The Department reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Department

The word department has a number of meanings:

It can mean an administrative sector of the government. It designates administrative areas of centralized countries,

• See département, for France
• See departamentos, for Bolivia.

In some countries (e.g. United States, Switzerland), department is a term used instead of ministry to define a specific sector of the federal government.

• See Department (US government)
• See Department (Swiss government)

• Department (US Army), is a term used, by the US Army, mostly prior to World War I.
• A Department (naval) is a section devoted to one of several major tasks.

• Department store
• Fire department
• Police department

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