonwealth government; but notwithstanding they are not part of the county, they might operate as a county seat (e.g. the Independent City of Fairfax is the seat of Fairfax County, though it is not legally within Fairfax County). California has abolished its townships, though many general law cities continue to use the word "Town" as part of their name (e.g. "Town of Atherton" when it is, legally, the City of Atherton). Louisiana has entities roughly equivalent to counties called parishes . Alaska is divided into boroughs , which typically provide fewer local services than do most U.S. counties, as the state government furnishes many services directly. Some of Alaska's boroughs have merged geographical boundaries and administrative functions with their principal (and sometimes only) cities; these are known as unified city-boroughs and result in some of Alaska's cities ranking among the geographically largest "cities" in the world. Nevertheless, Alaska considers such entities to be boroughs, not cities.

Alaska is also unique in that more than half the geographic area of the state is in the " Unorganized Borough ", a legal entity in which the state also functions as the local government. New York has a unique system where 57 of its 62 counties are independently-operated administrative divisions of the state, with normal county executive powers; while the remaining five are administrative divisions of the City of New York . These five are each called borough in context of City government – Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island (formerly Richmond); but are still called "county" where state function is involved, e.g., "New York County Courthouse", not "Manhattan". The county names correlate to the borough names as follows: New York County = Manhattan , Bronx County = The Bronx , Queens County = Queens , Kings County = Brooklyn , and Richmond County = Staten Island . In two states and parts of a third, county government as such does not exist, and county refers to geographic regions or districts. In Connecticut , [7] Rhode Island [8] and parts of Massachusetts [9] [10] counties exist only to designate boundaries for such state-level functions as park districts (Connecticut) or judicial offices (Connecticut and Massachusetts).

In states where county government is nonexistent or weak (e.g., New Hampshire , Vermont ), town government may provide some or all of the local government services. Most counties have a county seat , a city, town, or other named place where its administrative functions are centered. Some counties have no incorporated municipalities, such as Arlington County, Virginia . In several instances throughout the nation, a municipality has merged with a county into one jurisdiction so the county seat is coextensive with the county, forming a consolidated city-county . Some New England states use the term shire town to mean "county seat". Ceremonial counties of England QLD Land Searches Glossary QLD Land Searches Glossary Automated Title System Administrative Advice A document raised by a government authority to record certain advice relating to a parcel of land. B Base Parcel The lot or lots that are subdivided by a plan, except in the case of BUP/GTPs (see Comatose Title). BCCM Body Corporate and Community Management. Hence BCCM Act. Body Corporate A legal entity created when land is subdivided and a community titles scheme is created. C Comatose Title The title to the underlying parcel of land over which a Building Unit Plan or Group Title Plan was registered.

Upon extinguishment of a BUP or GTP any dealing with the parcel reverted to this title. All comatose titles were cancelled with the introduction of the BCCM Act. Common Property Any part of a community title scheme which does not comprise part of a lot, such as common garden areas, stairways and lifts. Common Property Pseudo Title As paper titles are not created for common property, the ATS allocates a 'pseudo' title reference to manage related dealings. Community Management Statement (CMS) A document which identifies land under a community title scheme & complies with the BCCM Act. Community Title Scheme (CTS) A type of land subdivision incorporating both conventional land subdivision and strata subdivision that replaced building unit plans and group titles for most new developments after July 1997. Consolidation In relation to land, the combining of two or more land parcels into one parcel. County A basic division, further divided into parishes, for administrative purposes, especially for management and disposal of Crown lands. Counties are administrative divisions of the state and are not separately disposable land parcels. Covenant Generally a mutual agreement between two or more parties to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts in relation to land.

Often contained in lease agreements, but in these directions it particularly refers to a restrictive covenant (now a restriction on the use of land) or a positive covenant binding a proprietor to do or complete a specified action. D Any action relating to a parcel of land, such as a transfer of interest. Deed Any legal document in relation to land which has been signed and executed. Deed of Grant Means both the land granted in fee simple by the state and the document that evidences the grant, including the indefeasible title. Devolution of Law The passing of title to land by the operation of law e.g. by a will or by the laws of distribution out of an intestate estate. E Easement A right, attached to land (the dominant tenement), to use other land (the servient tenement) for a specified non-exclusive purpose known to the law, e.g. right of carriageway, easement to drain water. Encumbrance A right or claim upon land held by one other than the property owner. Includes mortgages, taxes, liens, easements, restrictions on the use of the land, etc.

Estate An interest in land eg Estate in Fee Simple or Leasehold Estate F Fee Simple An interest in land which is absolute and without limitation to inheritance. It implies full ownership in land, a tenure of which is called freehold. Freehold The status of land held under an estate in fee simple following alienation from the Crown. Freehold Lease The issue of freehold title has been approved, but the lessee is paying off the purchase price over time and the actual freehold title will not issue until the price is fully paid (may also be called Conditional Purchase). I Indefeasible Title The indefeasible title for a lot is the current particulars in the land register about the lot. It is created when the particulars are recorded in the freehold land register. Information Provider Department Department of Natural Resources and Mines. Instrument Any document lodged with the Registrar of Titles for the purpose of affecting the Register, such as: a deed of grant or certificate of title a will, deed or power of attorney that may be used to deal with a lot a map or plan of survey J Joint Tenancy A form of co-ownership of a parcel of land by two or more persons jointly, with vesting of the interest of a deceased proprietor in the survivor(s).

L An interest in land for a fixed term, usually in consideration of payment of rent. Leasehold Estate Lands held under a lease. Lien A right to retain a document until a debt is satisfied, e.g. the deeds to land under mortgage. Lot The legal description given to a parcel of land on a registered plan. M Mortgage A conveyance of property by a debtor to a creditor as security for a debt, on condition that it shall be returned on payment of the debt within a specified period. N Department of Natural Resources and Mines, the QLD Government department responsible for the ATS. P Parcel A parcel of land defined by measurement as a lot in a deposited plan or as a Crown portion or allotment. Parish Parishes are administrative divisions of the state and are not separately disposable land parcels. Perpetual Lease A lease forever, unlimited in time. Permit to Occupy Short term occupation of State controlled land. This tenure can not be sold, sub-let or mortgaged. Portion When referring to a parcel of land means the basic land unit capable of separate disposition created by the Crown within the boundaries of a parish.

Proprietor The person(s) seized or possessed of the freehold or other estate or interest in land and recorded on the title as being the owner. R An area set aside for the present or future use of the travelling public. Road Licence Tenure where a road has been temporarily closed, allowing the licensee to use the land until such time as it is required once again for road purposes. S The land burdened by an easement. Strata (stratum) The concept of layer upon layer - lots, stacked one on top of the other. Hence, Strata Plan - a plan depicting vertical subdivision of land by buildings such as home units. State Land All land in Queensland that is not covered (for the time being) by the following conditions: granted or contracted to be granted in fee simple by the State (that is, freehold) reserved for or dedicated to public purposes subject to any lease or licence lawfully granted by the State (except an occupation licence) State Lease A lease on state land with a specified purpose such as grazing or tourism. The three main types of state leases are term, perpetual & freehold. Subdivision The division of land into parts for separate occupation and/or disposition.

The land may be subdivided either vertically or by stratum. T Tenancy in Common A form of co-ownership of a parcel of land by two or more persons in unity of possession but each as to an undivided share, whether equal or unequal, each undivided share being capable of separate disposition. Tenant One who holds or possesses lands or tenements by any kind of right or title. Tenure The mode of holding or occupying unalienated Crown land such as freehold or perpetual lease. Term Lease For a term anywhere between 1 and 100 years. Transfer The passing of any estate or interest in land, whether for valuable consideration or otherwise Transmission The acquirement of title to or interest in land as a consequence of the death, will, intestacy or bankruptcy of a proprietor. Trust Land A description that covers both reserves and deeds of grant in trust. Basically, land that has been set aside for a particular public or community purpose. QATS Glossary A guide to Terms & Concepts. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ATS Automated Title System Administrative Advice A document raised by a government authority to record certain advice relating to a parcel of land.

Base Parcel The lot or lots that are subdivided by a plan, except in the case of BUP/GTPs (see Comatose Title). BCCM Body Corporate and Community Management. Hence BCCM Act. Body Corporate A legal entity created when land is subdivided and a community titles scheme is created. Comatose Title The title to the underlying parcel of land over which a Building Unit Plan or Group Title Plan was registered. Upon extinguishment of a BUP or GTP any dealing with the parcel reverted to this title. All comatose titles were cancelled with the introduction of the BCCM Act. Common Property Any part of a community title scheme which does not comprise part of a lot, such as common garden areas, stairways and lifts. Common Property Pseudo Title As paper titles are not created for common property, the ATS allocates a 'pseudo' title reference to manage related dealings. Community Management Statement (CMS) A document which identifies land under a community title scheme & complies with the BCCM Act. Community Title Scheme (CTS) A type of land subdivision incorporating both conventional land subdivision and strata subdivision that replaced building unit plans and group titles for most new developments after July 1997.

