County

A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes[1] in some
nations. The term is derived from the Old French comté denoting a jurisdiction under the
sovereignty of a count (earl) or a viscount.[2] Literal equivalents in other languages, derived from
the equivalent of "count", are now seldom used officially, including comté, contea, contado,
comtat, condado, Grafschaft, graafschap, and zhupa in Slavic languages; terms equivalent to
'commune' or 'community' are now often instead used.

When the Normans conquered England, they brought the term with them. The Saxons had
already established the districts that became the historic counties of England, calling them
shires;[3] many county names derive from the name of the county town (county seat) with the
word shire added on: for example, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.[4] The Anglo-Saxon terms
earl and earldom were taken as equivalent to the continental terms "count" and "county" under
the conquering Normans, and over time the two blended and became equivalent. Further, the
later-imported term became a synonym for the native Old English word sċīr ([ʃiːr]) or, in Modern
English, shire – an equivalent administrative division of the kingdom. The term "county" evolved,
consequently, to designate a level of local administration that was immediately beneath a
national government, within a unitary (non-federal) system of government. County later also
became used differently in some federal systems of government, for a local administrative
division subordinate to a primary subnational entity, such as a Province (e.g. Canada) or a level 3
territorial unit such as NUTS 3.

In the United States and Canada, founded 600 years later[a] on the British traditions, counties are
usually an administrative division set by convenient geographical demarcations, which in
governance have certain officeholders (for example sheriffs and their departments) as a part of
the state's and province's mechanisms, including geographically common court systems.[5]
A county may be further subdivided into districts, hundreds, townships, or other administrative
jurisdictions within the county. A county usually, but not always, contains cities, towns,
townships, villages, or other municipal corporations, which in most cases are somewhat
subordinate or dependent upon county governments. Depending on the nation, municipality, and
local geography, municipalities may or may not be subject to direct or indirect county control.
The functions of both levels are often consolidated into a city government when the area is
densely populated, and are generally not when it is less densely populated.[b]

Outside English-speaking countries, an equivalent of the term county is often used to describe
subnational jurisdictions that are structurally equivalent to counties in the relationship they have
with their national government;[c] but which may not be administratively equivalent to counties in
predominantly English-speaking countries.

Africa

Kenya
Counties are the current second-level political division in Kenya. Each county has an assembly
where members of the county assembly (MCAs) sit. This assembly is headed by a governor.
Each county is also represented in the Senate of Kenya by a senator. Additionally, a women's
representative is elected from each county to the Parliament of Kenya to represent women's
interests. Counties replaced provinces as the second-level division after the promulgation of the
2010 Constitution of Kenya.

Liberia
Liberia has 15 counties, each of which elects two senators to the Senate of Liberia.
Asia

China
The English word county is used to translate the Chinese term xiàn ( 县 or 縣). In Mainland China,
governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC), counties and county-level divisions are the
third level of regional/local government, coming under the provincial level and the prefectural
level, and above the township level and village level.

There are 1,464 so-named "counties" out of 2,862 county-level divisions in the PRC, and the
number of counties has remained more or less constant since the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD
220). It remains one of the oldest titles of local-level government in China and significantly
predates the establishment of provinces in the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). The county
government was particularly important in imperial China because this was the lowest level at
which the imperial government is functionally involved, while below it the local people are
managed predominantly by the gentries. The head of a county government during imperial China
was the magistrate, who was often a newly ascended jinshi.

In older context, district was an older English translation of xiàn before the establishment of the
Republic of China (ROC). The English nomenclature county was adopted following the
establishment of the ROC. In addition, provincial cities have the same level of authority as
counties. Above county, there are special municipalities (in effect) and province (suspended due
to economical and political reasons). There are currently 13 counties in the ROC-controlled
territories.

