County

For other uses, see County (disambiguation).

A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a larger jurisdiction.

History

Originally, in continental Europe, a county (comté, Grafschaft) was the land under the jurisdiction of a count (comte, Graf). A count is a Nobleman in European countries The word count comes from French comte, itself from Latin Comte is a title of French nobility. In the English language, the title is Count, a rank in several European nobilities Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a Count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own or a British

Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain and Ireland—the term is from Old Norse jarl and was introduced by the Vikings—but there is no correlation between counties and earldoms. Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains Rather, county, from French comté, was simply used by the Normans after 1066 to replace the native English term scir ([ʃir])—Modern English shire, as the Anglo-Saxon system of Shires was unique and thus hard for the Norman invaders to comprehend so they resorted to calling them Counties. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. Modern English is the form of the English language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift, completed in roughly 1550 A shire is an Administrative division of Great Britain and Australia. A shire was an administrative division of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom (Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia, etc. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. East Anglia is often used as a shorthand for the Kingdom of the East Angles. ), usually named after its administrative centre: for example, Gloucester, in Gloucestershire; Worcester, in Worcestershire; etc. Gloucester (ˈɡlɒstɚ) is a city, district and County town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century Worcester (ˈwʊstə is a city and County town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcestershire (ˈwʊstəʃə abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. ^[1] or originate from these forms of names (e. g. Wiltshire derived from 'Wiltonshire' with Wilton as its old county town). Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Wilton is a town in Wiltshire, (of which it was once the County town) England, with a rich heritage dating back to the Anglo-Saxons. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland.

Thus, whereas the word comté denoted a sovereign jurisdiction in the original French, the English county denotes a subdivision of a sovereign jurisdiction.

Overview

Country/Area	Language	Singular	Plural	Number	Notes
Counties of Canada	English and French	county/comté	counties/comtés
Counties of Croatia	Croatian	županija	županije	20
Counties of Czech Republic	Czech language	kraj	kraje	14
Counties of Denmark	Danish	amt	amter	13 (at time of abolition)	established 1662, abolished 2006
Counties of Estonia	Estonian	maakond	maakonnad	15
Counties of Finland	Finnish and Swedish	lääni/län	läänit/län	6
Counties of Germany	German	Kreis/Landkreis	Kreise/Landkreise	323
Counties of Hungary	Hungarian	megye	megyék	19/22/1	for numbers: see main article
Counties of Ireland	Irish and English	contae	contaethe	32*
Counties of Japan	Japanese	郡(gun)	same as singular
Counties of South Korea	Korean	군(gun, 郡)	same as singular	86^[2]
Counties of Latvia	Latvian	rajons	rajoni	26
Counties of Liberia	English			15
Counties of Lithuania	Lithuanian	apskritis	apskritys	10
Counties of Moldova	Romanian	judeţ	judeţe	9	abolished 2003
Counties of the Netherlands	Dutch	graafschap	graafschappen		only historic
Counties of Norway	Norwegian	fylke	fylke/fylker	19
Counties of Poland	Polish	powiat	powiaty	314 (+ 65 "city counties")	abolished 1975, reintroduced 1999
Counties of Romania	Romanian	judeţ	judeţe	41+1
Counties of Russia	Russian	rayon (район) or okrug (округ)	rayoni (районы) or okruga (округа)	>1000
Counties of Serbia and Montenegro	Serbian	okrug	okruzi	29+1/21
Counties of Sweden	Swedish	län	län	21
Counties of the United Kingdom	English
Counties of the United States	English			3141

