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The territory of Cape Verde is divided into 22 concelhos (municipalities), and subdivided into 32 freguesias (equivalent to civil parish).
In Portuguese language usage, there are two words to distinguish the territory and the administrative organ. Administratively, right below the government, there are the municípios (municipalities), which administer the concelhos. Therefore, the concelhos are the first-level administrative subdivision in Cape Verde. Each municipality has an Assembleia Municipal (municipal assembly, the legislative body) and a Câmara Municipal (municipal chamber, the executive body). Every four years elections are held for the Assembleia Municipal, the Câmara Municipal and the President of the Câmara Municipal. Where a municipality consists of several freguesias (civil parishes), a Delegação Municipal (municipal delegation) is established in the parishes that do not contain the municipal seat.[1]
The islands are traditionally divided in two geographic regions (with no administrative meaning):
- Barlavento Islands (windward), the six northern islands and
- Sotavento Islands (leeward), the four southern ones.
- ^ Lei nº 134/IV/95, Estatuto dos Municípios Archived 2016-09-13 at the Wayback Machine, p. 83-127