During most of the imperial era, there were no concepts like municipalities in China. All cities
existed within counties, commanderies, prefectures, etc., and had no governments of their
own.[6] Large cities (must be imperial capitals or seats of prefectures) could be divided and
administered by two or three counties. Such counties are called 倚郭縣 (yǐguō xiàn, 'county
leaning on the city walls') or 附郭縣 (fùguō xiàn, 'county attached to the city walls'). The yamen or
governmental houses of these counties exist in the same city. In other words, they share one
county town. In this sense, a yǐguō xiàn or fùguō xiàn is similar to a district of a city.
For example, the city of Guangzhou (seat of the eponymous prefecture, also known as Canton in
the Western world) was historically divided by Nanhai County ( 南海縣) and Panyu County (番禺
縣). When the first modern city government in China was established in Guangzhou, the urban
area was separated from these two counties, with the rural areas left in the remaining parts of
them. However, the county governments remained in the city for years, before moving into the
respective counties. Similar processes happened in many Chinese cities.

Nowadays, most counties in mainland China, i.e. with "Xian" in their titles, are administered by
prefecture-level cities and have mainly agricultural economies and rural populations.

Iran

Counties of Iran

The ostans (provinces) of Iran are further subdivided into counties called shahrestān (Persian:
‫)شهرستان‬. County consists of a city centre, a few bakhsh (Persian: ‫)بخش‬, and many villages
around them. There are usually a few cities (Persian: ‫شهر‬, shahar) and rural agglomerations
(Persian: ‫دهستان‬, dehestān) in each county. Rural agglomerations are a collection of a number of
villages. One of the cities of the county is appointed as the capital of the county.

Each shahrestān has a government office known as farmândâri (‫)فرمانداری‬, which coordinates
different events and government offices. The farmândâr ‫فرماندار‬, or the head of farmândâri, is the
governor of the shahrestān.

Fars Province has the highest number of shahrestāns, with 36, while Qom uniquely has one,
being coextensive with its namesake county. Iran had 324 shahrestāns in 2005 and 443 in 2021.
Korea
County is the common English translation for the character 군 (gun or kun) that denotes the
current second level political division in South Korea. In North Korea, the county is one type of
municipal-level division.

Europe

Denmark
Denmark was divided into counties (Danish: amter) from 1662 to 2006. On 1 January 2007 the
counties were replaced by five Regions. At the same time, the number of municipalities was
slashed to 98.

The counties were first introduced in 1662, replacing the 49 fiefs (len) in Denmark–Norway with
the same number of counties. This number does not include the subdivisions of the Duchy of
Schleswig, which was only under partial Danish control. The number of counties in Denmark
(excluding Norway) had dropped to around 20 by 1793. Following the reunification of South
Jutland with Denmark in 1920, four counties replaced the Prussian Kreise. Aabenraa and
Sønderborg County merged in 1932 and Skanderborg and Aarhus were separated in 1942. From
1942 to 1970, the number stayed at 22.[7] The number was further decreased by the 1970 Danish
municipal reform, leaving 14 counties plus two cities unconnected to the county structure;
Copenhagen and Frederiksberg.

In 2003, Bornholm County merged with the local five municipalities, forming the Bornholm
Regional Municipality. The remaining 13 counties were abolished on 1 January 2007 where they
were replaced by five new regions. In the same reform, the number of municipalities was
slashed from 270 to 98 and all municipalities now belong to a region.
France

Departments of
France

A comté was a territory ruled by a count (comte) in medieval France. In modern France, the rough
equivalent of a county as used in many English-speaking countries is a department
(département). Ninety-six departments are in metropolitan France, and five are overseas
departments, which are also classified as overseas regions. Departments are further subdivided
into 334 arrondissements, but these have no autonomy; they are the basis of local organisation
of police, fire departments and, sometimes, administration of elections.

Germany

German districts,
and district-free
cities (yellow) as
of 2016

Each administrative district consists of an elected council and an executive, and whose duties
are comparable to those of a county executive in the United States, supervising local
government administration. Historically, counties in the Holy Roman Empire were called
Grafschaften. The majority of German districts are "rural districts"[8] (German: Landkreise), of
which there are 294 as of 2017. Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants (and smaller towns in
some states) do not usually belong to a district, but take on district responsibilities themselves,
similar to the concept of independent cities and there are 107 of them, bringing the total number
of districts to 401.[9]

Hungary
The administrative unit of Hungary is called vármegye (between 1950 and 2022 they were called
megye, historically also comitatus in Latin), which can be translated with the word county. The
two names are used interchangeably ('megye' used in common parlance, and when referring to
the counties of other states), just like before 1950, when the word 'megye' even appeared in legal
texts. The 19 counties constitute the highest level of the administrative subdivisions of the
country together with the capital city Budapest, although counties and the capital are grouped
into seven statistical regions.

