CIVIL DIVISION OF THE WORLD PART V. WESTERN HEMISPHERE APRIL 1958

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01009A002000050004-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 75
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 1, 1999
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: April 1, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
N?
CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE WORLD
Part V. Western Hemisphere
April 1958
CIA/RR-GR-185
~wj
NO CHANCE 4N CLASS
C-LAM513. CHANGED TO:
A 'tH: tifj 70-
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLN
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FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
GEOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE WORLD
Part V. Western Hemisphere
April 1958
CIA/RR-GR-185
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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CONTENTS
A. North America
Alaska
Greenland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. Pierre and Miquelon
'United States
B. Middle.America (Mainland)
Mexico .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 12
Guatemala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
British Honduras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. . . . . . . . . 15
Honduras . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
El Salvador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . 17
Nicaragua . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Costa Rica . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 19
Panama
Panama Canal Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
C. Middle America(Insular)
Antigua . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . 23
Barbados . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Dominica . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 25
Grenada . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Jamaica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 27
Dependencies of Jamaica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . 28
Montserrat . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 29
St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
St. Lucia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Trinidad and Tobago .
32
......... 33
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Page
Caribbean Islands Claimed by the United States and Colombia . . . . .
. .
.34
Serranilla Bank . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
35
Swan Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
.
36
Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
37
Bahamas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
. 38
Navassa Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
39
Haiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
110
Dominican Republic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
41
Puerto .Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
42
Virgin Islands of the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
43
British Virgin Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
Netherlands Antilles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
_. .
1i5
Guadeloupe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
46
Martinique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
48
D. South America
~+9
Venezuela
52
..........
53
French Guiana . . . . ' . . . . . . . . .
54
Brazil . . . . . . . . . .
Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
57
Peru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
58
Bolivia . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
59
Paraguay .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
61
Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
62
Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
63
Uruguay . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
65
South Atlantic Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
66
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CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE WORLD
Part .V. WESTERN HEMISPHERE
Introduction
Wherever possible, this report gives the generic names of first- and second-
order civil divisions and the number of such units for each country. "Country" is
here interpreted loosely to cover nations, colonies, possessions and other types of
units., For the most part, the data reflect de facto sovereignty as of. April 1958.
The counting of a particular civil division under the name of a country, however,
does not necessarily imply, recognition of its current political status by the United
States Government.
The data vary somewhat in completeness and accuracy from country to country.
For some countries, the classification of towns presented problems, whereas for
others, determining the rank and administrative role of.extensive divisions was
.difficult.. Resolving the various problems offered wide latitude for choice, and
the compilerswill quickly.concede that valid interpretations different from theirs
can be placed on many. of the civil division patterns.
The new Federation of the West Indies is treated as. a ttcountry" with component
territories (former colonies) as first-order civil divisions. But since the
federation is still in a formative stage, and some readers may prefer to regard
the territories as;"countries'," their administrative arrangements are noted through
third-order -- that is, former first-order division (under the federation, second
order); former second-order division (under the federation, . third-order).
Wherever appropriate, the generic names of civil divisions are followed by a
translation.--.the "standard" translation where one could be:discerned, and the
choice of the compilers in other cases. Where translations only were available,
that is, where the official form in current use could not be identified with
certainty, the translation is given by itself in brackets.
In the Spanish-speaking areas of the WesternHemisphere, there is much
similarity from country to.country in the terms used to identify civil divisions.
Comparisons between countries should be made with caution, however, for
identically named units in different countries may differ greatly in function.
The.data given for each civil division category is that of the main source
from which information was taken. Where basic data were drawn from numerous
sources, the date may span several years. For the most part, geographic
coordinates are taken from The Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World,
1952 edition..
The references cited generally include the main sources from which data
were taken. In some instances, it was necessary to note several references
in order to give complete coverage for both first- and second-order units.
References include maps,. lists, and works useful in interpreting administrative
relationships. After each citation, a brief indication of the type of data
presented by the-source is given.
.Reference materials for.which call numbers or mapnumbers.are given in the
citations.can be obtained on request from..the CIA Map Library, extension 2596.
Maps with map numbers generally are obtainable as retention copies, whereas all
items with call numbers are available only on loan. Most of.the unnumbered
books,, reports, and documents that are cited as references are in the CIA Library
(extension 8708), the Department of State Library, or the Library of Congress.
A. few, however,.are available at the_CIA.Map.Library.
Where reliability. of the data is particularly doubtful, or where some
relationship is not covered by the available sources, the discrePancies.are
noted under the heading "Gaps."
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NORTH AMERICA
Alaska
Greenland
Canada
St. Pierre and Miquelon
Bermuda
United States
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ATASKA
An incorporated territory of the United States.
Name and number of
?S I - .DIV:LS'IONS judicial division;-
1958
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DV15-TONS recording district
To a: considerable extent the territory is administered as a
single unit by the Government of the United States acting through
a Governor and other officials appointed by the President of the
United States, and through some 50 Federal agencies that have
direct jurisdiction i.n Alaskan affairs."; A more limited range f
governmental activities is carried out by the Territorial Govern-
ment.for which legislators and certain other officials are
elected by the voters of. Alaska. The relationship' between.
Federal authority and Territorial authority i.s. complex, with
some of the powers of the Governor, being shared with locally
elected or appointed. official.sa
The 4 judicial divisions.(identified by number) and their sub-
divisions, the recording districts, are conventionally treated
as the first- and second-order administrative entities largely
because there is no other system of area breakdown that comes
closer to being 'Aadm_tni.strativeU and systematically divides the
entire area of the territory. It should be noted, however, that
the judicial divisions are not. functionally comparable to the
administrative unity of better-developed areas,- and that .mach
governmental activity :i.s.conducted'without reference to their
'boun.dara.e
The proper place of the 30 (as of 1955.) incorporated towns of
Alaska in the administrative scheme is open to interpretation.
Although subordinate to the Territorial Government, the towns
are in some respects first-order administrative units-. Juneau,
the capital of Alaska, is an incorporated town, but otherwise
has no special status
__-7A b'ill . admitting Alaska as the 1.9th State of the United States was passed by
the U'.6. house of Representatives on. 22.8 May 1958 and by the U. S. Senate on 30 June
1;9580 Actual achievement of statehood will probably be consummated in December
1.958, when the President upon receiving 'various certifications proclaims Alaska a
state. Until ad:rni.ssion. is thus formalized, the area will remain technically a
territory with the civil divisions noted above. After the proclamation, Alaska
ViLl become the 49th first-order civil division of the United States with
second-order units,, somewhat comparable to .counties, called boroughs. The number
of boroughs that will exist at the time statehood is proclaimed is not now.'known.
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Alaska Resource Development Board. Biennial Report 1955-119,;57,p
Juneau, 1.957; administrative relationships.
Financial Data .Re ardin the Incorporated Towns and Cities of
A14 Alaska .:Resource Development Board, Juneau,,. .195
administrative relationships; names of incorporated towns.
Colby, M.. A. Guide t,o:Alaska$ The Macmillan Company, New York,
1954;, adaini strativ:e relationships .
M.id~Gntury Alaska, United States Department of the Interior,
Office of Territories, L.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
1951; administrative relationships.
A 1;3,000,0001 June 1956; National Geographic Society;
limits of the judicial divisions.
Alaoka 1:3,750,000; 1950; U.9. Government Printing Office;
boundaries of judicial divisions and recording districts;
locates settlements,, incorporated ones differentiated.
Call No- 912.17.
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GFMMIANn
A Danish possession formerly administered as a colony. .A constitutional change
of 1953,made Greenland an integral part ofthe Danish Kingdom.
Name and number of
F -ORDER DIVI3IQNS (land territo 3
territory)
1957
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS kommunea 19
(municipality)*
1957
RED S The three territories are Vastergr$nland, Nordgr$nland, and
Ostgr$nland. Vastergr~nland, wherein dwell most of the people
of Greenland, is divided into 16. municipalities, each comprising
several inhabited places. The "places'", however, may be merely
single dwellings. Nordgr$nland has one. municipality -- Thule;
Ostgr~nland has two -- Angmagssalik and Scoresbysund. Since
there is no settlement in the interior, boundaries between civil
divisions separate coastal sectors only. GodthAb is the capital.
RUTRENCES, (a) Statistisk . rbog 1951, Denmark, Otatistiske Departement,
Bianco Lunos Bogtrykkeri A/S, Copenhagen, 1957; administrative
relationships; names of first- and second-order,units.
(b) Grb'nland, 1:5,000,000) Denmark, Geodetic Institute, 1947;
boundaries of first- and second-order units; data are not current
but with the aid of ref. (a) the present boundaries of most-units
can be worked out. Call No. 6580+,
#.i translated in reference (a).
GREENLAND
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CANADA
Name and number. of
FIR ST -OR]J R DIVISIONS
province:
10.
1958
territory:
Name and number of
SE0QNf -ORDER DIVISIONS
1955'56
[urban municipality]: ca.. 1,25.*
[rural municipality]: ca. 1,695**
county: 111
district.: 3
REMARKS The provinces are: Alberta, British Columbia,, Manitoba, New
Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova..Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward
Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The 2 territories are Yukon
(no subdivisions) and the Northwest Territories (divided into
the 3 districts that are counted above as second-order divisions).
The terms "rural municipality, and "urban municipality" as used
above indicate similar entities known by different names in
different provinces. For example:
urban municipality: city, town, village, incorporated
city, incorporated town, incorpo-
rated village.
rural municipality: municipal district, incorporated
rural district., township, organized
township, etc.
"County" as used in Canada refers to many different types of
units.few.of which are exactly comparable to the counties of
the United States. The figure given above for counties ranking
as second-order units covers only those of Ontario and Quebec.
For parts of these provinces, counties function as administrative
entities between province governments. and organized rural areas.
The cities and most towns of Ontario.and.Quebec are not under
county administration, although many are-within counties in a
geographic sense.
-Excludes some 636 villages and towns of Ontario arid:Quebec that are
technically under counties and thus are not true second-order units; includes
17 Local government "communities" of New 'b'undlana and 12 incorporated villages
of Prince Edward Island.
**Excludes some 1,543 organized rural areas of Ontario and Quebec that are
technically under counties and thus are not true second-order divisions; includes
a; few Qntar. io -'"improvement districts", but excludes 12 similarly. named districts
in Saskatchewan; for Manitoba, includes 5 "suburban. municipalities" but not the
"local government districts `?; 7 "county municipalities" of Alberta are included,
but the 53 Alberta 1i.mprovement. districts" are excluded.
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CANADA
con't
REMARKS Although several provinces other than Quebec and Ontario have
con't "counties", these either do not have governments or are con-
ventionally classified as "rural municipalities." In Alberta,
counties are being formed under a plan for the administration
of municipal affairs, local schools, and hospitals by one council.
Those formed to date are counted above as "rural municipalities."
Nova Scotia has 18 counties, 12 of which are coextensive with
rural municipalities, whereas 6 are divided into 2 rural munici-
palities each. As such, the counties of NovaScotia do not represent
local units of self-government. The 15 counties of New Brunswick
are, excluding the areas of certain towns and cities, coextensive
with the 15 rural municipalities of that province. The 3 counties
of Prince Edward Island are nominal units without governments.
Throughout Canada there are numerous special purpose authorities
with areas of responsibility that may take in all or part of
several civil divisions. Some of these have acquired functions
other than those for which they were originally formed and, in
some cases, the line between multipurpose civil division and
special jurisdiction cannot be sharply drawn.
Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is a self-governing municipality.
The Federal Government, however, has long played an important
role in its planning and development.
