A province is an area of land that is part of a country, similar to a state or a county. It can also be an area of land under political control by an outside country, similar to a colony.

Provinces are usually units of government. Canada has 10 provinces, each with a lieutenant governor. China has 22 provinces inside its borders. Each Chinese province is led by a political governor and a military governor. In the South American country of Chile, there are 53 different provinces contained in 15 different regions. Each province is led by a governor who is appointed by the president of the country.

Countries can also have provinces outside of their borders. This was more common in the past than it is today. Canada was once a province of the United Kingdom, for example.

The word province comes from the Latin word provencia, which referred to areas ruled by Roman officials about 2,000 years ago.
province
Yunnan has been a Chinese province since about 205 BCE.

Super-Province
The world's largest province is Xinjiang, China. Xinjiang forms part of China's border with Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Xinjiang is 4.1 square kilometers (1.6 million square miles), larger than many countries.

border
Noun

natural or artificial line separating two pieces of land.
colony
Noun

people and land separated by distance or culture from the government that controls them.
country
Noun

geographic territory with a distinct name, flag, population, boundaries, and government.
county
Noun

political unit smaller than a state or province, but typically larger than a city, town, or other municipality.
government
Noun

system or order of a nation, state, or other political unit.
Latin
Noun

language of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.
military
Noun

armed forces.
province
Noun

division of a country larger than a town or county.
region
Noun

any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are the basic units of geography.
Roman
Adjective

having to do with the civilization of ancient Rome, including the kingdom, republic, and empire.
state
Noun

political unit in a nation, such as the United States, Mexico, or Australia.
United Kingdom
Noun

nation made of the countries of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

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    Writers

    Kim Rutledge
    Tara Ramroop
    Diane Boudreau
    Melissa McDaniel
    Santani Teng
    Erin Sprout
    Hilary Costa
    Hilary Hall
    Jeff Hunt

    Illustrators

    Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society
    Tim Gunther

    Editors

    Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing
    Kara West

    Educator Reviewer

    Nancy Wynne

    Producer

    Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society

    Sources

    Dunn, Margery G. (Editor). (1989, 1993). "Exploring Your World: The Adventure of Geography." Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.

    Last Updated

    June 10, 2011

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