Counties are subdivided into districts (járás) and municipalities, the two types of which are
towns (város) and villages (község), each one having their own elected mayor and council. 23 of
the towns have the rights of a county although they do not form independent territorial units
equal to counties.

The vármegye was also the historic administrative unit in the Kingdom of Hungary, which
included areas of present-day neighbouring countries of Hungary. Its Latin name (comitatus) is
the equivalent of the French comté. Actual political and administrative role of counties changed
much through history. Originally they were subdivisions of the royal administration, but from the
13th century they became self-governments of the nobles and kept this character until the 19th
century when in turn they became modern local governments.
Ireland

Ireland, showing traditional provinces

and counties as well as the modern
administrative districts on both sides
of the international border

The island of Ireland was historically divided into 32 counties, of which 26 later formed the
Republic of Ireland and 6 made up Northern Ireland.

These counties are traditionally grouped into four provinces: Leinster (12 counties), Munster (6),
Connacht (5) and Ulster (9). Historically, the counties of Meath and Westmeath and small parts
of surrounding counties constituted the province of Mide, which was one of the "Five Fifths" of
Ireland (in the Irish language the word for province, cúige, means 'a fifth': from cúig, 'five');
however, these have long since been absorbed into Leinster. In the Republic each county is
administered by an elected "county council", and the old provincial divisions are merely
traditional names with no political significance.

The number and boundaries of administrative counties in the Republic of Ireland were reformed
in the 1990s. For example, County Dublin was divided into three: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown,
Fingal, and South Dublin; the City of Dublin had existed for centuries before. The cities of Cork
and Galway have been separated from the town and rural areas of their counties. The cities of
Limerick and Waterford were merged with their respective counties in 2014. Thus, the Republic
of Ireland now has 31 'county-level' authorities, although the borders of the original twenty-six
counties are still officially in place.[10]
In Northern Ireland, the six county councils and the smaller town councils were abolished in
1973 and replaced by a single tier of local government. However, in the north as well as in the
south, the traditional 32 counties and 4 provinces remain in common usage for many sporting,
cultural and other purposes. County identity is heavily reinforced in the local culture by
allegiances to county teams in hurling and Gaelic football. Each Gaelic Athletic Association
county has its own flag/colours (and often a nickname), and county allegiances are taken quite
seriously. See the counties of Ireland and the Gaelic Athletic Association.

Italy
In Italy the word county is not used; the administrative sub-division of a region is called provincia.
Italian provinces are mainly named after their principal town and comprise several
administrative subdivisions called comuni ('communes'). There are currently 110 provinces in
Italy.

In the context of pre-modern Italy, the Italian word contado generally refers to the countryside
surrounding, and controlled by, the city state. The contado provided natural resources and
agricultural products to sustain the urban population. In contemporary usage, contado can refer
to a metropolitan area, and in some cases large rural/suburban regions providing resources to
distant cities.[11]

Lithuania
Apskritis (plural apskritys) is the Lithuanian word for county. Since 1994 Lithuania has 10
counties; before 1950 it had 20. The only purpose with the county is an office of a state governor
who shall conduct law and order in the county.
Norway
Norway has been divided into 11 counties (Bokmål: fylker, Nynorsk: fylke; singular: fylke) since
2020; they previously numbered 19 following a local government reform in 1972. Until that year
Bergen was a separate county, but today it is a municipality within the county of Vestland. All
counties form administrative entities called county municipalities (fylkeskommuner or
fylkeskommunar; singular: fylkeskommune), further subdivided into municipalities (kommuner or
kommunar; singular: kommune). One county, Oslo, is not divided into municipalities, rather it is
equivalent to the municipality of Oslo.

Each county has its own county council (fylkesting) whose representatives are elected every four
years together with representatives to the municipal councils. The counties handle matters such
as high schools and local roads, and until 1 January 2002 hospitals as well. This last
responsibility was transferred to the state-run health authorities and health trusts, and there is a
debate on the future of the county municipality as an administrative entity. Some people, and
parties, such as the Conservative and Progress Party, call for the abolition of the county
municipalities once and for all, while others, including the Labour Party, merely want to merge
some of them into larger regions.