REFERENCES Note: Many readily available maps correctly represent the
boundaries of the provinces and territories. Numerous equally
available maps show the limits of the second-order divisions,
but are generally inadequate in completeness of detail and
currency of data. Putting together a relatively complete
and up-to-date boundary picture for the second-order units of
any one province normally requires a large and heterogeneous
assortment of maps -- some at quite large scales. Moreover,
many of the available maps showing second-order unit boundaries
also give the limits of a variety of other entities (judicial
districts, census districts, election districts, ad hoc
authorities, etc.) that are not true civil divisions. Thus, in
determining any boundary, considerable analysis may be required
to separate wheat from chaff.
Canada, Bureau of Statistics. The Canada Yearbook 1955,
Edmond Cloutier, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, 1955; administrative
relationships; includes 1:8,870,400 map showing province and
territory boundaries.
Canadian Almanac and Directory; Copp Clark Publishing Co., Ltd.,
Toronto, 1957; administrative relationships; names of first-
and second-order units.
The Statesman's Year-Book 1927, Macmillan and Co., Ltd., London,
1957; administrative relationships; number of units.
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CANADA
con's t
REFERENCES Brown, George W.. Canada, University of California Press,
con't Berkeley, 1950; administrative relationships (Chapter XII,
local government).
Lawrence, Bertha. Canada in the Modern World, J..L Dent and
Sons, Ltd., Toronto, 1955; administrative relationships;
historical development of local government p..395-412.
Available map coverage for the boundaries of second-order units
leaves much.to be desired in completeness, currency, and clarity.
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ST. PIERRE AND MIQUELON
A French overseas territory comprising 2 islands and a.number of small adjacent
islets off the south coast of Newfoundland near 1+8o50'N-56?l5'Wa.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS commune: 2
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS. The population of the islands is not dense enough. to require
precisely delimited administrative units. As far as can be
determined, the commune of St-Pierre takes in the entire island
.of that name and adjacent islets. Miquelon commune apparently
comprises all of Grande Miquelon .and PetiteMiquelon (Langlade).
In the past, a settlement on Petite Miquelon may have ranked
as another commune.
The town of St. Pierre is the capital of the territory as a
whole.
There is doubt about the sovereignty status of the. easternmost
island of the St. Pierre and Miquelon group -- Isle.Verte,
48o521N-56005'W. According to.reference (a) and other French
sources, half the island belongs to France. Confirmation of
Canadian ownership of part of the island has not yet been found
in Canadian sources, although reference (a) indicates that the
British (Canadians-7) have erected a I"ighthouse,on the island.
REFERENCES (a) Bottin de Madagascar des Territoires,D'Amerique et
D'0ceanie,, Didot-Bottin, Paris, 1957; administrative
relationships.
(b) Dictionnaire des Communes, Editions Berger-Levrault,
Paris, 15-56; names of communes.
(c) Leitch, Adelaide. "The Poker-Faced Islands of France
Canadian Geographical Journal, Vol.,I, No. 3, September
1950, p. 105-119; administrative-relationships.
Data are needed on the current status of Isle Verte.
8 - ST. FIERR.E.AND MIQTJFLON
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United Kingdom Crown Colony in the western Atlantic; includes several islands
centered near 32015'N-64o51'Wa
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS parish: 9
1957
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS There are two towns, St. George and Hamilton (the capital), in
which municipal taxes.are levied. Hamilton is governed by a
corporation. Whether these two municipalities should be regarded
as entities separate from the parishes in which they are located
is amoot question.
REFERENCE Bermuda: Report for the Years 1955 and 1956, Her.Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1958; administrative.relationships
and.names.of units; includes a 1:60,000 map shoving parish
names and boundaries.
9 m BERMUDA
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UNITED STATES*
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
state: .48
1958
district:
1
Name and number of
SECOND-QRDER DIVISIONS
county:
3,004
1956-57
parish:
64
independent city: 34
REMARKS The number of states will increase to 49 when. Alaska is officially
proclaimed a state, probably in December 1958. For details
regarding the. current status of Alaska,. see p. 2.
The single first-order district, the District of Columbia, is.
coextensive with the City of Washington, capital of the United
2 States. The District of Columbia has no subdivisions that can
be referred to as general-purpose administrative units of
second-order rank.
.The number of counties per state ranges from 3 (Delaware) to
254 (Texas). States alad counties vary greatly in. area and
population, and some counties are actually larger and more
populous than some states. A few counties are: merely nominal
units without governments, but no attempt has been made to
exclude them from the total given above.
The 64 parishes, all located in the State of Louisiana, differ
only in name from the counties of other states.
The figure for independent cities, drawn from reference (a),
breaks down as follows: Virginia: 32; Maryland: 1 (Baltimore);
Missouri: 1 (St..Louis). The cities are independent in the
sense that they are not subject to county authority. Many other
cities not officially recognized as "independent cities" approach
this status in fact.
The administrative arrangements of New York City are anomalous in
that the city takes in the total area of 5 counties. City
administration is handled through 5 boroughs, each coextensive
with one of the 5 counties. Three of the boroughs (Bronx,
Richmond, and.Queens) take the names of the counties with which
they coincide; the other 2 have different names: New York
County/Manhatten Borough; Kings.Coun.ty/Brooklyn Borough. The
5 counties of New York City have been included in the total
given above; in some lists, they are not counted as regular
counties.
'Only the continental United States is considered here -.that is, the states
and the District of Columbia. Data for territories, associated commonwealths,
possessions, and other types of entities over which the United States exercises
sovereignty are set forth elsewhere in appropriate regional sections.
-.10 - UNITED STATES
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UNITED STATES
contt
REMARKS The basic third-order divisions are municipalities (cities and
con't towns) and townships (essentially rural divisions of.counties,
although they include towns in the New England States, New York,
and.Wisconsin). In 1952, there were 16,778 municipalities and
17,202 townships. Throughout.the United States, many public
services are dispensed by ad hoc authorities with areas of
jurisdiction that may take in all or part of several civil
divisions. Such authorities now number about 72,000, of which
some 60.,000 are school districts.
REFERENCES Note: Numerous.mateials offer pertinent data. on the:civil
divisions of the United States. The items-noted below are
merely representative of those that are readily available.
(a) U.S. Bureau of the Census. County and City Data Book 1956,
A Statistical Abstract Supplement, U.S. Government'Printing
Office, Washington, 1957; names of first- and second-order
civil divisions; boundaries shown on accompanying small-scale
state maps.
(b) U.S. Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the
United States: 1956, Seventy-seventh edition, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, 1956;. administrative.relationships;
number of lower-order units.
(c) Webster`s Geographical Dictionary, G.and C. Merriam Co.,,
Springfield, Mass., 1957; names of first- and second-order
units; boundaries shown on accompanying small-scale state maps.
(d) The World Almanac) New York World-Telegram Corporation,
New. York, 1958; names of first- and second-order units..
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MIDDLE AMERICA (Mainland)
Mexico
Guatemala
British Honduras
Honduras
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
Panama Canal Zone
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER. DIVISIONS
1957
estado: 29
(state)
distrito federal: 1
(federal district)
territorio: 2
(territory)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS municipio: 2,3+7
(municipality)
1976
delegation.: 21i-
(delegation)
congregation autonoma: 1
(autonomous congregation)
REMARKS The distrito federal and the 2 territorios are divided into
24+ delegaciones, 13 of which are in the distrito federal.
The urban core of Mexico City falls largely within one of the
13 delegaciones.
The municipios, the basic units of local government, vary greatly
in area, population, and urban-rural proportions. The municipio
seat (city, town, or village) has no corporate identity apart from
the munici io as a whole. Since virtually all towns of any
importance and many of no importance) are rn icipio seats,
city government and municii.o government are one and the same
thing.
All localities in Mexico are assigned a:"political category"
designation: ciudad (city), villa (town), ueblo (settlement),
e ido (communal or semicommunal farming unit , hacienda (landed
estate), rancho (small land holding), etc. A typical mun
might comprise a city (the administrative seat) and 10 to 15
units of lesser status.
The number of municipios per state ranges from 4 in Baja
California Norte to some 570 in Oaxaca. Municip os are so
numerous in Oaxaca that their boundaries cannot be shown on
maps at small or medium scales. For this reason, many Mexican
maps, including references (b) and (f), give only the boundaries
of some 30 former distritos for Oaxaca. Various lists, including
one in reference 07 group Oaxaca municipios under the names of
former distritos.. It should be noted that use of the former
distritos in presenting data for Oaxaca is an arrangement of
convenience; the units have no current administrative significance.
The congr2Zacion.autonoma is located in-the state of Nuevo Leon.
It may be a special dministrative arrangement for a native
(Indian) community, but particulars are not given in readily
available sources.
MEXICO
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MEXICO
con't
REFERENCES (a) Compendio Estadfstico, Mexico, Secretaria de E:conomfa,.
10
Direccio General de Estadfetica, Talleres Graficos de la
Nacion,.Mexico City, 1957; administrative relationships;
number of units; names of first-order units.
(b) Estados Unidos Mexicanos Division Munici al; ca.
1:1,.000,000;. Mexico, $eccion de Econom , Direccion General
de Estadfstica, 1950; names and.boundaries.of first and
second-order units, except Oaxaca municipios. Call No.
78516.
(c) Tucker, W.P.. The Mexican Government Today, University
of Minnesota dress, Minneapolis, 1957; administrative
relationships.
(d) Annuario Estadistico de los;Estados Unidos.Mexicanos,
Mexico, Secretar a de E.conom a, Direccion General de
.Estadistica, Mexico City, 195+; list of Oaxaca municipios
grouped by former distritos, p. 91.
(e) Integration Territorial de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos,
Mexic?, Secret de Economia Direccion General de Estadistieo,
Mexico City, 1952; names of all units in hierarchic outline.
Call No. gC201.M49.
(f) Atlas Geo rafico de los Estados-Unidos Mexicanos, Mexico,
Secretar a.de Agriculture y Fomento, Mexico City, 1946; munici io
boundaries (except for Oaxaca) shown on state maps at 1:7-0,000-
1:2,000,000; not' as current as ref. (b) but useful because of
larger scales; includes list of coastal islands and states or
territories to which they belong. Call No. aC201.M47 19-6 (a).
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Name-and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departamento: 22*
(department)
1956
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS municipio: 322
(municipality)
REMARKS Departamentos vary greatly in area, population, and number of
municipios (5 to 31).
The municipios of Guatemala are basically similar to those of
numerous other Latin.Americancountries. Each includes a seat
(city, town, or village) and-a.surrounding area, usually rural.
The settlement that serves as administrative seat has no corporate
existence apart from the municipio as a.whole. Oince virtually
all towns of any importance are municipio seats, city government
is municipio government. In the towns that are also seats of
departamentos, however, the line between municipio government
and departamento government may not be sharply drawn.
Technically, Guatemala City, the capital, has no special status
other than its position as a municipio and.departamento seat.
REFERENCES Matheu, Jorge D.V.. Guia Socio eo rafica de Guatemala,
Tipograffa Nacional de Guatemala, Guatemala City, 1956;
administrative relationships; names of first- and second-
order units.
.n Ea de la Republica de Guatemala, 1:800,000; Direction
General de Estad stica; 1952; boundaries of first- and
second-order units. Call No. 50285.
.[Departments of the Republic of Guatemala]; 1:200,000 through
1:800,000; Direction General de Estadfstica; 1953-?; individual
departamento maps showing names and boundaries of municipios;
complete coverage; Call No. 93716.
Guatemala; 1:1,000,000; 1953; departamento names and boundaries.
Map.No. 12208.
~` Officially 23, according to some Guatemalan sources, the 23rd being Belize
(Belice) British Honduras, which Guatemala claims.
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BRITISH HONDURAS
(United Kingdom Crown Colony)
Name.and number of
MST-ORDER .DIVISIONS district: 6
1955
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS See Remarks
REMARKS
Each district, except Belize, is under a District Commissioner
whose field of duties is very wide. In the Belize District,
much administration is exercised. directly by the colony government
from Belize Town, and the functions of the officer responsible
for the district outside the town differ materially from those
of a District Commissioner.
