Department

A department is a part of a larger organization with a specific responsibility. For the division of organizations into departments, see Departmentalization.

In particular:

• A Government department in the United States and Switzerland corresponds to a ministry in other systems:
  • Department (US government)
  • Department (Swiss government)
• A geographic area of a centralized country which functions as an administrative unit, modelled on the French départements (in Spanish, departamento):
  • Departments of Benin
  • Departments of Bolivia
  • Departments of Colombia
  • Departments of Côte d'Ivoire
  • Departments of El Salvador
  • Departments of France
  • Departments of Guatemala
  • Departments of Honduras
  • Departments of Nicaragua
  • Departments of Niger
  • Departments of Paraguay
  • Departments of Uruguay
• Part of an institution such as a commercial company (see Departmentalization) or a non-profit organization such as a University.
  • Academic department
• A Department store includes many specialized departments.
• In the US military:
• "Department" is a term used by the US Army, mostly prior to World War I.
  • A naval Department is a section devoted to one of several major tasks.
• Part of a state or municipal government:
  • Fire department
  • Police department