Poland

Powiaty in Poland

The territorial administration of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of
subdivision. The country is divided into voivodeships (provinces); these are further divided into
powiats (counties or districts). The term powiat is often translated into English as county (or
sometimes district). In historical contexts this may be confusing because the Polish term
hrabstwo (a territorial unit administered/owned by a hrabia (count) is also literally translated as
"county" and it was subordinated under powiat.

The 380 county-level entities in Poland include 314 "land counties" (powiaty ziemskie) and the
66 "city counties" (miasta na prawach powiatu or powiaty grodzkie) powiat. They are subdivisions
of the 16 voivodeship, and are further subdivided into 2,477 gminas (also called commune or
municipality).[12][13]

Romania

Județe of Romania

The Romanian word for county, comitat, is not currently used for any Romanian administrative
divisions. Romania is divided into a total of 41 counties (Romanian: județe), which along with the
municipality of Bucharest, constitute the official administrative divisions of Romania. They
represent the country's NUTS-3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics – Level 3)
statistical subdivisions within the European Union and each of them serves as the local level of
government within its borders. Most counties are named after a major river, while some are
named after notable cities within them, such as the county seat.
Sweden

Sweden's counties
since 1998.

The Swedish division into counties, län, which literally means 'fief', was established in 1634, and
was based on an earlier division into provinces; Sweden is divided into 21 counties and 290
municipalities (kommuner). At the county level there is a county administrative board led by a
governor appointed by the central government of Sweden, as well as an elected county council
that handles a separate set of issues, notably hospitals and public transportation for the
municipalities within its borders. The counties and their expanse have changed several times,
most recently in 1998.

Every county council corresponds to a county with a number of municipalities per county.
County councils and municipalities have different roles and separate responsibilities relating to
local government. Health care, public transport and certain cultural institutions are administered
by county councils while general education, public water utilities, garbage disposal, elderly care
and rescue services are administered by the municipalities. Gotland is a special case of being a
county council with only one municipality and the functions of county council and municipality
are performed by the same organisation.[14]
Ukraine
In Ukraine the county (Ukrainian: повіт, romanized: povit) was introduced in Ukrainian territories
under Poland in the second half of the 14th century, and in the eighteenth century under the
Russian Empire in the Cossack Hetmanate, Sloboda Ukraine, Southern Ukraine, and Right-Bank
Ukraine.[15] In 1913 there were 126 counties in Ukrainian-inhabited territories of the Russian
Empire.[15] Under the Austrian Empire in 1914 there were 59 counties in Ukrainian-inhabited
Galicia, 34 in Transcarpathia, and 10 in Bukovina.[15] Counties were retained by the independent
Ukrainian People's Republic of 1917–1921, and in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Romania until
the Soviet annexations at the start of World War II. 99 counties formed the Ukrainian SSR in
1919, where they were abolished in 1923–25 in favour of 53 okruhas (in turn replaced by oblasts
in 1930–32), although they existed in the Zakarpattia Oblast until 1953.[15][16]

United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is divided into a number of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.
There are also ceremonial counties which group small non-metropolitan counties into
geographical areas broadly based on the historic counties of England. In 1974, the metropolitan
and non-metropolitan counties replaced the system of administrative counties and county
boroughs which was introduced in 1889. The counties generally belong to level 3 of the
Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS 3).

In 1965 and 1974–1975, major reorganisations of local government in England and Wales
created several new administrative counties such as Hereford and Worcester (abolished again in
1998 and reverted, with some transfers of territory, to the two separate historic counties of
Herefordshire and Worcestershire) and also created several new metropolitan counties based on
large urban areas as a single administrative unit. In Scotland, county-level local government was
replaced by larger regions, which lasted until 1996. Modern local government in Scotland, Wales,
Northern Ireland and a large part of England is trending towards smaller unitary authorities: a
system similar to that proposed in the 1960s by the Redcliffe-Maud Report for most of Britain.
The name "county" was introduced by the Normans, and was derived from a Norman term for an
area administered by a Count (lord). These Norman "counties" were simply the Saxon shires, and
kept their Saxon names. Several traditional counties, including Essex, Sussex and Kent, predate
the unification of England by Alfred the Great, and were originally more or less independent
kingdoms (although the most important Saxon Kingdom on the island of Britain, Alfred's own
Wessex, no longer survives in any form).