* The 32 refers to the counties of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland combined. The census geographic units of Canada are the Country subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The counties are primary territorial subdivisions of the Republic of Croatia. Croatian language ( hrvatski jezik) is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in neighbouring Since January 1 2000 (according to Czech law # 129/2000 o krajích ( about Counties) replacing older paragraph 1/ 1993 in the Czech Constitution Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the Denmark was until December 31, 2006 divided into 15 counties ( Danish: amter) and 270 municipalities ( Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the A County (maakond is an administrative subdivision of Estonia. Estonian (; ˈeːsti ˈkeːl is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1 The state of Finland consists of 6 provinces ( Finnish: läänit, Swedish: län) Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the German districts (de ''Kreise'' or de ''Landkreise'' in the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein, singular de ''Kreis'' and de ''Landreis'' The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Hungary is subdivided administratively into 20 regions which are the 19 counties ( megyék, singular megye) and the capital city ( főváros) Hungarian ( magyar nyelv) is a Uralic language (more specifically a Ugric language) unrelated to most other languages in Europe. Hungary is subdivided administratively into 20 regions which are the 19 counties ( megyék, singular megye) and the capital city ( főváros) Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the County of the United States, ranking at the level below is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities This article is mainly about the spoken Korean language See Hangul for details on the native Korean writing system |||} Latvia is divided into 26 districts ( rajons; pl rajoni) and 7 cities ( lielpilsētas; singular lielpilsēta) indicated with asterisks Latvian language (latviešu valoda is the official state language of Latvia. |||} There are 15 counties in Liberia, as of 2005. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->The territory of Lithuania Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Currently Moldova is divided into 32 Districts ( Romanian: raioane, Raions, 3 municipalities ( Chişinău, Bălţi Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname ||-||} Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties ( Norwegian: singular fylke, plural fylker ( Bokmål Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language A powiat (pronounced; Polish plural powiaty) is the second-level unit of Local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a County Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. List of counties See also List of Romanian Counties by Population The Judeţe (translated in English as "counties" are administrative Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Serbia and Montenegro consisted of two republics Serbia and Montenegro. Serbian (sr-Cyrl српски језик sr-Latn ''srpski jezik'' is a South Slavic language, The Counties of Sweden, or Län, are the first level administrative and political Subdivisions of Sweden. Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the The counties of the United Kingdom are a type of subnational division of historical origin by the Middle Ages they had become established as a unit of English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A county of the United States is a local level of government created as a subdivision of a state by the state government or by the federal or territorial government as a subdivision English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of For more information, see the sections on Ireland and United Kingdom below.

Austria

Each Austrian state (in German Bundesland, plural Bundesländer) is divided in a number of counties (in German Bezirk, plural Bezirke). Each county is subdivided in towns or villages. Some larger towns do not form part of a county and are governed by a unitary administration instead which counts both for city administration as well as county governance. The federal capital Vienna is considered as a state as well. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. The capital government of Vienna is responsible for state, county and town governance. Vienna is subdivided in boroughs which are called "Bezirk" in German as well, but have a different function than the counties in the other federal states.

Australia

Main article: Cadastral divisions of Australia

The eastern Australian states, and parts of the western states were divided into counties, mostly in the nineteenth century. Cadastral divisions of Australia (also called Land administrative divisions) refers to the parts of Australia which are divided into the cadastral units These were further subdivided into parishes in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland; and hundreds in South Australia. The counties currently have no political function, and became dead letters for most purposes other than the registration of land ownership, and are unknown by most of the population today. Local Government Areas including shires, municipalities and others are instead used in Australia as the second level subdivision. Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled

Canada

Five of Canada's ten provinces are divided into counties.

Outline map of Canada's Census Divisions in 2001

Main article: Census divisions of Canada

In Ontario and Nova Scotia, these are local government units, whereas in New Brunswick, Quebec and Prince Edward Island they are now only geographical divisions. The census geographic units of Canada are the Country subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Prince Edward Island (ˌprɪns ˌɛdwɚd ˈaɪlɨnd ( PEI or P Most counties consist of several municipalities, however there are a few that consist of a single large city. In sparsely populated northern Ontario and Quebec, these units are called districts not counties, and in densely populated areas of south-central Ontario new regional municipalities are used for local government instead of counties.

