Various provinces made up Kongo's higher administrative divisions, with some of the larger and more complex states, such as Mbamba, divided into varying numbers of sub-provinces, which the administration further subdivided. The king appointed the Mwene Mbamba, the Duke of Mbamba after the 1590s. The king technically had the power to dismiss the Mwene Mbamba, but the complex political situation limited the king's exercise of his power. When the administration gave out European-style titles, large districts like Mbamba and Nsundi typically became "Duchies". The administration made smaller ones, such as Mpemba, Mpangu or a host of territories north of the capital), "Marquisates". Soyo, a complex province on the coast, became a "County," as did Nkusu, a smaller and less complex state east of the capital.