England

Ceremonial
counties of
England

In England, in the Anglo-Saxon period, shires were established as areas used for the raising of
taxes, and usually had a fortified town at their centre. This became known as the shire town or
later the county town. In many cases, the shires were named after their shire town (for example
Bedfordshire), but there are several exceptions, such as Cumberland, Norfolk and Suffolk. In
several other cases, such as Buckinghamshire, the modern county town is different from the
town after which the shire is named. (See Toponymical list of counties of the United Kingdom)

Most non-metropolitan counties in England are run by county councils and are divided into non-
metropolitan districts, each with its own council. Local authorities in the UK are usually
responsible for education, emergency services, planning, transport, social services, and a
number of other functions.

Until 1974, the county boundaries of England changed little over time. In the medieval period, a
number of important cities were granted the status of counties in their own right, such as
London, Bristol and Coventry, and numerous small exclaves such as Islandshire were created. In
1844, most of these exclaves were transferred to their surrounding counties.
Northern Ireland

Counties of
Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the six county councils, if not their counties, were abolished in 1973 and
replaced by 26 local government districts. The traditional six counties remain in common
everyday use for many cultural and other purposes.

Scotland and Wales

Historic counties
of Wales

Counties in
Scotland at the
time of their 1975
abolishment
The thirteen historic counties of Wales were fixed by statute in 1539 (although counties such as
Pembrokeshire date from 1138) and most of the shires of Scotland are of at least this age. The
Welsh word for county is sir which is derived from the English 'shire'.[17] The word is officially
used to signify counties in Wales.[18] In the Gaelic form, Scottish traditional county names are
generally distinguished by the designation siorramachd—literally "sheriffdom", e.g. Siorramachd
Earra-ghaidheal (Argyllshire). This term corresponds to the jurisdiction of the sheriff in the
Scottish legal system.

North America

Canada
The provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and formerly Nova Scotia, have a two-tier system of local
government in which counties are upper tier municipalities.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan are divided into rural municipalities. The Northwest Territories and
Nunavut are divided into regions; however, these regions only serve to streamline the delivery of
territorial governmental services, and have no government of their own. Newfoundland and
Labrador, and Yukon do not have any second-level administrative subdivision between the
provincial/territorial government and their municipalities.

New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island

The counties of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are historical and have no
governments of their own today. However, they remain used as census divisions by Statistics
Canada, and by locals as geographic identifiers.
Ontario
The primary administrative division of Southern Ontario is its 22 counties, which are upper-tier
local governments providing limited municipal services to rural and moderately dense areas—
within them, there are a variety of lower-tier towns, cities, villages, etc. that provide most
municipal services. This contrasts with Northern Ontario's 10 districts, which are geographic
divisions but not local governments—although some towns, etc. are within them that are local
governments, the low population densities and much larger area have significant impacts on
how government is organized and operates. In both Northern and Southern Ontario, urban
densities in cities are one of two other local structures: regional municipalities (restructured
former counties which are also upper tiers) or single-tier municipalities.

Quebec
Quebec's counties are more properly called "Regional County Municipalities" (municipalités
régionales de comté). The province's former counties proper were supplanted in the early 1980s.

Alberta
A county in Alberta used to be a type of designation in a single-tier municipal system; but this
was nominally changed to "municipal district" under the Municipal Government Act, when the
County Act was repealed in the mid-1990s. However, at the time the new "municipal districts"
were also permitted to retain the usage of county in their official names.[19]

As a result, in Alberta, the term county is synonymous with the term municipal district – it is not
its own incorporated municipal status that is different from that of a municipal district. As such,
Alberta Municipal Affairs provides municipal districts with the opportunity to change to a county
in their official names, but some have chosen to hold out with the municipal district title. The vast
majority of "municipal districts" in Alberta are named as counties.
British Columbia
British Columbia has counties for the purposes of its justice system but otherwise they hold no
governmental function. For the provision of all other governmental services, the province is
divided into regional districts that form the upper tier, which are further subdivided into local
municipalities that are partly autonomous, and unincorporated electoral areas that are governed
directly by the regional districts.