China

Main article: County of China

The word "county" is used to translate the Chinese term xiàn (县 or 縣). Census Divisions by province Canada's In the context of Political divisions of China, county is the standard English translation of 县 ( xiàn) On Mainland China under the People's Republic of China, counties are the third level of local government, coming under both the province level and the prefecture level. Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted

The number of counties in China proper numbers about 2,000, and has remained more or less constant since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220). China proper (also known as Inner China) refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority Ethnic group, in contrast The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Events By place Roman Republic In the Battle of Ilipa ( Alcalá del Río, near Seville) in Spain, the Events By Place Roman Empire The Goths invade Asia Minor and the Balkans. The county remains one of the oldest levels of government in China and significantly predates the establishment of provinces in the Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368). The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai The county government was particularly important in imperial China because this was the lowest layer at which the imperial government functioned. The head of a county during imperial times was the magistrate. A magistrate is a judicial officer In Common law systems a magistrate usually has limited authority to administer and enforce the Law.

In older context, "prefecture" and "district" are alternative terms to refer to xiàn before the establishment of the Republic of China. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The English nomenclature "county" was adopted following the establishment of the ROC.

Denmark

Denmark was divided into counties (amter) from 1662 to 2006. See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. On January 1, 2007, the counties were replaced by five Regions. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Regions of Denmark were created on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform which created five new administrative units to replace the country's At the same time, the number of municipalities was slashed from 271 to 98.

The counties were first introduced in 1662, replacing the 49 fiefs (len) in Denmark-Norway with the same number of counties. Denmark–Norway ( Danish: Danmark-Norge Norwegian: Danmark-Norge or Danmark-Noreg is the historiographical name for a former political entity union 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 c. 20 by 1793. Following the reunification of South Jutland with Denmark in 1920, four counties replaced the Prussian Kreise. South Jutland (Sønderjylland is the name for the region south of the Kongeå in Jutland. Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Aabenraa and Sønderborg County merged in 1932 and Skanderborg and Aarhus were separated in 1942. Aabenraa County (Åbenrå Amt former spelling Aabenraa Amt is a former province in Denmark, located on the east-central region of South Jutland. Sønderborg County (Sønderborg Amt is a former province in Denmark, located on the island of Als and the easternmost part of South Jutland Municipalities (1970-2006 From 1942 to 1970, the number stayed at 22. [1] 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. Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city Frederiksberg is a municipality ( Danish, kommune) on the island of Zealand ( Sjælland) in Denmark.

In 2003, Bornholm County merged with the local four municipalities, forming the Bornholm Regional Municipality. Short history The county was established in 1662 replacing the former Hammershus Len. Bornholm (b̥ʌnˈhʌlˀm or [bɔʀnˈhɔlˀm]) ( Old Norse: Burgundarholm ' is a Danish Island in the Baltic Sea located The remaining 13 counties were abolished on effective January 1, 2007 where they were replaced by five new regions. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Regions of Denmark were created on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform which created five new administrative units to replace the country's In the same reform, the number of municipalities was slashed from 270 to 98 and all municipalities now belong to a region.

Hungary

The administrative unit of Hungary is called megye, (historically, they were also called comitatus in Latin), which can be translated with the word county. Denmark was until December 31, 2006 divided into 15 counties ( Danish: amter) and 270 municipalities ( Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Hungary is subdivided administratively into 20 regions which are the 19 counties ( megyék, singular megye) and the capital city ( főváros) Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It is the highest level of the administrative subdivisions of the country, although counties are grouped into seven statistical regions. Counties are subdivided to kistérségs, which literally means "little area", though translating this as a commune is more proper. Communes have statistical and organizational functions only, whilst they have their own "capital cities". Presently Hungary is subdivided into 19 "proper" counties, 22 urban counties (cities with the same rights as a whole county) and 1 capital, Budapest. Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, See the list of counties of Hungary. Hungary is subdivided administratively into 20 regions which are the 19 counties ( megyék, singular megye) and the capital city ( főváros)

