Administrative divisions of the Arab Union

The Union of Arab Republics (UAR; informally the Arab Union) is formally organised into three levels of administrative divisions, which constitute the lower two of the country's three tiers of government, below the federal level as the upper tier.

Because the Arab Union is a federation, the first tier below the federal government (officially termed union republics) consists of the 20 federated states which make up the union. Each republic has its own elected executive (officially termed a governorate) which is responsible for the majority of domestic affairs within the republic, with the federal government concerning itself primarily with foreign affairs, diplomacy, trade, aid, interstate cooperation and defend, as well as those matters affecting more than one republic or the union as a whole. Anything not concerning more than a single republic is under the purview of the republican level of government,(governorates).

Below the level of the republics are the districts, which each encompass multiple baladiyāt (singular baladiya), the lower administrative level. For the most part districts function as simple arbitrators between the governorate and baladiya levels, and also exist to administer unpopulated areas which do not come under the jurisdiction of any baladiyāt. While district governments are appointed by the governorates, each baladiya has its own elected council (local government) known traditionally as a majlis, which is responsible for local public administration and basic services within its area of jurisdiction (comparable to a Western municipality).

The two exceptions to the above are:
 * 1) Nasser City, the national capital, which constitutes its own federal district outside the jurisdiction of any republic, merging the three administrative levels found in the republics, and which serves as the seat of the federal government; and,
 * 2) the Kurdistan Autonomous Region, which is also separate from the republics, but otherwise functions identically with the same administrative hierarchy.