As far as can be determined, the cays and islets along the coast,
some of which are inhabited, are under the administration of the
coastal districts they adjoin.
The 7 towns with local government boards are in some respects
the only second-order divisions. All of the towns are small
except Belize, the population of which comprises. about one third
of the colony total.
REFERENCES Colonial Report: British Honduras 122 , Her Majesty' s. Stationery
Office,, London, 1957; administrative relationships; names of
districts and "local authority" towns; district boundaries shown
on accompanying 1:950,000 map.
The Colonial Office List 1951, Her Majesty's Stationery Office,
London.; administrative relationships; names of districts.
15 - BRITISH HONDURAS
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HONDURAS
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departamento: 18
September 1957
(department)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS municipio: 24+5
(municipality)
1952-55
distrito: 36
(district)
REMARKS In February 1957, a new :departamento (Gracias a Dios) was formed
from the eastern portion of the Departamento.de Colon. It
comprises a jungle area that has long been in dispute between
Honduras and Nicaragua.
The islands off the north coast form a single departamento:
Islas de la Bahia.
The municipios of Honduras are similar to those of numerous other
Iatin_American countries in that they include a seat (city, town,
or village) and an adjacent area,'-usually rural.
Distritos, of which at least four types are recognized (territorial,
departmental, sectional, and local) are merely the most important
municipios, i.e., they comprise the largest towns. Distritos
differ from normal municipios in that their governments. are
directed to a considerable extent by the national government.
Tegucigalpa, the capital, is the seat of the Distrito Territorial
de Tegucigalpa (also called Distrito Central). Whether the distritos,
or some of them, might be more appropriately ranked as first-order
divisions is a question available data.do not answer definitively.
REFERENCES Bolletin, Honduras, Secretarfa de Fomento, Direccion General de
Cartograffa, Tegucigalpa, September 1957, Ano 1, Nr. 2, departamento
names and boundaries on end paper map at ca. 1:2,000,000;. includes
boundary of new departamento formed in 1957.
Primer Censo Agropecuario 1952, Honduras, Direccion General de
Censos y Estadistica, 1954; Lad Dreikorn, San Salvador, 195+;
boundaries of first- and second-order units on 1:2,700,000 map;
names (distritos not differentiated) keyed to map by number.
Division Politico-Territorial de la Re ublica.de Honduras, Honduras,
Direccion General de Censor y Estad stica Nacional, Talleres
Tipograficos Nacionales, Tegucigalpa, 1952; names of all units in
hierarchic outline (distritos differentiated by type).
Stokes, W.S.. Honduras: An.Area Study in Government, University
of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1950; administrative relationships.
GAPS The status of the distritos needs clarification.
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EL SALVADOR
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIQNS departamento:
(department)
.Name and number of
SECON.O-QRDER DTVISIQNS distrito (district): 39
1955
REMARKS It is questionable whether much administrittion is exercised at
the distrito level and there is reason to view the municipios,
of which there-were some 260 in 1955, as the basic.second-order
divisions, their officlalthird-order statue , not. withstanding.
Town government is municipio government. Each munici io comprises
a seat (which may be designated Ciudad/city, villa village, etc.
to-indicate its.relative importance) and an adjacent area, usually
rural, The seat does not have a,corporate identity separate from
that of the.municipio as a whole.
REFERENCES Atlas Censal de El Salvador, Ministerio,de Economfa, D.ireccion
Generalde Estad stica y Censos, El Salvador, 1955;.names of
units first- through. third-order; boundaries-of departamentos
and municipios shown on map at 1:1,000,000. Call No. aC308.S73
1955. .
GAPS
.Peaslee, A.J.. Constitutions of Nations, Martinus Nijhoff, The
Hague, 1956; administrative relationships.(El Salvador constitution,
p. 815-851).
Additional dataare.needed on.distrito functions and boundaries.
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Including the Corn Islands some 50 miles off the east coast.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
departamento:
16
(department)
1952
distrito federal: 1
(federal district)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
comarca: 1
(territory)
municipio:
122
1952
REMARKS
(municipality)
The Corn Islands, although leased by the United States since
1914, are administered by Nicaragua as part of the Departamento
de Zelaya.
The distrito federal apparently comprises a small part of Managua,
capital of Nicaragua, but its limits are not made clear by readily
available data.
Comarca del Cabo Gracias a Dios, the first-order territory,
takes in northeasternmost Nicaragua and, as defined on Nicaraguan
maps, also includes an area claimed by Honduras.
The municipios vary greatly in size. On the east coast, they
extend over large areas, whereas in some of the more densely
settled parts of the country they take in little more than a
town and its immediate environs. The municipio seat (city, town,
or village) has no corporate existence apart from the municiplo
asa whole.
Municipios are subdivided into third-order comarcas of which
there were some 1,430 in 1952. "Comarca" can be translated as
"territory, district, quarter, region, or tract." As used in
Nicaragua in reference to third-order divisions, "district" seems
to be the most appropriate translation. The 1 comarca counted
above as a first-order division may not be so regarded officially.
REFERENCZ8 Mapa de la Republica de Nicaragua: Division Folftica; 1:1,250,000;
Direcci6n CT_ Aal de Estadistica; corrected to 1952; names and
boundaries of de, ap rtamentos and municipios. Call No. 78380.
Censo General de Poblacion de la?Republica de Nicaragua Mayo 1950,
Vol. XVII, Ministerio de Economia, Direction General de Estadistica
y Censos, Managua, Aug 195-; names of all units; boundaries of
first- and second-order units (except distrito federal) shown on
sketchy map at 1:3,000,000. Call No. gC305.N52 v. 17.
GAPS Clarification of the rank of the first-order comarca is needed.
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COSTA RICA.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS provincia: 7
(province)
1955
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS canton: 64
1955
REMARKS The city of San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, has no special
status other than its position.as center of a canton and
administrative seat of the Provincia.de.San Joa. The canton
comprises 11 distritos (districts; third-order units) 4 of
which take in the urban core of San Jose whereas 7 are suburban.
In areas of relatively dense population, the canton is
apparently the basic unit of local government with the
third-order distritos, of which there were 323 in 1955,
functioning as unimportant subdivisions. Where population
is sparse, however, government at the distrito level may be
of considerable local importance. In such areas distritos
are quite large.
Normally uninhabited Cocos Island (05?30'N-87?O0'W) is
attached administratively to.Provincia de Puntarenas.
REFERENCES Division Territorial Administrativa.de la Reublica.de Costa
Rica, Costa Rica, Ministerio de Econom a y Hacienda, Direccion
General de Estadfstica y Censos, San Jose, 1955; administrative
relationships; names of all units in hierarchic outline.
Costa Rica; 1:1,300,000; 1956; provincia names and boundaries.
Map No. 25346.
[Administrative Divisions of Costa Rica]; 1:1,250,000;
Direccion General de Estadfstica y Censos, 1950; names
and boundaries of units first- through third-order.
Call No. 97170.
[Costa Rica: Provinces, Cantons, and Districts]; various
scales; Instituto Geografico - Costa Rica, 1949-50; some
50 sheets, mostly maps of individual cantons and distritos;
coverage may not be complete. Call No. 50970.
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10
PANAMA'
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS provincia: 9
1957
(province)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS distrito: 63
(district)
1950-55
comarca: 1
(territory)
REMARKS Nearshore islands fit into the provincia, distrito, comarca
pattern.
The distritos are similar to units called municipios elsewhere
in Latin.America. Most distritos comprise a seat (city, town,
or village) and an adjacent area, usually rural. A distrito
seat has no corporate identity apart from the distrito as a whole.
The city of Panama, located near the Pacific end of the canal, is
the capital of the country and of the provincia and distrito of
the same name, but otherwise has no special status. The city of
Colon, the Atlantic canal terminal, is geographically within the
Canal Zone, but is administered by Panama and is the seat of both
the provincia and distrito of Colon.
The Comarca de San Blas takes in a strip along the northeast
coast and adjacent islands. Inhabited by the strong-minded
Cuna or Tule Indians, it is administered in theory at least
as a component of the Provincia de Colon.
Work on the 1950 census revealed a number of discrepancies
between various laws and administrative boundaries as shown
on available maps. In 1953, a committee charged with rectifying
this situation was reportedly being set up by the Panamanian
Ministry of Government and Justice.
REFERENCES Rubio, Angel.. Peguen.o Atlas.Geografico de Panama., Editora
Istmena S.A.,.Panama, 1955; names of first- and second-order
units in hierarchic outline, boundaries shown on accompanying
map at 1:3,600,000. Call No. aC306.R8 1955.
Censos Nacionales de 1950, Primer Censo A ro ecuario, Vol. II,
Caracter sticas de las E lotaciones,.Contraloria General de
la.Reptiblica, Direcci6n de Estadistica y Censo, Panama, 1957;
names of first- and second-order units;. boundaries shown on
map at 1:1,750,000.
*The United States-administered Canal Zone is discussed under Panama Canal
Zone, p. 21.
11
20 -. PANAMA
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PANAMA CANAL 'ZONE
A strip of territory roughly 10.miles wide extending from the Atlantic to the
Pacific across the Isthmus of Panama. The area is under perpetual lease to the
United States from the Republic of Panama for operation.and maintenance of the Panama
Canal. The Canal Zone includes Gatun Lake and the reservoir district above.A.lhajuela
(Madden Dam), but riot the cities of Panama and Colon.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS Civil control is exercised by the Canal Zone Government established
in 1951-..simultaneousl;`with the Panama Canal Company. The Governor
of the Canal Zone heads the Canal Zone Government and is also chief
executive of the Panama Canal Company. In its capacity as owner
of the Panama.Canal Company, the United States is represented by
the Secretary of the Army.
Noland in the-`Canal Zone is privately owned and the area has no
counties or strictly comparable units. In the 1950 Census, towns
and other entities are grouped under the two court districts. The
court districts, however, are not true administrative divisions.
The settlements identified as "minor geographic.regions" in the
1950 census include all but about 1.5 percent of the permanent
civilian population, but it does not seem appropriate to consider
these "regions" as-civil divisions. Thirty-six in number, they
include rural areas, a leper colony, a prison, and 22 "towns,"
the latter ranging in population from 15 to more than 4,000.
FERENCES U.S. Bureau of the Census. U.S. Census of Population: 1 0,
Vol. I, Number of Inhabitants,, Chapter 51 American Samoa,
Canal Zone, Guam, and Virgin Islands of the U.S., U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, 1951; administrative relationships;
includes.1:250,000 map showing location of towns.
United States Government Organization Manual 1957_58; Federal
Register Division, National. Archives and Record Service, General
Services. Administration, U.S Government Printing Office,
Washington;. administrative relationships.
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SECTION C
MIDDLE AMERICA (Insular)
West Indies (Federation of the West Indies)
Caribbean Islands Claimed by the United States and Colombia
Serranilla Bank
Swan Island
Cuba
Bahamas
Navassa Island
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands of the United States
British Virgin Islands
Netherlands Antilles
Guadeloupe
Martinique
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T. -WEST INDIES
(Federation of the West Indies)
The Federation unites the United Kingdom island colonies of ..Antigua, Barbados,
Dominica, Grenada,, Jamaica, Montserrat, St..Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, St.. Lucia,
.St. Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago. Other United Kingdom dependencies in Middle
America -- British Guiana,,.British Honduras,.The Bahamas, And the British Virgin
Islands -.remain outside the Federation of the West Indies.
Name and, number of
,FIRST-2M ER DIVISIONS territory: 10
Name and number of
SECOND-QRDER DIVISIONS
The Interim Federal Government came into existence in..January
1958 and in. April 1958 the federal legislature was formally
inaugurated. The capital of the Federation is Port of Spain
on the I$and of Trinidad.