Consolidation In relation to land, the combining of two or more land parcels into one parcel. County A basic division, further divided into parishes, for administrative purposes, especially for management and disposal of Crown lands. Counties are administrative divisions of the state and are not separately disposable land parcels. Covenant Generally a mutual agreement between two or more parties to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts in relation to land. Often contained in lease agreements, but in these directions it particularly refers to a restrictive covenant (now a restriction on the use of land) or a positive covenant binding a proprietor to do or complete a specified action. Dealing Any action relating to a parcel of land, such as a transfer of interest. Deed Any legal document in relation to land which has been signed and executed. Deed of Grant Means both the land granted in fee simple by the state and the document that evidences the grant, including the indefeasible title. Devolution of Law The passing of title to land by the operation of law e.g. by a will or by the laws of distribution out of an intestate estate.

Easement A right, attached to land (the dominant tenement), to use other land (the servient tenement) for a specified non-exclusive purpose known to the law, e.g. right of carriageway, easement to drain water. Encumbrance A right or claim upon land held by one other than the property owner. Includes mortgages, taxes, liens, easements, restrictions on the use of the land, etc. Estate An interest in land eg Estate in Fee Simple or Leasehold Estate Fee Simple An interest in land which is absolute and without limitation to inheritance. It implies full ownership in land, a tenure of which is called freehold. Freehold The status of land held under an estate in fee simple following alienation from the Crown. Freehold Lease The issue of freehold title has been approved, but the lessee is paying off the purchase price over time and the actual freehold title will not issue until the price is fully paid (may also be called Conditional Purchase). Indefeasible Title The indefeasible title for a lot is the current particulars in the land register about the lot. It is created when the particulars are recorded in the freehold land register.

Information Provider Department Department of Natural Resources, Water and Energy. Instrument Any document lodged with the Registrar of Titles for the purpose of affecting the Register, such as: a deed of grant or certificate of title a will, deed or power of attorney that may be used to deal with a lot a map or plan of survey Joint Tenancy A form of co-ownership of a parcel of land by two or more persons jointly, with vesting of the interest of a deceased proprietor in the survivor(s). Lease An interest in land for a fixed term, usually in consideration of payment of rent. Leasehold Estate Lands held under a lease. Lien A right to retain a document until a debt is satisfied, e.g. the deeds to land under mortgage. Lot The legal description given to a parcel of land on a registered plan. Mortgage A conveyance of property by a debtor to a creditor as security for a debt, on condition that it shall be returned on payment of the debt within a specified period. NRW&E Department of Natural Resources, Water and Energy, the QLD Government department responsible for the ATS. Parcel A parcel of land defined by measurement as a lot in a deposited plan or as a Crown portion or allotment.

Parish Parishes are administrative divisions of the state and are not separately disposable land parcels. Perpetual Lease A lease forever, unlimited in time. Permit to Occupy Short term occupation of State controlled land. This tenure can not be sold, sub-let or mortgaged. Portion When referring to a parcel of land means the basic land unit capable of separate disposition created by the Crown within the boundaries of a parish. Proprietor The person(s) seized or possessed of the freehold or other estate or interest in land and recorded on the title as being the owner. Road An area set aside for the present or future use of the travelling public. Road Licence Tenure where a road has been temporarily closed, allowing the licensee to use the land until such time as it is required once again for road purposes. Servient Tenement The land burdened by an easement. Strata (stratum) The concept of layer upon layer - lots, stacked one on top of the other. Hence, Strata Plan - a plan depicting vertical subdivision of land by buildings such as home units.

State Land All land in Queensland that is not covered (for the time being) by the following conditions: granted or contracted to be granted in fee simple by the State (that is, freehold) reserved for or dedicated to public purposes subject to any lease or licence lawfully granted by the State (except an occupation licence) State Lease A lease on state land with a specified purpose such as grazing or tourism. The three main types of state leases are term, perpetual & freehold. Subdivision The division of land into parts for separate occupation and/or disposition. The land may be subdivided either vertically or by stratum. Tenancy in Common A form of co-ownership of a parcel of land by two or more persons in unity of possession but each as to an undivided share, whether equal or unequal, each undivided share being capable of separate disposition. Tenant One who holds or possesses lands or tenements by any kind of right or title. Tenure The mode of holding or occupying unalienated Crown land such as freehold or perpetual lease. Term Lease For a term anywhere between 1 and 100 years.

Transfer The passing of any estate or interest in land, whether for valuable consideration or otherwise Transmission The acquirement of title to or interest in land as a consequence of the death, will, intestacy or bankruptcy of a proprietor. Trust Land A description that covers both reserves and deeds of grant in trust. Basically, land that has been set aside for a particular public or community purpose. Unallocated State Land (USL) Also called Vacant Crown Land. State land not under an occupation licence or some other interest. Unregistered Dealing An instrument which has been lodged with the Registrar but not yet registered. Utility Lot A strata lot designated for a specific purpose such as garage, parking space or garden shed. Need more help? CONFIRM Help can link you to FAQs for all of our databases and services.

Question: For administrative purposes, France is subdivided into 100 areas which are called what?
Answer: Departments