Manitoba
The province of Manitoba was divided into counties; however, these counties were abolished in
1890.

Jamaica
Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes which are grouped together into 3 historic counties:
Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey.
United States

The 3,142 counties and county equivalents of the

United States

Counties in U.S. states are administrative or political subdivision of the state in which their
boundaries are drawn. In addition, the United States Census Bureau uses the term "county
equivalent" to describe places that are comparable to counties, but called by different names.[20]
Today, 3,142 counties and county equivalents carve up the United States, ranging in number
from 3 for Delaware to 254 for Texas.

Forty-eight of the 50 U.S. states use the term "county", while Alaska and Louisiana use the terms
"borough" and "parish", respectively, for analogous jurisdictions. A consolidated city-county such
as Philadelphia and San Francisco is formed when a city and county merge into one unified
jurisdiction. Conversely, an independent city like Baltimore, St. Louis, and all cities in Virginia
legally belongs to no county, i.e. no county even nominally exists in those places compared to a
consolidated city-county where a county does legally exist in some form. The District of
Columbia, outside the jurisdiction of any state, is viewed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a single
county equivalent.[20]

The specific governmental powers of counties vary widely between the states. They are
generally the intermediate tier of state government, between the statewide tier and the
immediately local government tier (typically a city, town/borough or village/township). Some of
the governmental functions that a county may offer include judiciary, county prisons, land
registration, enforcement of building codes, and federally mandated services programs.
Depending on the individual state, counties or their equivalents may be administratively
subdivided into townships, boroughs or boros, or towns (in the New England states, New York
and Wisconsin). For independent cities and consolidated city-counties, those places report
directly to the state.

New York City is a special case where the city is made up of five boroughs, each of which is
territorially coterminous with a county of New York State. In the context of city government, the
boroughs are subdivisions of the city but are still called "county" where state function is involved,
e.g., "New York County Courthouse".

County governments in Rhode Island and Connecticut have been completely abolished but the
entities remain for administrative and statistical purposes. Alaska's 323,440-square-mile
(837,700 km2) Unorganized Borough also has no county equivalent government, but the U.S.
Census Bureau further divides it into statistical county equivalent subdivisions called census
areas.[20]

The areas of each county also vary widely between the states. For example, the territorially
medium-sized state of Pennsylvania has 67 counties delineated in geographically convenient
ways.[21] By way of contrast, Massachusetts, with far less territory, has massively sized counties
in comparison even to Pennsylvania's largest,[d] yet each organizes their judicial and
incarceration officials similarly.

Most counties have a county seat: a city, town, or other named place where its administrative
functions are centered. Some New England states use the term shire town to mean "county
seat". A handful of counties like Harrison County, Mississippi have two or more county seats,
usually located on opposite sides of the county, dating back from the days when travel was
difficult. In Virginia, where all cities are independent, some double as county seats despite not
being part of a county. Notable examples include the independent City of Fairfax serving as the
seat of Fairfax County and Salem serving as the county seat of Roanoke County.
Oceania

Australia
In the eastern states of Australia, counties are used in the administration of land titles. They do
not generally correspond to a level of government, but are used in the identification of parcels of
land.

The local communities in Australia that share the same post code are usually referred to as
suburbs or localities. Several neighboring suburbs are often serviced by the same local
government known as a council, whose jurisdiction is officially known as the local government
area (LGA). An LGA functions basically the same way as a county of other countries, although it
is called instead as "city", "municipality", "shire", "borough", "town", "district" or simple "councils"
depending on the state/territory and subregion. It performs municipal services and regulates
permits for land uses, but lacks any legislative or law enforcement powers.

New Zealand
After New Zealand abolished its provinces in 1876, a system of counties similar to other
countries' systems was instituted, lasting until 1989. They had chairmen, not mayors as
boroughs and cities had; many legislative provisions (such as burial and land subdivision
control) were different for the counties.

During the second half of the 20th century, many counties received overflow population from
nearby cities. The result was often a merger of the two into a district (e.g. Rotorua) or a change
of name to either district (e.g. Waimairi) or city (e.g. Manukau City).
The Local Government Act 1974 began the process of bringing urban, mixed, and rural councils
into the same legislative framework. Substantial reorganisations under that Act resulted in the
1989 shake-up, which covered the country in (non-overlapping) cities and districts and abolished
all the counties except for the Chatham Islands County, which survived under that name for a
further 6 years but then became a "Territory" under the "Chatham Islands Council".

