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Prefectures are one of four types of prefecture-level divisions in China, the second-level administrative division in the country. While at one time[when?] prefectures were the most common prefecture-level division, they are in the process of being abolished[when?] and only seven formally-designated prefectures remain.
Prefecture Dìqū | |
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Category | Second level administrative division of a unitary state |
Location | China |
Number | 7 prefectures |
Populations | 95,465 (Ngari) – 3,979,362 (Kaxgar) |
Areas | 46,755 km2 (18,052 sq mi) (Daxing'anling) – 304,683 km2 (117,639 sq mi) (Ngari) |
Government |
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Subdivisions |
formally Prefecture-level divisions | |||||||||||||||
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Tibetan name | |||||||||||||||
Tibetan | ས་ཁུལ། | ||||||||||||||
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Vietnamese | Địa khu | ||||||||||||||
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Zhuang | Dagih | ||||||||||||||
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Hangul | 지구 | ||||||||||||||
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Mongolian name | |||||||||||||||
Mongolian Cyrillic | дугарг | ||||||||||||||
Mongolian script | ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ | ||||||||||||||
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Uyghur name | |||||||||||||||
Uyghur | ۋىلايەت | ||||||||||||||
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Manchu name | |||||||||||||||
Manchu script | ᡳ ᠪᠠ | ||||||||||||||
Möllendorff | i'ba | ||||||||||||||
Kazakh name | |||||||||||||||
Kazakh | ايماق аймақ aimaq | ||||||||||||||
Kyrgyz name | |||||||||||||||
Kyrgyz | ايماق аймак ajmaq |
The term "prefecture" is also used as a translation of three unrelated types of administrative divisions that were historically in use in China: the xian, the zhou, and the fu.
Modern prefectures
editPrefectures are administrative subdivisions of provincial-level divisions. The constitution of the People's Republic of China does not endorse any prefecture-level division, except for autonomous prefectures. Prefectures and leagues are not at all mentioned; provinces are explicitly stated to be divided directly into counties.
The administrative commission (Chinese:
The term "prefecture" derives from the former circuit, which was a level between provinces and the counties during the Qing dynasty. In 1928, the government of the Republic of China abolished circuits and provinces began to administer counties directly; however, this reform was soon found unfeasible because some provinces had hundreds of counties. Consequently, in 1932, provinces were again subdivided into several prefectures, and regional administrative offices were set up.
List of prefectures
editName | Chinese | Provincial-level region | Population (2010) | Area (km2) | Prefecture seat |
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Daxing'anling Prefecture | Heilongjiang | 511,564 | 46,755 | Jiagedaqi District (de facto); Mohe city (de jure) | |
Ngari Prefecture | Tibet | 95,465 | 304,683 | Sênggêzangbo town, Gar County | |
Altay Prefecture | Xinjiang | 603,280 | 117,988 | Altay city | |
Tacheng Prefecture | Xinjiang | 1,219,212 | 94,891 | Tacheng city | |
Kashgar Prefecture | 喀什 |
Xinjiang | 3,979,362 | 112,058 | Kashgar city |
Aksu Prefecture | Xinjiang | 2,370,887 | 128,099 | Aksu city | |
Hotan Prefecture | Xinjiang | 2,014,365 | 248,946 | Hotan city |
Historical prefectures
editIn general the word "prefecture" is applied to xian for the period before the Sui and Tang dynasties; for the period after, xian are called "districts" or "counties", while "prefectures" refer to zhou and fu.
Xian
editXian (县/
Xian has been translated using several English language terms. In the context of ancient history, "district" and "prefecture" are the most commonly used terms, while "county" is generally used for more contemporary contexts.
Zhou
editZhou (
Zhou is generally translated as "province" or "region" for the period before the Sui dynasty, and "prefecture" for the period from the Sui dynasty onwards.
The People's Republic of China has revived the word zhou as part of the term "zizhizhou" (
Fu
editFu (
During the Tang and Song dynasties, the term was mainly applied to prefectures with major urban centers. For this period, it is often translated as "urban prefecture" or "superior prefecture". Later, however, most first-level prefectures under provinces would become known as fu.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The standing committee of the people’s congress of a province and autonomous region may set up administrative offices in the prefectures under its jurisdiction." from Item 2, Article 53, Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Governments of the People’s Republic of China (2004 Revision)