These indicate, respectively, four common types of administrative division in English: districts; municipalities; provinces; and regions. Other English terms are also footnoted.

Larger countries are usually divided into two or more such administrative divisions. These, in turn, are usually divided in whole or in part into multiple, second-tier local governments, which are usually known by names such as circuits, counties, comarcas, raions, judets, administrative districts, parishes, municipalities, communes or communities.