The comitatus was also the historic administrative unit in the Kingdom of Hungary, which included areas of present-day neighbouring countries of Hungary. The Kingdom of Hungary (short form Hungary) was a considerable state in Central Europe that existed from 1001 to 1918 then from 1919 to 1946 See the list of historic counties of Hungary. The following lists show the administrative divisions of the lands belonging to the Hungarian crown (1000 -1918 at selected points of time

Although the Latin name (comitatus) is the equivalent of the French comté, historical Hungarian counties have never been sovereign jurisdictions. They were subdivisions of the royal administration and as such, should really be translated as shire. Even the word megye is a shortened form of the original vármegye, where the element vár means castle, thus denoting an area supervised and governed from a royal castle, much like an Anglo-Saxon shire indeed.

India

The administrative unit in India immediately next to the state is called a Zila in Hindi, or Mavattam in Tamil, or district (never County) in English. Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Districts are a type of Administrative division, in some countries managed by a Local government.

Ireland

Main article: Counties of Ireland

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. Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

These counties are traditionally grouped into 4 provinces - Leinster (12), Munster (6) Connacht (5) and Ulster (9). Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Munster ( Irish: An Mhumhain, ənˈvuːnʲ Cúige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four Provinces of Ireland. Ulster ( Ulaidh ˈkwɪɟɪ ˈʌlˠu / ˈʌlˠi is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster Historically, the counties of Meath, West Meath and small parts of surrounding counties constituted the province of Meath, which was one of the "Five Fifths" of Ireland (in the Irish language the word for province means "a fifth"); however, these have long since become the three northernmost counties of Leinster province. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. 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. A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a County.

The number and boundaries of administrative counties in the Republic of Ireland were reformed in the 1990s. For example County Dublin was broken into three: Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin - the City of Dublin had existed for centuries before. County Dublin (Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath or more correctly today the Dublin Region ( Réigiúin Átha Cliath) is the area that contains the city of Dublin The County of Dun Laoghaire&ndashRathdown (Contae Dhún Laoghaire&ndashRáth an Dúin is a county in Ireland formed from part of the old county of Dublin The County of Fingal ( is a county in Ireland. It was formed from part of the historic County Dublin. The County of South Dublin (Contae Átha Cliath Theas is a county in Ireland, with its county seat located in Tallaght. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. In addition "County Tipperary" is actually two administrative counties, called North Tipperary and South Tipperary while the major urban centres Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford have been separated from the town and rural areas of their counties. County Tipperary (Contae Thiobraid Árann is a County in Ireland situated in the Province of Munster. North Tipperary County (Contae Thiobraid Árann Thuaidh known until 2002 as Tipperary North Riding) is an Administrative county in Ireland, consisting South Tipperary County (County Thiobraid Árann Theas known until 2002 as Tipperary South Riding) is an Administrative county in Ireland, consisting of Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country Thus, the Republic of Ireland now has thirty-four 'county-level' authorities, although the borders of the original twenty-six counties are still officially in place [2].

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. Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an outdoor team Sport of ancient Gaelic origin administered by the Gaelic Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Each GAA county has its own flag/colours (and often a nickname too), and county allegiances are taken quite seriously. A GAA county or County board is a geographic region of control within the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA originally based on the Counties of Ireland See the counties of Ireland and the Gaelic Athletic Association. Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh

Japan

"County" is one of the translations of gun (郡), which is a subdivision of prefecture. For subsequent types of praefectura, see Prefect. Prefecture (from the Latin Praefectura) indicates the office It is also translated as rural district, rural area or district. Rural districts were a type of Local government area &ndash now superseded &ndash established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time Districts are a type of Administrative division, in some countries managed by a Local government. The translation "district" is not preferred, because it comes into conflict with the usual translation of "district", chome. In this encyclopedia, district is used for gun. See Japanese translation note.