The individual colonies-that form the Federation are treated
above as "territories1?'. functioning as :first-order civil
divisions. But since the Federation is.still in a formative
stage, with little uniformity in the lower-order units of the
territories, second- and third-order divisions are discussed
individually for each.territory in the pages that follow.
For readers who prefer to treat the federated territoriesge
'xcountries", these divisions become first- and second-order..
The advent of the Federation of the West Indies eliminates the
"Leeward Islands" and the. "Windward Islands" as political
entities, although it. is likely that these terms will still
be used to some extent in a geographic sense.
REFEiENCE The West Indies: A Nation in the Making, Reference Division,
Central Office of Information, London, December 1957;
administrative relationships; constitution of the West
Indies, D. 11; includes,a.slcetchy small-scale map on which
the federated territories. are differentiated from other
United Kingdom possessions in. Middle. America.
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-Federation of the West Indies
.ANTIGUA.
The main island is.centered.at 17?05'N-61?47'W? Politically, Antigua includes
Barbuda Island, 17?40'N-61?50'Wx and Redonda Island, 16055'N-62019'W.
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS pariahs 6
1954.
Name-and number of
THIRD.-ORDER DIVISIONS
Apparently, the island is now administered largely as a single
unit; the degree, if any, to which the.parishes function as
governmental entities is not made clear by available. data. The
municipal affairs of St. John, the capital, until recently were
directed by a group of 'Tcity commissioners,'r but are now handled
by. the Colony Government.
Barbuda Island has.a population of about 900.and requires no
civil divisions. A small administrative staff resides on the
island.
Administrative arrangements. currently a plicable to Redonda
Island (less than.1 square mile in area are unknown. The
phosphate deposits have been exploited from time to.time but,.
apparently,, are not worked now; the island may be uninhabited
or nearly so.
REk'ERENCE Colonial Reports. Leeward Islands 1953 and _1254, Her Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1956; administrative relationships;
parish names and boundaries are given on accompanying map at
1!175,000-
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Federation of the West Indies
BARBADOS
Barbados is a single island centered at 13?09'N-59?33'W.
Name and number of
SECQND-O& R DIYIaio parish: 11
Name and number of
THIRD;' RDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS For most purpose's, the island is administered as l unit, but
some matters such as,public health,-Welfarex and road maintenance
are handled by vestries and boards-of the 11 parishes. The urban
area of.Bridgetown, the capital, iS;divided between 2 parishes
but the core of the city is within St. Michael Parish.
An act passed by the legislature in 1951 provides for a radical
reconstruction of administrative arrangements. Under the new
ordinance the island will be divided into 1 municipal area
(Bridgetown) and 2 rural areas. Bridgetown will have. an. elected
city council and mayor, and the 2 rural areas will be governed
by elected district councils. According to reference (a),
however, this scheme is not yet in effect and, apparently,
no implementation date has been set.
REWERENC
(a) Fact Sheets on the U.K. Dependencies: :Facts.&bout
Barbados, Reference Division, Central Office of Information,
London, January 1958; administrative relationships.
(b) Colonial Reports: Barbados 1254 and 1955, Her Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1957; administrative relationships;;
names and boundaries of parishes: given .on_accompanying map at
1:250,000.
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.BARBADOS
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Federation of the West Indies
DOMINICA
Dominica . is a .single island centered at 15?25'N-61021'W.
Name and number. of
COMA-ORDER DIVISIONS. district: 3
1955
Name and number of
THIRD,-ORDER DIVISIONS parish: 10
19 5 town, 2
REMARKS
To some extent the island is administered as a:single unit.
Some governmental functions, however, seem to be exercised
through 3 . namelessand.sketchily defined districts. District
limits apparently follow parish boundaries, but whether it is
proper in a strict sense to.regard the parishes.as subdivisions
of the districts is not made clear by available data. Also
uncertain is the extent, if any, to which the parishes function
as. administrative entities. The towns, both of which have town
boards, are Portsmouth and Roseau, the capital.
Colonial Reports: Dominica 1953 andl ).Her Majesty's
Stationery Office,,. London, 1955; administrative relationships;
includes 1:150,000 map..showing parish names and boundaries
(with map and text, approximate location of district boundaries
can be worked out).
25 DOMINICA
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Federation of the West Indies
GRENADA
Grenada Island is centered at 12oll''N-61?41'W. Politically, Grenada includes
the island of Carriacou some 20 miles to the north and the islets-of the Grenadine
group lying between Carriacou and Grenada Island.
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS parish:
1954 town:
Name and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS
For the most part,-the island is administered as a single entity.
Some governmental functions, however, are carried out by 6
"district boards)" one for each parish. The Island of Carriacou
with a population of some 7,000 is treated as.a parish,.but is
.not called one. Its municipal affairs.are managed by a"town
authority," and it is therefore listed above as a town.
REFERENCE Colonial Reports: Grenada 1954, Her Majesty's Stationery Office,
London, 1957; administrative relationships; includes 1;125,000
map giving parish names and boundaries.
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GRENADA
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Federation of the West Indies
JAMAICA.
A large island about 90 miles.south of Cuba. Politically, Jamaica includes
Pedro and Morant Cays to the.south and, as dependencies,.the Cayman Islands.and
the Turks and Caicos Islands.*
lame and number of
$ECQN, ,!- FXP . IVIS1Q W
county:
195T
Name and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS
corporate area: 1
.1957
parish: 12
REMARKS
To a considerable extent the island is administered as.a single
unit by a department of the central administration. The current
role of the counties is obscure and it might be proper to disregard
them as-administrative entities.
'The corporate area comprises the former parishes of Kingston,
St. Andrew,, and Port Royal. It includes the City of Kingston and
considerable adjacent territory. The city, however, has no
government apart from that of the Kingston and 8t. Andrew
Corporation.
The parishes have governments (councils),. with responsibilities
in the spheres of public health, public welfare,, water supply,
minor road maaintenance,.market supervision, and fire prevention.
Virtually all important towns outside the corporate area.are
parish -capitals" and there seems to beno.distinction between
town. government and parish government..
Recent official maps name but do.not bound several districts
within each parish. As far as can be.determined, these are
merely, regions without administrative significance.
For judicial purposes,,, the normally uninhabited Pedro and
Morant Gays are attached to the Kingston and St..Andrew
Corporation.
REFERENCES Jamaica:. .Report for the Year 1956r Her Majesty's Stationery
Office, London,. 195T; administrative relationships; names of
units; county boundaries shown on accompanying 1:250,000 map.
The Handbook of Jamaica for 1956.Government Printing Office,
Kingston, 1956; administrative relationships.
Colonial Reports: Jamaica 1953, Her Majesty .Stationery
Office, London, 1956;. administrative relationships;. includes
1.700,000.map showing parish and county boundaries.
Data are needed on the status of the counties, especially on
whether they can be properly regarded as administrative
entities.
-x'The civil divisions of the dependencies. of Jamaica are . discussedon p.28.
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Federation of the West Indies
DEPENDENCIES OF JAMAICA
The dependencies of Jamaica include the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are
geographically part of the Bahamas chain and lie between 21?00' and 22?00'N and
between 71?00' and 72030'W;; and also the Cayman Islands, which are some 120 miles
northwest of Jamaica near 2O0OO1N-800001W.
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS island group: 2
1956-57
[Cayman Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands]
Name and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS district: 13
1956-57
REMARKS
[Cayman Islands]
island with official in residence: 3
[Turks and Caicos Islands]
The administration of each dependency is carried out by a
commissioner responsible directly to the Governor of Jamaica.
The rank of the dependencies and their divisions is open to
various interpretations. If the Federation of the West Indies
is regarded as a."country" with Jamaica as a first-order
division, the dependencies themselves fall into place as
second-order units and their subdivisions become third-order
divisions as indicated above. On the other hand, if the
dependencies are considered to be country-like entities in
their own right, their subdivisions listed above as third-order
would be first-order units.
All of the Cayman Islands "districts" may not be administrative
entities in a strict sense. Seven districts are on Grand Cayman,
the most populous island. Of the remaining 6 districts, 4 are on
Cayman Brac and 2 on Little Cayman. Georgetown, on Grand Cayman,
is the administrative seat for the Cayman Islands as a whole.
All 3 of the "islands with official in residence" are in the Turks
and Caicos Islands. One is South Caicos and the post of residence
is Cockburn Harbor. The District Commissioner at this post is
responsible for the 4 "district board areas" of the Caicos: Middle
Caicos, Bambarra and Conch Bar, Bottle Creek and New, and Blue
Hills. Technically, if the Federation of the West Indies is
viewed as a "country",.the 4 district board areas are fourth-order
units. Salt Cay, in the Turks Islands, also has an official in
residence. The third island in this category is Grand Turk. The
Grand Turk official in residence is Commissioner for the Turks
and Caicos Islands.as a whole.
REFERENCES Cayman Islands: Report for the Years 1955 and 1956, Her.Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 19571 administrative relationships;.
names of districts; boundaries of the Grand Cayman districts
shown on accompanying 1:50,000 map.
Turks and Caicos Islands: Report for the Years 1955 and 1926,
Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1957; administrative
relationships; includes 1:250,000 location map (no boundaries);
with text and map, approximate limits of the administrative
units can be worked out.
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Federation of the West Indies
MONTSERRAT
A. single island centered at 16dLI5'N-629ll1W.
Name and number of
SECOND-QR] E;R. DIVISIONS parish: 3
1937
Name and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS
As far as can be determined, the island is administered largely
as a single unit.. The degree, if any, to which the 3 parishes
function as governmental entities is not made clear by available
.data.
FERFC Montserrat: Report for the Years 1955 and 1956, Her Majeoty's
Stationery Office, London, 1958, administrative relationships,;
accompanying.1:175,000map shows parish names and boundaries.
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Federation.of the West Indies
ST. CHRISTOPHER-NEVIS-ANGUILLk
Includes: St. Christopher (St. Kitts), 17?2O'N-62?)+0'W; Nevis, 17?O91N-
620351W; Anguilla and adjacent islets, 18?15'N-63?10'W; and Sombrero Island,
18936'N-63?29'w.
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS parish: 13
1954
Name and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS Eight of the 13 parishes are on St. Christopher and 5 are on
Nevis. The degree, if any, towhich the parishes function as
administrative units cannot be determined from available data.
Sparsely populated Anguilla Island is not divided into parishes,
apparently. Sombrero Inland is uninhabited except for a
lighthouse maintenance staff.
REFERENCE Colonial Reports: Leeward Islands 1953 and 1954, Her Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1956; administrative relationships;
parish names.and boundaries for St. Christopher and Nevis are
given on. accompanying map at 1:180,000.
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Federation of the West Indies
ST. LUCIA
An island centered at.13?52 LN,61?00?W.
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS district: 4
1954
Name.and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS See Remarks
REMARKS The island is governed to some extent as a single unit. Insome
matters, however, the 1 districts are functional administrative
entities in that their chief officers serve as the line of
communication between the Central Administration and "local
authorities" (towns and villages). In a sense, the settlements
(especially those with councils or improvement committees) are
third-order civil divisions, but their.number.is not known.
The capital, Castries (population approximately 24,000), has a
town board that apparently deals directly with the central
administration on some matters, but whether the town should be
regarded as equal in rank to a district is a moot question..
REFERENCE. Colonial Reports: St. Lucia 1253 and 1954, Her Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1956; administrative relationships;
district names and boundaries shown on accompanying 1:125,000
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Federation of the West Indies
ST. VINCENT
The center of the main island is near 13?15'N-61?10'W. Politically, St.
Vincent includes Union (the most southerly, 12 ?35'N-61?25'W), Mayreau, Canouan,
Mustique, Bequia, and other lesser islands of the Grenadine group.