South America

Argentina
Provinces in Argentina are divided into departments (Spanish: departamentos), except in the
Buenos Aires Province, where they are called partidos. The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires is
divided into communes (comunas).

Brazil
States in Brazil were divided into microregions (Portuguese: microrregiões) before they were
replaced by "immediate geographic regions" in 2017.

Notes

a. 1666 in the consolidation of Canada after

the French and Indian War from the 1066
 Norman Conquest... 600 yrs
b. The larger the population center, and the
denser the population, the more likely it is
to have assumed and subsumed county
level functions; normally under a special bill
passed by the cognizant legislative body.
c. National governments that are Federations,
such as Germany have subdivisions similar
to the English Counties in size. France has
regions and departements which similarly
provide governmental services. Which
services are mapped to which
governmental offices, level or officials is the
province of the national constitution and
legislative body.
d. e.g. Westmoreland, Washington in western
Pennsylvania.
References

1. L. Brookes (ed.) Chambers Dictionary.

Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers
Ltd, 2005.
2. C. W. Onions (Ed.) The Oxford Dictionary of
English Etymology. Oxford University Press,
1966.
3. Vision of Britain [1] (http://www.visionofbrit
ain.org.uk/types/type_page.jsp?unit_type=A
NC_CNTY) – Type details for ancient
county. Retrieved 31 March 2012
4. "county" (http://www.etymonline.com/inde
x.php?search=county&searchmode=none) .
Etymology Online.
5. "County Government" (http://dced.pa.gov/d
ownload/citizens-guide-to-pennsylvania-loc
al-government-pdf/) . Citizen's Guide to
Pennsylvania Local Government: 8. 2010.
Retrieved 9 August 2016. "The eleven
elected county officers are enumerated in
the Pennsylvania Constitution, but their
powers and duties are prescribed by
statutes located throughout the county
codes and general state laws.
Consolidation of certain offices in smaller
counties involves the offices of
prothonotary, clerk of courts, register of
wills and recorder of deeds."
6. There were exceptions in the Jīn and Yuan
dynasties, when cities were separated from
counties and independently administered
by institutions like 録事司 (lù shi sī) and 司
候司 (sī hòu sī).
7. "Amternes administration 1660–1970 (in
Danish)" (https://web.archive.org/web/201
00104054929/http://www.byhistorie.dk/ko
mmuner/artikel.aspx?artikel=amter.xml) .
Dansk Center for Byhistorie. Archived from
the original (http://www.byhistorie.dk/kom
muner/artikel.aspx?artikel=amter.xml) on
4 January 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
8. "Country Compendium, A companion to the
English Style Guide" (http://ec.europa.eu/inf
o/sites/info/files/styleguide_english_dgt_c
ountry_compendium_en.pdf) (PDF).
European Commission Directorate-General
for Translation (EC DGT). February 2017.
pp. 50–51. Archived (https://ghostarchive.o
rg/archive/20221009/http://ec.europa.eu/i
nfo/sites/info/files/styleguide_english_dgt_
country_compendium_en.pdf) (PDF) from
the original on 9 October 2022.
 9. "Kreisfreie Städte und Landkreise nach
Fläche und Bevölkerung auf Grundlage des
ZENSUS 2011 und Bevölkerungsdichte –
Gebietsstand: 31.12.2015" (https://www.de
statis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/LaenderRegion
en/Regionales/Gemeindeverzeichnis/Admi
nistrativ/Aktuell/04Kreise.xls?__blob=public
ationFile) (XLS) (in German). Statistisches
Bundesamt Deutschland. July 2017.
Retrieved 9 August 2017.
10. "Areas" (https://web.archive.org/web/2007
0703221652/http://www.osi.ie/mapping/FA
Q/areasMeasurements.shtml) . Ordnance
Survey Ireland. Archived from the original (h
ttp://www.osi.ie/mapping/FAQ/areasMeasu
rements.shtml) on 3 July 2007. Retrieved
1 July 2007.
11. Guenzi, Alberto (2016). Guilds, Markets and
Work Regulations in Italy, 16th–19th
Centuries. Routledge.
ISBN 9781351931960.
12. ideo.pl, ideo- (27 April 2019). "Gminy
wiejskie chcą lepszej ochrony swych