Currently, "counties" have no political power or administrative function. The division is mainly significant in postal services. Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects wherein written Documents typically enclosed in Envelopes and also

See: Districts of Japan

Liberia

Liberia has 15 counties, each of which elects two senators to the Liberian Senate. The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the County of the United States, ranking at the level below Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire

Lithuania

Apskritis (pl. apskritys) is the Lithuanian word for county. Since 1994 Lithuania has 10 counties; before 1950 it had 20. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the The only purpose with the county is an office of a state governor who shall conduct law and order in the county. See counties of Lithuania. Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->The territory of Lithuania

New Zealand

Main article: Counties in New Zealand

After New Zealand abolished its provinces in 1876, a system of counties similar to other countries' systems was instituted, lasting until 1989. After New Zealand abolished its Provinces in 1876 a system of counties similar to other countries' systems was instituted lasting with New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Provinces in New Zealand were used from 1841 until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on November 1, 1876.

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. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop usually via a Plat.

During the second half of the 20th century, many counties received overflow population from nearby cities. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The result was often a merger of the two into a "district" (eg Rotorua) or a change of name to "district' (eg Waimairi) or "city" (eg Manukau). Rotorua is a city on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand, and Rotorua A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status Manukau City is a large city in the Auckland Region / Greater Auckland area of New Zealand.

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". The Archipelago of the Chatham Islands ( Rekohu in the Moriori language and Wharekauri in the Māori language) is a territory

Norway

Norway is divided into 19 counties (sing. ||-||} Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties ( Norwegian: singular fylke, plural fylker ( Bokmål fylke, plur. fylke/fylker, literally "folk") as of 1972. Up to that year Bergen was a separate county, but is today a municipality in the county of Hordaland. is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway in the county of Hordaland in between a group of mountains known as De syv fjell A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland. All counties are divided into municipalities, (sing. ||} Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions called counties ( fylker, singular fylke) and 430 municipalities ( kommuner, cf kommune, plur. kommunar/kommuner), the ones with incorporated cities being called city municipalities (sing. bykommune, plur. bykommunar/bykommuner). The county of Oslo is equivalent to the municipality of Oslo. (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway.

Each county has its own assembly (fylkesting) whose representatives are elected every four years together with representatives to the municipality councils. The counties handle matters as high schools and local roads, and until recently hospitals as well. This responsibility is now transferred to the state, and there is a debate on the future of the county as an administrative entity. Some people, and parties, such as the Conservative Party of Norway, call for the abolishment of the counties once and for all, while others, like the Norwegian Labour Party merely want to merge some of them into larger regions. The Conservative Party ( Høyre, H meaning " right " is a Norwegian Political party. The Norwegian Labour Party ( Norwegian: Det norske arbeiderparti ( DNA) or Arbeiderpartiet ( AP) is a Social democratic

Pakistan

The administrative unit in Pakistan immediately next to the state is called a Zilla in Urdu and district (never County) in English. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and

Philippines

In the Philippines during the Spanish colonial times, when the descendants of the Pre-conquest nobles were utilized by Spain to indirectly rule the natives, the equivalent of a county was the town or pueblo, and also municipality. Pueblos are traditional communities of Native Americans in the southwestern United States of America. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or The pueblos were composed of Barangays. This article refers to a political administrative division See Barangay Ginebra Kings for other uses Each pueblo was ruled by the Gobernadorcillo who was elected by the Principalía of the pueblo. The Gobernadorcillo was a public functionary in the Philippines during the Spanish Regime who carried out in a town the combined charge or responsibility as Chief of the civil economic Principalía chieftain class or [[nobility]] was the ruling class in the towns of Spanish Philippines composed of the Gobernadorcillo or the Municipal Captain who presided over In turn, each barangay (equivalent to a barony) was ruled by a Cabeza de Barangay (a hereditary office and title previously referred before the Spanish conquest as datu). This article refers to a political administrative division See Barangay Ginebra Kings for other uses A barony is an Administrative division of a country usually of lower rank and importance than a County. The Cabeza de Barangay was the head or chief of the Barangay in Spanish Philippines Datu or datto is the title for ancient tribal chieftains and monarchs in pre-Hispanic Philippines.

