In some federations, a province (subnational entity) is called a state.

• In Australia, see Australian States and Territories.
• In Austria (Bundesland), see States of Austria.
• In Brazil, see States of Brazil.
• In Germany (Bundesland), see States of Germany.
• In India, see States and territories of India.
• In Mexico, see States of Mexico.
• In the Swiss Confederation (Canton), see under Switzerland.
• In the United States of America, see U.S. state.
• In the Venezuela, see States of Venezuela.

Often, due to American English influence, words such as Länder are translated as states when a more precise translation would be provinces.

The United Nations also considers a government in exile resident on a geographic area which it is holding under military occupation to be a subnational (subsovereign) entity. The Republic of China on Taiwan is the most prominent example in the world today, and has been refused admittance to the United Nations twelve times in a row as of the Fall of 2004.