Direct-controlled municipality

A direct-controlled municipality is the highest level classification for cities used by unitary state, with status equal to that of the provinces in the respective countries. A direct-controlled municipality is similar to, but not the same as, a Federal district, a common designation in various countries for a municipality that is not part of any state, and which usually hosts some governmental functions. Usually direct-controlled municipality are under central governments control with limited power.

Each country has adopted this system with some different variations. Geographically and culturally, many of the municipalities are enclaves in the middle of provinces. Some occur in strategic positions in between provinces.

Country	Municipalities	Main article
Belarus	Minsk
Cambodia	Kep, Pailin, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville
China	Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin	Direct-controlled municipalities of China
Kazakhstan	Almaty, Astana, Baikonur
North Korea	Pyongyang, Nampho, Rason	Special cities of North Korea
South Korea	Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, Sejong	Special cities of South Korea
Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek, Osh
Laos	Vientiane
Moldova	Chişinău, Bălţi, Bender
Mongolia	Ulan Bator
Republic of China (Taiwan)	Taipei, Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Taoyuan	Special municipality (Taiwan)
Turkmenistan	Ashgabat
Ukraine	Kiev, Sevastopol (disputed)
Uzbekistan	Tashkent
Vietnam	Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho	Municipalities of Vietnam

See also

• Metropolitan Capitalism (Capital City)