Poland

A second-level administrative division in Poland is called a powiat. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland (This is a subdivision of a voivodeship and is further subdivided into gminas. Voivodeship The voivodeship or province (województwo has been a high-level Administrative subdivision of Poland since the 14th century The gmina or Municipality (frequently translated commune) plural gminy, is the principal unit (lowest level of territorial division in Poland ) The term is often translated into English as county (or sometimes district). For more details see powiat and List of counties in Poland. A powiat (pronounced; Polish plural powiaty) is the second-level unit of Local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a County The following is an alphabetical list of all 379 county-level entities in Poland

Romania

The administrative subdivisions of Romania are called judeţ (plural: judeţe), name derived from jude, a mayor and judge of a city (akin to English judge; both are derived from Latin) Presently Romania is subdivided into 41 counties and the capital, Bucharest having a separate status. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Bucharest ( Romanian: Bucureşti) is the Capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. See the list of counties of Romania. List of counties See also List of Romanian Counties by Population The Judeţe (translated in English as "counties" are administrative

Russia

Russian subdivisions is usually called municipality rayon (Russian: Муниципальный район) or okrug (Russian: округ). Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Rayons are named as Ulus(Улус) in Sakha Republic. The Sakha Republic (Yakutia (Респу́блика Саха́ (Яку́тия Саха Республиката is a federal subject of Russia (a Republic

Rayon, Okrug and Ulus may be translated into English as county or district. An ulus (улу́с улуус is a type of an administrative-territorial unit in two of the republics of Russia.

Serbia and Montenegro

Subdivisions of Serbia (okrug) are sometimes translated as counties, though more often as districts. Okrug (окръг Serbian and о́круг округа translit See District#Serbia and Montenegro

Korea (South)

In Korea(both North and South), county(Korean: 군-郡). Districts are a type of Administrative division, in some countries managed by a Local government. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. This article is mainly about the spoken Korean language See Hangul for details on the native Korean writing system Gun(군) can be the same concept of county in English. County in South Korea is the substructure of province(Doh) and should have more than 50,000 population. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː But actually, in case of South Korea, a gun consists of one town (eup) and five to ten myeon. ^[3] It means eup and myeon is sub-feature of counties.

Sweden

The Swedish division into counties was established in 1634, and was based on an earlier division into Provinces. The Counties of Sweden, or Län, are the first level administrative and political Subdivisions of Sweden. The provinces of Sweden, Landskap, are historical geographical and cultural regions Sweden is today divided into 21 counties, and each county is further divided into municipalities. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Municipalities of Sweden ( kommun) are the Local government entities of Sweden. 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. A County Administrative Board ( Länsstyrelse) is a Government appointed board of a County in Sweden. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. A County Council, or Landsting, is an elected assembly of a County in Sweden. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for

The Swedish term used is län, which literally means "fief. Län and lääni are the Swedish and Finnish language terms respectively for the administrative divisions used in Sweden and Finland Under the system of Feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing "

United Kingdom

Main article: Counties of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is divided into a number of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. The counties of the United Kingdom are a type of subnational division of historical origin by the Middle Ages they had become established as a unit of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London There are also ceremonial counties which group small non-metropolitan counties into geographic areas broadly based on the historic counties of England. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. The metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties had replaced in 1974 a system of administrative counties and county boroughs which were introduced in 1889. Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974 County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland) to refer to a Borough or a City

Most non-metropolitan counties in England are run by county councils and divided into non-metropolitan districts, each with its own council. A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a County. Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially ' shire districts', are a type of local government district in England. Local authorities in the UK are usually responsible for running education, emergency services, planning, transport, social services, and a number of other functions.