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
Name and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS
town: 1
town district: 5
village district:
REMARKS St. Vincent and its dependencies to the south (the Grenadines)
are administered to some extent as a single unit against a
background of "local authority" entities that are not clearly
identified in available sources.
An ordinance of 1951 provides for the division of the colony
into town and village districts, with the Governor being
empowered to define such districts from time to time. The
boundaries of these units are not known. Also unexplained
is the relationship, if any, between the districts and the 5
parishes of St. Vincent that are shown on official maps.
Few data are available on administrative arrangements applicable
to the Grenadines. Some village councils are known to exist in
the islands, however, and Bequia Island has reportedly been
declared a district under a council that has authority over the
whole island.
Municipal, affairs of the capital, Kingstown, are handled by a
board ("body corporate") that is apparently somewhat superior
in status to the boards of town districts. Kingstown, therefore,
has been set forth separately above as a "town".
REFERENCE Colonial Reports.St. Vincent 1954 and 1955, Her Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1956; administrative relationships;
parish names and boundaries are shown on accompanying 1:150,000
map.
GAPS Additional data are needed on all aspects of the administrative
system.
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Federation of the West Indies
TRINIDAD.AND TOBAGO
Two moderately large islands and various small islets centered near 11000'N-
61o00'W.
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER. DIVISIONS municipality: 3
1957+ district: 7
(For 8 counties, see Remarks)
Name and number of
THIRD-ORDER DIVISIONS ward: 30
1957+ parish: 7
REMARKS The administrative system is quite complex and the generic
names of the different units are not always used consistently.
The 3 municipalities are Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, and Arima --
all on the Island of Trinidad. Available evidence indicates that
they are regarded as being equal to counties or districts in rank.
Municipalities apparently have no well-defined subdivisions.
Government is exercised through the 7 administrative districts.
Trinidad is also.divided into 8 counties that relate
to the districts as follows:
4 districts are coextensive with counties;
subdivisions: 20 wards.
2 districts include 4 counties (2 each);
subdivisions: 10 wards.
The Island of Tobago constitutes the 7th districts
1 district;
subdivisions: 7 parishes.
REFERENCES Colonial Reports: Trinidad and Tobago 1954, Her Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1956, administrative relationships;
includes 1:450,000 map giving names and boundaries of counties,
wards, and parishes.
Lesser Antilles; 1:250,000; (Trinidad sheet) 1950; county names
and boundaries. Series No. AMS E 541.
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CARIBBEAN ISLANDS CLAIMED BY
THE UNITED STATES AND COLOMBIA
In this category are 3 named groups of banks, rocks, islets, and cays in
the Caribbean some 350 miles north of the Panama.Canal. They include: Quito
Sue1o Bank (11?20`N-81?l0'W), Serrana Bank (11?25TN-80?16'W), Roncador Cay
(13?35'N-8o?o1 w).
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS The islands and islets are normally uninhabited. Administration
now exercised by the United States is limited to the maintenance
of aids to navigation, a responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Colombia regards the disputed islands and islets as parts of an
archipelago coextensive with the Intendencia de SanAndre's y
Providencia, a first-order civil division of Colombia.
In 1928 the United States and Colombia agreed to maintain the
status quo in these islands; therefore, they are commonly
designated on maps as "U.S. and Colombia."
REFERENCES
U.S. Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the United
States: 1956, Seventy-seventh edition, U. S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, 1956; list of territories and
possessions of the United States, p. 7.
Arango Cano, Jesus. Geo raffia Fisica y Economica de Colombia,
Editorial Minerva, Ltda., Bogota, 1956; Colombian interpretation
of administrative relationships.
West IndiesT 1:3,500,0001 National Geographic Society, Washington,
March 19 locational reference only.
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THE UNITED STATES AND COLOMBIA
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A, United States island possession in the western Caribbean comprising a group
of cays, rocks, and reefs centered near 15?51?N-790461W, about midway between
Jamaica and Cabo Gracias a Dios.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARK; The cays are normally uninhabited. Administrative responsibility
rests technically with the U.S. Coast Guard.
REFERENCE_ U.S.. Bureau of Census. Statistical Abstract of the United States~
1 (Seventy-seventh edition)', U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, 1956; list of territories and possessions of the
United States, p.
West Indies, 1:3,500,000; National Geographic Society,
Washington, March .195+; locational reference only.
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SWAN ISLANDS
Island possessions of the United States in the Caribbean comprising Great Swan
Island .and..Little.Swan Island at 17o25tN-83o56tW. The total land area..is slightly
more than a. square mile.
Nameand number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
Name and. number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIQNS
RE The population of the islands, about 35 in 1950, is not large
enough to.require civil divisions. Technical administrative
responsibility for the islands rests with the U.S. Department
of State. A weather station and radio beacon are maintained
on. Great Swan Island.
REFERENCES U.S.. Bureau of Census. Statistical Abstract of the United
States: 1956 (Seventy-seventh edition), U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, 1956;, list of territories and
possessions of the United States, pe 7.
West Indies, 1.3,500,000; National Geographic Society,
Washington,.March.l951-; locational reference only.
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
provincia:
6
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
(province)
municipio:
126
195+
(municipality)
REMARKS Islands off the coast of the main island are administered as
components of the provinces t}ey adjoin.
The municipios are basically similar to those of numerous other
Latin American countries in that most of them include a seat
(city or town) and considerable surrounding territory. Nearly
all cities and important. towns are municipio seats, but apparently
none, with the possible exception of Havana, have a corporate or
chartered identity apart from their respective municipiosd Thus,
city government is municipio government.
The.Havana metropolitan-area includes 2 municipios (l of which is
named Havana and parts of 2 others. Havana was chartered as a
ciudad (city) during the Spanish era and apparently retains some
special prerogatives.
REFERENCES
The basic third-order unit into which municipios are divided
is the barrio (borough or district), of which there are some
1;170-
A portion of Guantanamo Bay, including its shore and various
islands, is leased indefinitely by Cuba to the United States
for use as a naval base. The base area forms an enclave within
the Municipio de Guantanamo, and is outside Cuban civil adminis-
tration.
Cuba, Direccion General de Estadfstica. Clave Numerica de la
Division Politica de Territorio Nacional,'1950, names of units
first- through third-order in hierarchic outline. Call No.
gC1+21. C82 .
Ma-pa General de la Division Politica y Judicial en la.Republica
de Cuba; 1:500,000; Cuba, Estado Major General del Ejercito,
Seccio de Ingenierca, 1950; names.and boundaries of provincias
and municip ioa.
U.S. Department of State. Itoreign_Service despatch 980, Havana,
9 February 1954, Preliminary Findings of the, 1953 Cuban Census;
administrative relationships.
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BAHAMAS
(United Kingdom Crown Colony)
The colony comprises an archipelago of islands, cays, and rocks,lying off the
coast of Florida between 20050' and 27?25'N, and between 72?37' and 80032'W.*
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS district: 21
Name and number of
SECOND-QRDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS The districts are headed by district commissioners. Most of them
comprise a major island and a number of adjacent islands, islets,
and cays. Some of the less populous units are apparently combined
to form special districts for particular purposes, for example,
elections. New ;providence District, although not large, is the
most important since it contains Nassau, the capital and chief
port, and more than one-fourth of the total population of the
colony.
REFERENCES Colonial Reports: Bahamas 125+ and 1955,.Her Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1957; administrative relationships;
includes 1:2,300,000 map on which the approximate limits of
the districts can be worked out from the text.
Colonial Office List, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London,
1951; administrative relationships; names of districts.
. *The Turks and Caicos Islands, though geographically within the Bahamas,
are dependencies of Jamaica and are discussed separately under the Federation
of the West Indies, p. 28.
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NAVASSA ISLAND.
A United States island possession in the Caribbean between Jamaica and
Haiti, at l8?251N-75?02'W.
Name and number of
FIRST-LEDER DIVISIONS
Name and number-of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
NS The island is normally inhabited only by a lighthouse maintenance
staff and thus requires no civil divisions. Administrative
responsibility rests with the U.S. Coast-Guard.
REMENCES
U.S. Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the United
States 1956 (Seventy-seventh edition), U.8, Government
Printing Office, Washington, 1956; list of territories and
possessions of the-United States, p. 7.,
Platt, Raye R.. "A Note on Political.-Sovereignty and Administration
in the Caribbean,"'The Geographical Review, Vol-,XVI, 1926,
American Geographical Society, New York, background.data on
United States acquisition of Navassa Island, p. 637..
West Indies, 1:3,500,000;. National Geographic Society, Washington,
March 1954; locational reference only.
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HAITI
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departement: 5
195+
(department)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS arrondissement: 27
195+
REMARKS Coastal islands are administrative components of the departements
and arrondissements they adjoin. Ile de la Gonave belongs to
the Arrondissement de Port-au-Prince.
Although they are used to some extent as statistical units, the
departements are of little administrative importance. Arron-
dissements, each in charge of a prefect appointed by the president,
are the principal units of local administration.
The basic third-order division is the commune, of which there
are more than 100. In theory, city government is commune government.
Since most important towns are the administrative seats of arron-
dissements, however, the line between city or town government and
arrondissement government is not always sharply drawn. Port-au-
Prince, the capital, is a commune and,. technically, has no special
status.
REFERENCES Recensement General de la Republique d'Haiti, Haiti, Departement
de L'Economie Nationale, Bureau de Recensement, Port-au-Prince,
1950; names of units in hierarchic outline, first- through
third-order.. Call No. gC423.H2.
Civil Division Base Map of the Americas. Mexico, Central . America,
and the West Indies; 1:5,000,000; American Geographical Society;
197-4; boundaries of first- and second-order units (short one
arrondissement for Departement de L'O.uest, otherwise data are
current).
Macdonald, Austin.F.. Latin American Politics and Government,
Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 195; administrative
relationships.
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
provincia:
22
(province)
19
5
5
distrito: 1
(district)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
comun: 69
(commune)
capital:
1
seccion municipal: 56
(municipal section)
REMARKS Provincias include from 2 to 6 comunes. The comunes are
somewhat similar to the municipios of numerous other Latin
American countries in that they include an administrative
seat (city, town, or village) and a surrounding rural area.
Some comunes have as subdivisions of third-order rank one or
more distritos municipales. These units are, in effect,
embryo comunes.
The Distrito de Santo Domingo, the 1 distrito of first-order
status, comprises the capital, Ciudad Trujillo, and 56 secciones
municipales. The latter may not be administrative entities in
a strict sense, since many have only a few hundred inhabitants.
All of the secciones municipales are outside the limits of
Ciudad Trujillo.
REFERENCES Poblacion de la Republica Dominicana: Censada en 1950, Dominican
Republic,.Direcci6n General de Estad stica, Oficina Nacional del
Censo, Session de Publicaciones, Ciudad Trujillo, 1951+; names of
all units first- through third-order in hierarchic outline. Call
No. gCl+22. D6k5 .
Mapa de la Republica Dominicana con la Division Polftica; 1:500,000;
Dominican Republic, Instituto Geografico Militar, 1955; names and
boundaries of first- and second-order units, except the secciones
municipales. Call No. 50007.
Distrito de Santo Domingo; 1:100,000; Dominican Republic,
Instituto Geografico Militar, 1955; names and boundaries
of the secciones municipales. Call No. 50011.
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.A Commonwealth, associated with the United States, comprising the island of
Puerto Rico, smallest major island of the Greater Antilles; various islets near
the coast; and several larger. outlying islands, including . Mona,. Vieques, and
Culebra.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS municipio: 77
(municipality)
1954
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDERDIVISIONS barrio: ca. 550
(borough or quarter)
Executive liaison with the United States Government functions
through the U.S. Department of the Interior, whereas legislative
liaison is effected through.the Resident Commissioner of Puerto
Rico in Washington. The Resident Commissioner is a member of
the United States House of Representatives, but does not vote.
The municipios are basically similar to those of numerous other
Latin American countries in that each is.comprised of a seat
(city or town) and a surrounding rural area. The municipio seat
has. no corporate identity apart from the municipio as,a whole;
thus, city government is municipio government. .San.Juan, the
capital of Puerto Rico, forms a municipio, but otherwise has no
special status.
Two.of the outlying islands, Vieques and Culebra, are municipios
in their own right. The third outlying island of substantial
size,. Mona, which is virtually uninhabited, is apparently
administered directly by the Commonwealth. Government.
The barrios, are minor subdivisions of the municipios and are
of slight administrative importance.
Puerto Rico is also divided into 7 distritos senatoriales
(senatorial districts) that are sometimes treated as first-
order civil divisions. Although these units are election
districts and are used to some extent as statistical divisions,
they are not administrative entities in, a strict sense.
REFERENCES Puerto Rico, 1:250,000, U.S. Army Map Service, August 1954;
names and boundaries of municiios and distritos s`enatoriales.
ANTS E331.
Pico, Rafael. The - Geographic Re ions of Puerto Rico,,
University of-Puerto Rico Press, Rio Piedras) P.R., 1950;
administrative relationships; names ofmuniciepios.
Jones, C.F. and Pico, R.. Symposium on the Geo a hey of
Puerto Rico,. University of-Puerto Rico Press, Rio Piedras,
PQR.,. 1955; includes small-scale maps showing municipio
boundaries for Puerto Rico as a whole.; barrio boundaries
are portrayed for a few areas (incomplete coverage).
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VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES
A. group of some 50 islands and cays, centered at approximately 18900'N-
61-?59'W, about 11.0 miles.east of Puerto.Rico.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORIlER DIVISIONS municipality: 2
1951
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS city: 3
1951
quarter: 22
The Virgin Islands of the United-States are comprised of three
major islands: St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. The latter
two, along with smaller adjoining islands and nays, form the
Municipality of St. Thomas and St. John The Municipality 'of
St. Croix includes . t.. Croix Island and a few small adjoining
islands.
The legislative bodies of the 2 municipalities are ca.led
Municipal Councils. When the councils meet jointly, they
become the Legislative Assembly of the Virgin Islands with
power to enact laws applicable to the islands as a whole. The
Governor, who normally resides.at Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas,
mb,y app?oint administrative assistants'Vas his representatives on
St...Croix and on.St. John.
The 3 cities are Frederiksted, Christiansted, and Charlotte.Ama:l.ie.
Of the 22 quarters (essentially rural districts), 13 are in the
Municipality of-13t. Thomas and Ste John; and the remaining 9 are
in.St. Croix Municipality. Whether it is proper in a strict sense
to regard the cities.and quarters as governmental entities is a
moot question. These units, however, are used for statistical
purposes.
FERENCES U.S. Bureau of the Census. U.S. Census of Po ulation l 111
Vol. 1, Number of Inhabitants,, Chapter 5 : erican Samoa,
Canal Zone, Guam, and Virgin Islands of the U.S.", U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, 1951; administrative
relationships; number of units and their names; boundaries
shown on accompanying map at 1:225,000.
Murray, Stuart. The VVir in Islands,, D.ueli loan and Pearce,
Inc., New York, 1971; administrative relationships.
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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
(United Kingdom Crown Colony)
The British Virgin Islands are a group of small islands centered near
l8?30'Nm61+?30'W, some 60 miles east of Puerto Rico.
Name and number of
FIRST-QRDER: DIVISIONS
Name and number of
SECOND:-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS Formerly a.Presidency of the Leeward Islands Colony, the British
Virgin Islands became a separate colony in July 1956 when the
Leeward Islands Colony was defederated in preparation for the
formation of the Federation of the West Indies.
As far as can be determined, the islands have no civil divisions
other than the island pattern itself...Excluding rocks and reefs,
the islands number 36, of which 12 are inhabited. Most of the
7,700 inhabitants of the colony live on Tortola Island. Road
Town (population 1,200) on Tortola Island is the administrative
seat.
REFERENCE British Virgin Islands: Report for the Years 1955 and 1956,
Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 195b administrative
relationships; includes a 1:250,000 location map.of the islands
(no boundaries).
44 m BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
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NETHERLANDS.ANTILLES
The Netherlands. Antilles comprises two groups of Caribbean islands. The
northern group includes Saba, 17?38'N-63?14'W; Sint Eustatius, 17?30'N-63?00'W;
and part of Saint Martin (Dutch,?Sint Maarten; French, Saint-Martin)', l8?05'N-
63?05'W. The southern group includes Aruba, 12?301N-70?OO'W; Bonaire, 12?10'N-
68017'W; and Cura9ao, 12?10'N-69?00'W.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS [insular community]: 4
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS Three of the "insular communities" are coextensive with the
islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, respectively, and
apparently do not have subdivisions of second-order rank. The
fourth insular community comprises the three northern islands
and has its administrative seat at Philipsburg, Sint Maarten.
Each island of the northern group is in.a sense a second-order
division, but whether it is now officially recognized as such
cannot be determined from readily available sources.
The government for the whole of Netherlands . Antilles, seated at
Willemstad, Cura9ao, includes a legislature in which the northern
islands are represented by only 1 member and the more populous
southern islands by 21.
Apparently, no cities have special status as first- or second-order
civil divisions.
REFERENCES The Statesman's Yearbook,, Macmillan and Co. Ltd., London, 1957;
administrative relationships.
Netherlands Antilles; 1:250,000 and other scales; 1953; locates
the islands and their administrative seats; shows the boundary
between the Dutch and French portions of Saint Martin.
Map No. 12212. 1.
Only the southern part of Saint Martin belongs to the Netherlands, the
northern part belongs to France.
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The above data reflect the official status of Guadeloupe as an
overseas departement of France. A more realistic interpretation
would be:
Guadeloupe comprises two large adjacent islands, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre,
in the Lesser Antilles centered near 16015'N-61035'W, and the smaller islands of
Les Saintes,Marie-Galante, Petite Terre, and Desirade. Also part of Guadeloupe
for administrative purposes are various islands some 150 miles northwest of Basse-
Terre and Grande-Terre. These include the French portion of Saint-Martin (18?05'N-
63?05'W), Saint-Barthelemy (17?54'N-62?52'W)1 . and various islets near both.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departement: 1
1957
GUADELOUPE
(French Overseas Department)
(department)
Name and number of
SECQND-ORDER DIVISIONS arrondissement: 2
1957
First-order
arrondissement . . . . 2
Second-order
commune . . . . . . 34
Guadeloupe is also divided into 36 cantons, the functions of
which are obscure. In various lists the cantons are set forth
as administrative divisions superior in rank to communes.
Actually, however, they seem to be merely election. districts
without governments. The basic canton-commune relationship is
1-1, but exceptions are numerous. In 6 cases, a single canton
is coextensive with 2 communes; and in 5 cases, a commune is
coextensive with 2 cantons. In 1 instance, a commune (Pointe-a-
Pitre) corresponds in area to 4 cantons.
Each commune is comprised of a seat (city, town, or village)
and an adjacent rural area. Since the seat has no corporate
existence apart from the commune as a whole, city government
is commune government.
The smaller islands attached to Guadeloupe for administrative
purposes fit into the arrondissement-canton-commune pattern
applicable to Guadeloupe proper. For example, the French
portion of Saint-Martin forms a canton coextensive with a
single commune, and is administered as part of the Arrond-
issement de la Basse-Terre; this is also true of Saint-
Barthelemy.
At least until 1954, Guadeloupe was divided into 11 cantons.
The date of the change to 36 is not known.
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GUADEWWE
con.'t
(a.) Bottin..de _ daga$car ties Territoires D'1 mex`ique.et
'.c6 nie,.. Midot-Bot in,,.Paris, 19'57 administrativ:
relationships; names of all units through the commune
level (text is current but accompanying.,map is.not).
.
(b) Carte_ de, la Guadelo e. et DU endances 1:100 ,000;
M.R. Clairon,.i,ibxarie de L' seignement, Basse--Terre;
1951-7'; commune names-and boundaries; map is out-of-date
on.details but with tTxt of Ref. (a) the current picture
can be worked out. Call No . 7125 4.
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MARTINIQUE
(French Overseas Department)
Martinique is a large island in the Lesser Antilles, near 1J4,040`N-6IOQ0 Wo
Namo and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISION$departemente
(department)
195'7
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS arrondissement
1957
REMARKS
The data above reflect the status of Martinique as an overseas
de ap ltement of France. A more realistic interpretation would
be-
First-order
commune a o 0 84
Seeped-order
none
REEERENCES
The island is.also divided into 36 cantons, the functions of
which are somewhat obscure. In various lists the cantons are
set forth as civil divisions superior in rank to the communes
Actually, however, they seem to be merely election districts
{without governments) from which single members are elected to
the general council, the main legislative body of Martinique
The commune of Fort-de=France is divided into 4 cantons and
the Canton de Case-Pilote takes in 2 communes o Elsewhere, the
canton-commune relationship is lmla
Each commune comprises a seat (city, town, or village) and an
adjacent rural area. Since the seat has no.corporate existence
apart from the commune as a whole, city, government, and commune
government areone and the same thing.
At least until 1954, Martinique was divided into 2 arrondissements,
8 cantons, and, as at present, 34 communes, The date of the change
to the present arrangement is not known.
(a) Boffin de Madagascar des 'Ierr?i+oi e WAmeri.= et
D Oceanie, idot;~Botti.n, Paris, 1957, administrative
relationships; names of all units through the commune
level (text is current but accompanying map reflects the
former system).
(b) Carte 1 outiere et Touri,stigue de la Martinique.; 1:100,000;
France, Institdut Geographique Nat:iona:l., 1951; commune names and
boundaries, best used with text of ref ? . (a) 0 Call No. 77188 0
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SOUTH AMERICA
Colombia
Venezuela
British Guiana
Surinam (Dutch Guiana)
French Guiana
Brazil
Ecuador
Peru
Bolivia
Paraguay
Chile
Argentina
Uruguay
South Atlantic Islands
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COLOMBIA
Includes San. Andres and ProvidenciaIslands in the Caribbean, some 400 miles
northwest of Cartagena. Malpelo Island, in the Pacific near 4?QO'Ns90?301W, also
belongs to Colombia.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
1954-57
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
departamento:
(department)
intendencia: 4
(intendancy)
comisarla: 5
(commissariat)
territorio nacionale, 3
(national territory)
[special capital district]: 1
1954-.56 municipio: ca. 820
(municipality)
REMARKS The intendencias and comisarfas are sparsely settled areas governed
more or less directly from Bogota. The Caribbean Islands of San
Andres and Providencia.(near 13?19'N-81923'W)form an intedencia.
Colombia apparently regards this unit as including various nearby
banks, cays,. and islets, some of which are claimed by the United
States. .(See Caribbean Islands Claimed by The United States and
Colombia, p. 34).
The 3 national territories (sometimes treated in Colombian sources
as parts of departamentos despite their name) are: Agua de Dios,-,
a relatively small leper colony about 50 miles southwest of Bogota;
Contratacion, a leper colony about 125 miles northeast of. Bogota;
and Territor.ioVasquez, an inaccessible area of some 2,500 square
kilometers centered near 6000'N-74030'W.
The "special capital district",. formed in December 1954, takes in
the erstwhile Bogota Municipio and several municipios that formerly
adjoined it. The subdivisions, if any,, of the district are not
indicated in currently available sources.
Each munioipio includes a seat (city, town, or village) and an
adjacent area,,usually rural. The seat has no.corporate identity
separate from that of the municipio as a whole. Thus, city or
town government is municipio government. The number of municipios
is subject.to constant change as units are combined or..divided.
