The Republic of Adygea, an enclave within Krasnodar Krai located at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, is a federal subject of Russia.

[1] The republic's administrative divisions remained largely unchanged from the structure used during the Soviet era, with the notable exception of selsoviets—a low-level administrative unit type abolished after the new law on the administrative-territorial divisions had been adopted in May 2000.

As of 2014, the republic's administrative-territorial divisions include seven administrative districts (raions) and two republican urban okrugs.

The system of local self-governance, which Article 12 of the Constitution of Russia guarantees, is implemented on the republic's territory in accordance with the provisions of Federal Law No.

[6] Initially, the autonomous oblast consisted of three okrugs: Farssky, Psekupsky, and Shirvansky, which were further subdivided into the total of forty-two volosts.

[6] As the territory the autonomous oblast encompassed was wholly rural, it had no administrative center, so its government was located in nearby Krasnodar.

[6] No other significant changes occurred until February 7, 1929, when the five districts were re-organized into three (Krasnogvardeysky, Psekupsky, and Shovgenovsky).

On July 15, 1940, Ponezhukaysky District was renamed Teuchezhsky after Adyghe poet Tsuga Teuchezh.

[9] On June 28, 1991, a few months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the autonomous oblast declared its sovereignty and separated from Krasnodar Krai.

Between 2004 and 2006, attempts were made to merge the republic with Krasnodar Krai, but the proposal met with strong resistance from the native Adyghe population[12] and was eventually put to rest.

[1] Districts govern the urban and rural localities (see below) located on their territories, but not the cities/towns of the republican significance.

An urban-type settlement (посёлок городского типа) in the Republic of Adygea is a type of urban locality.

A suburban (dacha) settlement (дачный посёлок) in the Republic of Adygea is a type of urban locality.

[1] This status can be granted to an inhabited locality that has the main purpose of providing sanatory or summer recreation facilities to visiting populations.

A resort settlement (курортный посёлок) in the Republic of Adygea is a type of urban locality.

[15] Many of the present-day auls were founded during 1850 to 1925, when the Adyghe people were subject to mass deportations as a consequence of the Caucasian War of 1817–1864.

[15] Most of them lie along the left banks of the Kuban and Laba Rivers, and along the southern shores of Krasnodar Reservoir.

[15] Typically, those that appeared before 1900 were established by landowners, while those created during the first half of the 20th century encompassed public land.

[15] Historically, selos were a type of Russian rural locality, consisting of a large village with a church.

[15] As of 2014, there are nineteen selos in the republic,[2] most commonly found between the eastern shore of Krasnodar Reservoir and the left bank of the Laba River (near its source).

[15] During Soviet times, stanitsas, no longer being Cossack settlements, still encompassed relatively large populations.

Maykopsky Republican Urban Okrug includes the city of Maykop (Russian: Майкоп; Adyghe: Мыекъуапэ), which is located on the right bank of the Belaya River, and eight rural localities in its jurisdiction.

[17] Adygeysky Republican Urban Okrug includes the town of Adygeysk (Russian: Адыгейск; Adyghe: Адыгэкъалэ), which is located near Krasnodar Reservoir, and two rural localities in its jurisdiction.