granic" (https://www.prawo.pl/samorzad/g
miny-wiejskie-chca-lepszej-ochrony-swych-
granic,402541.html) . Prawo.pl (in Polish).
Retrieved 15 February 2021.
13. "Population. Size and structure and vital
statistics in Poland by territorial division in
2017. As of December, 31" (https://stat.gov.
pl/download/gfx/portalinformacyjny/en/de
faultaktualnosci/3286/3/23/1/population_s
ize_and_structure_and_vital_statistics_in_p
oland_31-12-2017.pdf) (PDF) (in Polish).
Główny Urząd Statystyczny (Central
Statistical Office). Archived (https://ghostar
chive.org/archive/20221009/https://stat.go
v.pl/download/gfx/portalinformacyjny/en/d
efaultaktualnosci/3286/3/23/1/population_
size_and_structure_and_vital_statistics_in_
poland_31-12-2017.pdf) (PDF) from the
original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved
18 August 2021.
14. Swedish Association of Local Authorities
and Regions, Municipalities, county
councils and regions (http://skl.se/tjanster/
englishpages/municipalitiescountycouncils
andregions.1088.html) Archived (https://w
eb.archive.org/web/20161122153331/htt
p://skl.se/tjanster/englishpages/municipali
tiescountycouncilsandregions.1088.html)
22 November 2016 at the Wayback
Machine; official translation of the Local
Government Act (http://www.regeringen.se/
content/1/c4/06/96/34cb7541.pdf)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/200
50220081642/http://www.regeringen.se/co
ntent/1/c4/06/96/34cb7541.pdf) 20
February 2005 at the Wayback Machine
(Kommunallagen);About Stockholm County
 Council (http://www.sll.se/om-landstinget/I
nformation-in-English1/About-Stockholm-C
ounty-Council/) Archived (https://web.arch
ive.org/web/20160821160842/http://www.
sll.se/om-landstinget/Information-in-Englis
h1/About-Stockholm-County-Council/) 21
August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
15. "County" (http://www.encyclopediaofukrain
e.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CC%5
CO%5CCounty.htm) . Internet Encyclopedia
of Ukraine. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
16. "Okruha" (http://www.encyclopediaofukrain
e.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CO%5
CK%5COkruha.htm) . Internet Encyclopedia
of Ukraine. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
17. "Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru" (https://geiriadu
r.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html?sir) .
18. "Carmarthenshire County Council Website :
Gwefan Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin" (https://ww
w.carmarthenshire.gov.wales) .
Carmarthenshire.gov.wales. Retrieved
16 March 2022.
19. Province of Alberta. "Transitional
Provisions, Consequential Amendments,
Repeal and Commencement (Municipal
Government Act)" (https://web.archive.org/
web/20120123193642/http://www.municip
alaffairs.alberta.ca/cfml/pdf_search/pdf/T
OWN/0361/Crowsnest_Pass_Transitional_f
rom_Former_to_this_Act_1994.pdf) (PDF).
Archived from the original (http://www.mun
icipalaffairs.alberta.ca/cfml/pdf_search/pd
f/TOWN/0361/Crowsnest_Pass_Transition
al_from_Former_to_this_Act_1994.pdf)
(PDF) on 23 January 2012. Retrieved
17 November 2010.
20. "County and equivalent entity" (https://web.
archive.org/web/20200322003032/https://
factfinder.census.gov/help/en/county_and_
equivalent_entity.htm) .
factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the
original (https://factfinder.census.gov/help/
en/county_and_equivalent_entity.htm) on
22 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
21. "County Government" (http://dced.pa.gov/d
ownload/citizens-guide-to-pennsylvania-loc
al-government-pdf/#.V6nqHUeOxtQ) .
Citizen's Guide to Pennsylvania Local
Government: 8 of 56. 2010. Retrieved
9 August 2016.
External links

Media related to Look up

county in
Counties at Wikimedia
Wiktionary,
Commons the free
dictionary.

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=County&oldid=1188773731"

This page was last edited on 7 December 2023, at

16:25 (UTC). •
Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless
otherwise noted.