Inklingo

How to Say "province" in Spanish

English → Spanish

provincia

/pro-BEEN-syah//pɾoˈβin.sja/

nounA2general
Use 'provincia' for a general administrative region or state within a country, similar to a US state or a historical province in Europe.
A colorful map showing a single region highlighted in a different color from its neighbors.

Examples

La Rioja es una provincia de España.

La Rioja is a province of Spain.

Mendoza es una provincia muy famosa por sus vinos.

Mendoza is a province very famous for its wines.

Mi familia vive en la provincia de Buenos Aires.

My family lives in the province of Buenos Aires.

España está dividida en cincuenta provincias.

Spain is divided into fifty provinces.

Gender Identification

Since it ends in -a, 'provincia' is feminine. You should always use 'la' or 'una' with it.

Naming Provinces

When naming a specific one, we usually say 'la provincia de' followed by the name. For example: 'la provincia de Madrid'.

State vs. Province

Mistake: “Using 'estado' when talking about administrative divisions in Spain or Argentina.”

Correction: Use 'provincia'. While 'estado' is used in Mexico or the US, many other Spanish-speaking countries use 'provincia'.

departamento

/de-par-ta-MEN-to//depaɾta'mento/

nounB2general
Use 'departamento' when referring to an administrative division specifically in countries like Colombia, Argentina, or Uruguay, where it functions as the primary subnational entity.
A stylized, colorful map showing a large geographical area clearly separated into three distinct administrative regions by thick white lines.

Examples

El Quindío es un departamento de Colombia.

Quindío is a department of Colombia.

Colombia está dividida en 32 departamentos.

Colombia is divided into 32 departments.

La capital del departamento de Antioquia es Medellín.

The capital of the department of Antioquia is Medellín.

El gobierno asignó más fondos a los departamentos del sur.

The government assigned more funds to the southern departments.

Provincia vs. Departamento

The most common mistake is using 'departamento' for any administrative region. Remember that 'provincia' is the default and more widely understood term. Only use 'departamento' when you know the country specifically uses this designation for its primary subnational divisions.

Related Translations

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