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Subnational Flags (Spain)

Last modified: 2004-11-27 by santiago dotor
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Introduction to Spanish Administrative Subdivisions

According to the Spanish Constitution, there are three main administrative subdivisions: Autonomous Communities, Provinces and Municipalities. As this appears in the Constitution, these three are compulsory administrative entities which cannot be abolished except through Constitutional reform. Besides, the Constitution allows the creation of other administrative subdivisions, without specifying which. The Law on Basic Local Rules (that includes provinces, municipalities and islands) states that these may create their own administrative subdivisions, with the approval of the respective Autonomous Community. These subdivisions may be:

  • In the provinces:
    • Comarca: Grouping of several municipalities with common interests
    • Área Metropolitana: Grouping of several municipalities of big urban areas
    • Mancomunidad: Association of municipalities for fulfilment of common works and/or services
  • In the municipalities:
    • Ente local (Local Entity): Decentralized administration of villages when municipalities comprise more than one inhabited location
Islands, as stated in the said Law, are established entities in both archipelagos. The term island may prove misleading, as it may comprise only one island or a group of them. The administrative subdivisions of the Balearic and Canary islands are: