Governorate

A governorate or governate is an administrative division of a state that is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term governorate is often used in translation from non-English-speaking administrations. The most common usage are as a translation of Persian "Farmandari" or the Arabic Muhafazah. It may also refer to the guberniya and general-gubernatorstvo of Imperial Russia or the gobiernos of Imperial Spain. The term governorate is widely used in Arab countries to describe an administrative unit. Some governorates combine more than one Muhafazah; others closely follow traditional boundaries inherited from the Ottoman Empire's vilayet system. With the exception of Tunisia, all translations into the term governorate originate in the Arabic word muhafazah. Governorates of Bahrain Governorates of Egypt Governorates of Iraq (official translation, sometimes also translated as province) Governorates of Jordan Governorates of Kuwait Governorates of Lebanon Governorates of Oman Governorates of Palestine Governorates of Saudi Arabia Governorates of Syria Governorates of Tunisia (the local term is wilayah) Governorates of Yemen History of the administrative division of Russia Governorate (Russia) and See Subdivisions of Congress Poland Governorates of the Grand Principality of Finland In the Portuguese Empire, a governorate general (Portuguese: governo-geral) were a colonial administration. They usually were created in order to be a centralized government over smaller colonies or territories of the Portuguese Empire. Governorate Generals of the Portuguese Empire: Governorate General of Brazil (1549-1572 / 1578-1607 / 1613–1621) Governorate General of Bahia (1572-1578 / 1607–1613) Governorate General of Rio de Janeiro (1572-1578 / 1607–1613) Governorates of the Spanish Empire In the Spanish Empire, the gobernaciones ("governorships" or "governorates") were an administrative division, roughly analogous to a province directly beneath the level of the audiencia or captaincy general, and the viceroy in areas directly under the viceroy's administration.