A canton is a type of administrative division of a country.[1] In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, the most politically important cantons are the Swiss cantons. As the constituents of the Swiss Confederation, theoretically and historically, they are semi-sovereign states.[2]
The term is derived from the French word canton, meaning "corner" or "district" (from which "cantonment" is also derived).[3]
Canada: Canadian French equivalent for the English word "township", since the translation municipalité is already used for a different level of government (see township).
Cantons of El Salvador: divisions of a municipality outside the more urban caserios, which border the town or city. Cantones can be thought as the more rural parts of a city or town, generally far from the actual urban population.[11]
Cantons of Lebanon: unofficial militias and factions during the Lebanese Civil War and afterwards. Most areas have been returned to Lebanese government control.[13]
Cantonal Government of Negros: short-lived provisional government in the Visayas during the Filipino-American Wars in the 19th–20th centuries Republic of Negros.[5]
^Balleine, G. R.; Marguerite Syvret; Joan Stevens (1998). Balleine's history of Jersey (Rev. and enlarged ed.). Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN1-86077-065-7. OCLC963688358.