The third-order unit into which some municipios are subdivided
is the corregimiento (mayorality; district of a corregidor).
There were some 2,016 of these units in 1954.
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COLOMBIA
con't
RE ENCES Division Polftico-Adninistrativa de Colombia, Departamento
Administrativo Naciona1 de Estad stica, Imprenta National,
Bogota, 1951-; names and designations. of all units; boundaries
shown.on individual maps of. first-order divisions (mostly
12,000,,000-le3,O00x0OO); not completely current, but still
best reference.available for municipio data. Call No.
9D:121-23 . c66.
Colombia 1:2,5O0,,000; 1952 rev. 1958y names and boundaries
of departamentos1.comisar{as, and intendencias. Map.No
11827,1.
Readily available map coverage for.municipio boundaries is
not up.to.date; boundary and other data are needed on the
capital district formed in 1954.
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Name and number of
M&-2M DIVSEIE Nr5
196
Naive and number of
SECOND-ORAER DIVISIONS
1952-56
eataddo % 20
.(state)
diatrito federal 1
(federal district)
territorio: .2
(territory)
dependeneia-.federal
(federal dependency)
distrito: 158
(district)
departamenta: 9
(department)
MK'__ Caracas and a _rather extensive :area adjacent to it .form the
distrito federal which is divided into 2 de artamentos d
Libertador and Vargas.
The 2 sparsely populated ter?ritorios are the Orinoco Delta and
a marginal section of the:Amazon Basin; the former is divided
into 3 depa,rtament.os,the.latter into 1.
The denendenci.a federal includes most of the Venezuelan island
possessions in the C bbean, but excludes Margarita and Coche,
which collectively form a state.
Some second-order distritos include little more than a tow and
its environs, whereas others cover extensive areas.
The main tia rd-order divisions of Venezuela.are the munici os
(649 in 1952) and -parroguias (parishes), of which there were?22
in 1952. All of the pariehea are In the 2 departamentoo of the
dists.itoo federal. In most instances, city government is.muniei io
government, and the administrative seat (city, town, or village
has no corporate identity apart from the municipio as a whole..
Semperio, Jose Vo Moa La .'oblation del Area Metro olitana de
Ga,r , Corporation Venezol a de Fomento, Caracas, 195
names of first-order units,. boundaries shown on small-acale
maps.. includes .1:200,000 map showing civil divisions (first-
.through third-order) in the Caracas area. 'Call No gD]22.>C670
Parra', Juan T'. Atlas de Bolsillo de; Venezuela, . Litografia
Miangolarra Hnos o olio, Caraca s, 1952; number of unit.a first-
thr.?ou.gh third-order; limits. of fi.rat- and second-order divisions
shown on small-scale maps. Call No. aD122.F6 1952.
VENEZUELA
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BRITISH GUIANA
(United Kingdom Grown Colony)
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS administrative district: 9
1956
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS municipality: 2
1957
village: 16
country district: 48
REMARKS The 9 administrative districts are of 2 types: (a) relatively
populous coastal districts administered by the Department.of
Local Government, and (b) the sparsely settled interior districts
administered by the Department of the Interior. Of the former,
there are 6; of the latter, 3. The two municipalities (Georgetown,
the capital, and New Amsterdam) are in the coastal districts, as
are the organized villages and country districts.
The three traditional provinces or counties (Berbice, Demerara,
and Essequibo) have no current administrative significance,
although they are still shown along with the contemporary first
order administrative districts on official maps dated as late as
1955. The provinces were part of a territorial, arrangement that
came into existence in the 18th Century and remained in effect
until about 1830.
REFERENCES British Guiana; 1:4,000,000; May 1958; names, boundaries,, and
capitals of first-order districts. Map.No. 2655k.
Report on British Guiana for the Year. 1957,x. Her Majesty?s
Stationery Office, London, 1957; printed under the authority
of the Government by Argosy Co., Ltd., Bel Air, East Demerara;
names of first-order districts; administrative relationships;
accompanying 1:2,200,,000 map shows first-order district boundaries.
Colonial Retort: British Guiana 195k; Her Majesty's Stationery
Office, London; 1955; administrative relationships; includes a
1:2,100,000 map showing boundaries of the provinces or counties.
GAPS No readily available maps show village and country district
boundaries.
52 - BRITISH GUIANA
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SURINAM
(Dutch Guiana)
A. Netherlands possession on the north coast of South America.
Name and number of
FIRST-QRDER DIVISIONS district:
1951
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
REMARKS The town of Paramaribo constitutes one of the 7 districten
(districts).. In addition to being capital of Surinam, it is
the administrative-seat for the large Suriname. District which
surrounds it.
The districten, including Paramaribo, are administered by
commissioners.eppointed by the governor. A few. organized
village communities are the only entities approaching the
status of "second-order" administrative divisions.
REFERENCES
Overzichtskaart van Suriname; 1:800,000; compiled by F.E. Spiriet,
former head of the Survey Service of Surinam., 1951, names and
boundaries of first-order units. Call No. 77930.
't`e GuianaB 1:2,000,000; December 1952; names and boundaries
of first-order units. Map.No. 122601.1.
53 - SURINAM
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FRENCH GUIANA
(French Overseas De'part'ment)
The d partement includes the former colony of Guiana and the former penal
colony.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departement: 1
(department)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS arrondissement: 2
REMARKS The breakdown above reflects the official status of the area.as
one of the overseas departements of France. A more realistic
interpretation might be:
First-order
arrondissement . . . . 2
Second-order (1957)
. . 14
circonscription . . . 5
(circumscription)
The Arrondissement de Cayenne, comprising the relatively populous
coastal area, is divided into 15 cantons and 14 communes. In
French sources, the cantons are treated as entities superior in
rank to the communes. Actually, however, they seem to be mere
election districts without a"general administrative role. The
cantons, therefore, are ignored in the "realistic" appraisal set
forth above. The basic canton-commune relationships is 1-1, but
the town of Cayenne, a single commune, is divided into 4 cantons;
and Canton de Remire-Matoury and Canton de Saint-Georges de
1'Oyapoc each include 2 communes.
The sparsely settled interior (Arrondissement de l'Inini) is
divided into 5 lightly controlled circonscritpions. As far
as can be determined, they have no official subdivisions.
REFERENCES Bottin de Madagascar des Territoires d'Amerigue et d'Oceanie,
Didot-Bottin, Paris, 1957; administrative relationships; names
of units; includes a 1:2,300,000 map on which arrondissement
and circumscription boundaries'are shown.
Resultats Statisti ues du Recensement General de la Population
des I7epartements d'Outre-Mer 1954: Guyane, Imprimerie Nationale,
Paris, 1957; administrative relationships;.names of some of the
units.
GAPS Apparently, there are no readily available maps showing
current commune boundaries.
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS estado: 20
(state)
.1957
territorio: 5
(territory)
distrito federal: 1
(federal district)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS municfpio: 2,418
(municipality)
1957
circunscricao: 16
(circumscription)
KS Four of the 5 territories are relatively inaccessible frontier
areas;. the fifth comprises Fernando de Noronha Island (3?51'S-
32?25?W).
The distrito federal includes the city of Rio de Janeiro and an
adjacenarea. administrative purposes, it is subdivided
into 16 circunscricoes, which rank technically as second-order
units.
REFERENCES
The future capital of Brazil will be located in a distrito federal.
constituting an enclave within Goias State. This area .now.falls
within the limits of 5 or 6. munici ios and will, presumably,
continue in this status until all or part of the federal government
establishment is transferred from Rio de Janeiro, possibly in 1.960.
Munic1pios are the basic units of local government. Some are
divided into distritos (third-order units of which there were
some 5,440 in-19-5-0-F, whereas.others are not. A.munici io
comprises a seat and some additional territory, usually rural..
The administrative center is classified as a cidade (city)
regardless of population, and it does not have a corporate
existence separate from that of the munici io as a whole.
Divis'go Territorial do Brasil, reprint from No. 35/36
"Revista Brasileira.de Municipios," Rio de Janeiro, 1957;
names of munici-ios, alphabetically and in hierarchic
outline.
Smith, T. Lynn. Brazil: People and Institutions) . Louisiana
State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1954; administrative
relationships.
Code id (Map Supplement to the Epidemiological Cable Code);
first edition, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1954; names
and boundaries-of first- and second-order units (mianicl io
data are not completely current). Call No. aA000-23.W -1951-.
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BRAZIL
con't
REFERENCES Rio de Janeiro en.Pocas Horas, Touring Club do Brasil, Rio de
con't Janeiro, lq ; administrative divisions of the federal district.
GAPS Readily available map coverage for municipio boundaries
leaves much to be desired in recency and detail.
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Includes the Galapagos Islands (Archipielago de Colon), approximately
1000?S-9l?00'W.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
provincia:
18
(province)
1957
territorio insular: 1
(island territory)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS canton: 95
1957
(canton)
____KS_ The territorio insular comprises the Galapagos Islands of which
5.are inhabited and 15 are normally uninhabited. The 5 inhabited
islands are in effect the subdivisions of the territory, Under
the name Archipielago de Colon, these islands.are sometimes listed
as an entity of canton rank, coextensive with the territorio
insular, but are not counted officially (or above) as a canton.
The basic third-order divisions are the parrogLuias urbanas
(urban parishes) of which there are 165 and the parroqui.as
rurales,. which number 609. These divisions are somewhat similar
to the municipios of other Latin.American countries, except that
the larger cities include several parishes instead of one. For
example, Quito has 14 parroquias urbanas, and Riobamba )+.
REFERENCES Division Politica Territorial de la Re ublica del Ecuador;
1:1,000,000; Instituto Ecuatoriano de -tropologla y Geograffa;
1957; names of units first- through third-order in hierarchic
outline keyed to map by letter and number; map includes
boundaries of 'all units except certain urban parishes that
could not be represented at the scale. Call No. 103554.
Mapa del Ecuador; 1:1;000,000; compiled by Capt. Francisco
Sampedro V.; reproduced by U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey,
1950; province boundaries; political data are not current
but map is usgful in interpreting the'more recent one cited
above. Call No- 71376.
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departamento: 23
1957
Name.and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
1957
(department)
provincia constitutional: 1
(constitutional province)
provincia: 141
(province)
distrito: 3
(district)
REMARK Departments and provinces in the trans-Andean interior are
larger than those in the coastal and mountain belts.
The provincia constitutional comprises Callao, the port of
Lima,.-and a small surrounding area. It has had the status
of a first-order civil division for over 100 years and is
divided into 3 distritos that rank technically as second-order
divisions.
The basic third-order division, of which there were 1,428 in
1957, is also called a distrito. Lima, the capital, comprises
5 distritos urbanos units of a type not found elsewhere. At
least four other categories of settlements (ciudad/city;
pueblo/town; villa/village; caserio/small village) are recognized
officially, but the division of authority, between city or town
government and distrito government, if such exists, is not sharply
drawn.
Native (Indian) communities have special legal status and are,
in general, outside the scope of the administrative arrangements
applicable to the country as a whole.
FERENCES. Asturrizaga, Juan E.. Geograffa dell Peru, D. Miranda, Lima,
1957; names of first- and second-order units; number of
distritos.
Revista GeoZrafica Peru, Asociacion de Geogr.?afos Egresados del
Insti.tuto de Geografla de la Universidad National Mayor de
San Marcos, Ano 1, No. 1, Lima, December 1956; names and capitals
of units first- through third-order; boundaries of departments
and provinces shown on 1:12,000,000 map -- names keyed to map
by number; distrito data are not completely current.
Peaslee, A. J.. Constitutions of Nations, Martinus Nijhoff,
The Hague, 1.956; administrative relationships (constitution
of? Peru, Vol. III, p. 132-.16o).
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departamento: 9
1956
delegacio'n: 5
(delegation)
(department)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS provincia: 93
1956
(province)
REMARKS Administrators of the sparsely populated delegaciones are
appointed by the president. They are responsible for re-
settlement programs and the welfare of indigenous peoples
in their areas.
REFERENCES
The delegaciones are outside the jurisdiction of departamentos,
but the second-order entities that lie within them are nevertheless
counted as provincias in Bolivian sources, and are included in the
above total of 93. In general, the provincias are of little
importance administratively, and only a few require a staff other
than the part-time services of one official.
Third-order administrative entities include municipios (cities,
towns, and other settlements), of which there were some 200 in
1951, and cantones (rural districts) of which there were 821 in
1951. The more important cities have municipal councils presided
over by an alcalde (mayor). Since most of these communities are
also the administrative seats of departamentos, however, the line
between city government and departamento government is not sharply
drawn. Sucre, the legal capital, and La Paz, the actual seat of
the national government, have no status that is basically different
from that of other cities.
Numerous Indian communities are organized in traditional clans
controlled by headmen. Although these groups enjoy no official
recognition as governmental entities, their influence is quite
strong.
Reyes, J.M.. Bosquejo de Geo raffia de Bolivia, Instituto
Pan-Americano de Geografia e Historia, Comissao de Geografia,
Publi9ao No. 213 (199-IV), Rio de Janeiro, 1956; number of
units; names of departamentos; administrative relationships.
Osborne, Harold. Bolivia: A Divided Land, Royal Institute of
International Affairs, London, 1954; administrative relation-
ships.
Report of the United Nations Mission of Technical Assistance to
Bolivia, United Nations, New York, 1951; administrative
relationships.
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BOLIVIA
contt
REFERENCES Carta.Censal de la Republica de Bolivia, Direccion General
con't de Estadistica y Censos, ca. 1947-5.; departamento and
provincia names and boundaries; coverage by departamentos
as follows :
Chuquisaca
1:500,000.
Call No. 76647
Cochabamba
1:500,000
,i
it
76375
El Beni
1:1,000,000
ii
76362
La Paz
1:500,000
n
it
76372
Oruro
1:500,000
ii
76393
Pando
1:800,000
ii
ii
76299
Potosf
1:1,000,000
ii
76628
Santa Cruz
1:250,000
ii
i'
76380
Tarija
1:250,000
+r
76649
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departamento: 16
(department)
1957
distrito federal: 1
(federal district)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS distrito: 154+
(district)
1951-57
parroquia: 6
(parish)
REMARKS The sparsely settled area west of the Rio Paraguay, referred to
as the Occidental, includes 3 departamentos that are under the
Ministry of National Defense; whereas the 13 departamentos of
the Oriental, the area east of the Rio Paraguay, are administered
by the Department of the Interior.
The distrito federal includes Asuncion and its immediate environs.
The - p~.arroquias parishes) into which it is divided rank technically
as second-order units. In addition to being the national capital,
Asuncion is also the administrative seat for Central, the departamento
immediately south of the distrito federal.
Outside Asuncion, city government is distrito government, the
distritos of Paraguay being basically similar to the municipios
of numerous Latin American countries. Each distrito comprises a
seat (city, town, or village) and a surrounding area, usually
rural. The town that serves as the administrative center has no
corporate existence apart from the distrito as a whole.
REFERENCES Capurro, Adan. Geografia del Paraguay, "Alcora", Asuncion,
1957; administrative relationships; names of departamentos,
parroquias, and most distritos.
Mapa de la Repsblica del Paraguay; 1:1,000,000; Estado Mayor
General, Seccion Cartografica, 1956; names and boundaries of
first-order units. Call No. 10235+.
[Districts and Colonies in the Departments of Paraguay]; various
scales, mostly 1:25,000-1:200,000; Paraguay, Direction General de
Estadfstica y Censos; 1956; names and boundaries of distritos;
ca. 150 sheets covering 145 of the distritos. Call '507.7-107-1-37.
Geographic Intelligence Report, Administrative Divisions of
Western Hemisphere Countries, RR-G-3, 1 November 1952;
administrative relationships; names of first-order units
with number of distritos indicated for each.
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CHILE*
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS provincia: 25
(province)
1956
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS departamento: 87
(department)
195+
REMARKS A single departamento is coextensive with Aisan province.
The Juan Fernandez Islands are administrative components of
Valparaiso Province, whereas the normally uninhabited islands
of San Felix and San Ambrosio near 26?00?S-80?OO1W belong to
Atacama Province.
Each province is under the authority of an intendente and each
departamento is under a governor. The intendente, however,
also serves as governor of the departamento containing the
provincial capital.
Departamentos are subdivided into comunas (communes, third-order
divisions) and comunas into distritos (districts, fourth-order).
City government is commune government and, apparently, no towns
have special status as first- or second-order units. The city of
Santiago, capital of Chile, fallswithin the Comuna de Santiago
and is divided into 52 fourth-order distritos.
REFERENCES Chile; 1:5,000,000; 195+; province names and boundaries. Map
No . 12872 .
Mapa.Escolar de Chile; 1:3,000,000; 195)+-?; provincia and
departamento names and boundaries. Call No. 779+9?
XII Censo-General dePoblacion, Escrutinio Preliminar,
'Provincia de Santiaga,' Direction General de Estadistica,
Secretaria General del Censo, Chile, Santiago, 1952; names
and boundaries of all units first- through fourth-order for
Santiago Province. Similar publications are available for
all provinces.
Butland, G.J.. Chide, Royal Institute of International Affairs,
London, 1953; administrative relationships.
*Easter and Sala y Gomez islands, Chilean possessions in the eastern Pacific,
are treated in Part IV, Oceania. Chilean and other Antarctic claims are not
considered in this report.
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS
provincia: 22
1957
(province)
capital federal:
1
territorio nacional: 1
(national territory)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
departamento:
352
195+-57
(department)
partido: 112
(district)
barrio: 45
(borough)
section islas:
1
(islands section)
REMARKS Several of the current provinces did not achieve provincial
status until the period 1951-55 during which numerous territorios
were raised in rank.
The- capital federal includes only the central core of the Buenos
.Aires metropolitan area. It is subdivided in a number of different
ways for different purposes (police, taxation, elections, etc.).
Apparently, however, the barrios are the most important of the
numerous divisions.
The territorio nacional carries the official title "Territorio
Nacional de Tierra del Fuego, Antartida e Islas del,Atlantico
Sur." It is divided into 4 departamentos, all of which fall
within Tierra del Fuego and nearby islands.
The departamentos and partidos are the basic second-order
divisions. There is no functional difference between them;
the name partido is used in Buenos Aires Province and departamento
elsewhere. Some of the departamentos and partidos are similar
to the municipios (a seat -- city,.town, or village nd an
adjacent area, usually rural) found elsewhere in.Latin erica,
whereas others are larger and more populous. Most important
cities and towns are the seats of departamentos or partidos and
there are indications that in some cases at least city government
and de2artamento or arp tido government are one and the same thing,
but whether this holds true for all of Argentina is not made clear
by readily available data.
The section islas is in Buenos Aires Province. Not assigned to
any pare Lido, it comprises a group of almost uninhabited fluvial
islands near the confluence of the Parana and Uruguay rivers.
*Argentina is here considered without regard to Antarctic claims. For the
Falkland. Islands and other islands claimed by the United Kingdom and Argentina,
see South Atlantic Islands, p. 66.
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ARGENTINA
con?t
REFERENCES
Republica Argentina; 1:2,500,000; Ejercito Argentine, Instituto
Geografico Militar, 1957; names and boundaries of first-order
units. Call No. 101+78.
[Province Map Indexesl, Editorial Mapa, Buenos.Aires, 1957; names
of departamentos.
Catamarca
Call No. 102189
(Map Supplement)
Corrientes
Formosa
It It 102190
" 102191
it
it,
Jujuy
" 102192
La Rioja
" 102193
Mendoza
102194
San Juan
102195
San Luis
" 102196
Santiago del Estero
" 102197
Tucuman
" 102198
Entre Rios
It 102350
Almanague Peuser del Mensajero, Peuser, Buenos Aires, 1956; names
of departamentos and partidos. Call No. D501.Al.
Atlas de la Republica Argentina, Ejercito Argentine, Instituto
Geografico Militar, 1954; political data are not completely
current, but mostdepartamento and partido boundaries are
correctly shown on province maps at 1:1,500,000. Call No.
aD50l.A62.
Manual de los k Barrios de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Fiol and
Menendez, Buenos Aires, 1956; names. and boundaries of the divisions
of Buenos Aires. Call No. aD501.9.B856 1956.
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Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS departamento: 19
(department)
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS See Remarks
REMARKS The Departamento de Montevideo, the smallest but most populous
of the first-order units, takes in little more than the city of
Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, and its environs. The government
of the departamento and the government of the city are one and
the same thing..
Throughout Uruguay, nearly all important towns and cities are
departamento capitals and, as such, are administered. directly
by departamento governments. Towns other than the capitals of
departamentos may organize local councils and, under certain
conditions, council powers may be broadened; particularly where
the town has more than 10,000 inhabitants or is of "special
national interest for the development of tourist travel." Towns
with local councils -- their number is unknown -- are apparently
the only true second-order administrative divisions.
Uruguay is divided into some 230 secciones policiales (police
sections) -- sometimes called secciones judiciales -- which may
be used as statistical units where geographic areas smaller
than departamentos are required. These jurisdictions, however,
are not true administrative entities.
REFERENCES Uruguay; 1:1,500,000; 19+7; names and boundaries of departamentos
(data are current). Map No. 10714.1.
Ma pa del Uruguay con la Delimitacion A roximada de las Secciones
Policiales; ca. 1:1,500,000; R. Cossani, 1949; boundaries of
departamentos and secciones policiales. Call No. 65656.
Peaslee, A.J.. Constitutions of Nations, 2nd ed., Vol III,
Martinus Nijhoff, the Hague, 1956; administrative relationships
(Uruguay constitution, p. 608).
Macdonald, A.F.. Latin American Politics and Government, Thomas
Y. Crowell, New York, 1954; administrative relationships.
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SOUTH ATLANTIC ISLANDS
In this category are the Falkland Islands (near 52000'S-59000'W), South Georgia
Island (51+?30'S-37?00'W), and the South Sandwich Islands (centered near 58?00'S-
27000'41), all of which are now administered by the United Kingdom but are also
claimed by Argentina. Antarctic claims are not here considered.
Name and number of
FIRST-ORDER DIVISIONS See Remarks
Name and number of
SECOND-ORDER DIVISIONS
The United Kingdom administers the Falkland Islands as.a.crown
colony and considers South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
to be parts of the "Falkland Islands-Dependencies."
The Falkland Islands, with a population of approximately 2,230,
do not require civil divisions as such. About half the people
living in the islands reside in Port Stanley, which has a town
council and is the only "local government area."
The United Kingdom maintains an Administrative Officer on South
Georgia Island, but there are no civil divisions-and no settlements
other than whaling stations. The population is about 250 through-
out the year and 700 during the whaling season.
The South Sandwich Islands,are normally uninhabited.
Argentina regards, the Falklands. along with South Georgia and the
South Sandwich Islands as parts of her "Territorio National de
Tierra del Fuego,.Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur.'t However,
no resident Argentine officials are currently exercising adminis-
trative authority on any of the islands.
FEfiFNCES Colonial Reports: Falkland Islands 1952 and 1223, Her Majesty's
tationery Office, London, 1954; British interpretation of
administrative relationships; includes 1:9,000,000 map of the
"Falkland Islands and Dependencies" and a map of the Falklands
indicating private ownership of islands and tracts.
Republica A entina;, 1:2,500,000; Ejercito Argentino, Instituto
Geografico Militar, 1957; Argentine interpretation of adminis-
trative relationships. Call No. 101+78.
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FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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