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. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The History of Anglo-Saxon England covers the history of Early medieval England from the end of Roman Britain and the establishment of Anglo-Saxon These became known as the shire town or later the county town. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. In most cases, the shires were named after their shire town (for example Bedfordshire) however exceptions to this rule exist, such as Wiltshire. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye In several other cases, such as Devon, the shire has a county town different from that which it is named after. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name The name 'county' was introduced by the Normans, and was derived from a Norman term for an area administered by a Count (lord). The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. A count is a Nobleman in European countries The word count comes from French comte, itself from Latin These Norman 'counties' were geographically based upon 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 originally existed as independent kingdoms. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c

The thirteen historic counties of Wales were fixed by Statute in 1539 (although counties such as Pembrokeshire date from 1138) and most of those of Scotland are of at least this age. The historic counties of Wales are ancient subdivisions of Wales. Geography Pembrokeshire is a maritime County, bordered by the sea on three sides by Ceredigion (Cardiganshire to the northeast and by

The county boundaries of England have changed over time. In the mediæval 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. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. Islandshire was a region in England, centred around Lindisfarne or Holy Island including many villages on the mainland The next major change occurred in 1844, when many of these exclaves were re-merged with their surrounding counties (for example Coventry was re-merged with Warwickshire). Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to

In 1965 and 1974 a major re-organisation of local government created several new administrative counties such as Hereford and Worcester and also created several new metropolitan counties which served large urban areas as a single administrative unit. Hereford and Worcester was an English county created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 from the area of the former administrative The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level Administrative division of England. Modern local government in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and a large part of England is based on the concept of smaller unitary authorities, a system similar to that proposed for most of Britain in the 1960s. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.

United States

Main article: County (United States)

Map of the United States with county outlines. A county of the United States is a local level of government created as a subdivision of a state by the state government or by the federal or territorial government as a subdivision

The term county is used in 48 of the 50 states of the United States for a tier of organization immediately below the statewide tier and above (where created) the municipal or civil township tier. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A civil township is a widely used unit of Local government in the United States, subordinate to a county.

Louisiana has entities similar to counties but calls them parishes. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America The US state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United States Alaska is divided into boroughs, which typically provide fewer local services than do most U. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The US state of Alaska is not divided into counties, as are 48 other states but it is divided into boroughs ( Louisiana is divided into parishes S. counties, as the state government furnishes many services directly. Some of Alaska's boroughs have merged geographical boundaries and administrative functions with their principal (and sometimes only) cities; these are known as unified city-boroughs and result in some of Alaska's cities ranking among the geographically largest "cities" in the world. Nevertheless, Alaska considers such entities to be boroughs, not cities. Alaska is also unique in that more than half the geographic area of the state is in the "Unorganized Borough", a legal entity in which the state also functions as the local government. The Unorganized Borough is that part of the US state of Alaska not contained in any of its 17 organized Boroughs.

In two states and parts of a third, county government as such has been abolished, and county refers to geographic regions or districts. In Connecticut,^[4] Rhode Island^[5] and parts of Massachusetts^[6]^[7] counties exist only to designate boundaries for such state-level functions as park districts (Connecticut) or judicial offices (Massachusetts). Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. In states where county government is weak or nonexistent (eg, New Hampshire), town government may provide some or all of the local government services. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states

Each county has a county seat (a center of county administration), usually in an incorporated municipality. A county seat is a term for an Administrative center for a County, primarily used in the United States.

Independent cities and census districts are termed county equivalents when they function as the first jurisdiction below state level but are not part of any county. An independent city is a City that does not form part of another general-purpose Local government entity

References

Dictionary

-noun

(historical) The land ruled by a count or a countess.
An administrative region of various countries, including Canada, China, Croatia, France, the Republic of Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Serbia and Montenegro and Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
A definitive geographic region, without direct administrative functions, as in traditional county.

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