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County

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A '''county''' is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. Originally, in continental Europe, a '''county''' was the land under the jurisdiction of a count. 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 "county" and "earldom." Rather, the term "county," from French ''comté'', was simply used by the Normans after 1066 to replace the native English term ''scir'' ("sheer") or "shire," in Modern English. A shire was an administrative division of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom (Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia, etc.), usually named after its administrative centre (e.g., Gloucester > Gloucestershire, Worcester > Worcestershire, etc.). {{ref|Etymology}} Thus, whereas the word ''comté'' denoted a sovereign jurisdiction in the original French, the English word "county" denotes a subdivision of a sovereign jurisdiction.

Overview
{| border=0 |- bgcolor=#ececec ! Country/Area!! Language !! Singular !! Plural !! Number !! Notes |- |Counties of Canada |English Language English and French Language French | | |- |Counties of Croatia |Croatian language Croatian |županija |županije |20 |- |Counties of Estonia |Estonian language Estonian |maakond |maakonnad |15 |- |Counties of Germany |German language German |Kreis |Kreise |323+116 | |- |Counties of Hungary |Hungarian language Hungarian |megye |megyék |19/22/1 |for numbers: see Counties of Hungary main article |- |Counties of Ireland |English language English | # | # |32* |- |Counties of Japan |Japanese language Japanese |gun | | |- |Counties of Latvia |Latvian language Latvian |rajons |rajoni |26 |- |Counties of Lithuania |Lithuanian language Lithuanian |apskritis |apskritys |10 |- |Counties of Moldova |Romanian language |judeţ |judeţe |9 | disbanded in 2003 |- |Counties of the Netherlands |Dutch language |graafschap |graafschappen | | only historic |- |Counties of Norway |Norwegian language |fylke |fylker |19 |- |Counties of Poland |Polish language |powiat |powiaty | |- |Counties of Romania |Romanian language |judeţ |judeţe |41+1 |- |Subdivisions of Serbia and Montenegro Counties of Serbia and Montenegro |Serbian language |okrug |okruzi |29+1/21 |- |Counties of Sweden |Swedish language |län |län | |- |Counties of the United Kingdom |English language | | | |- |Counties of the United States |English language | | |3141 |} '''*''' The ''32'' refers to the counties of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland combined. For more information, see the sections on #Ireland Ireland and #United Kingdom United Kingdom below.

Australia

New South Wales
While New South Wales was divided into counties in the early days of the colony, often preceding European settlement, hundreds, parish parishes and counties became dead letters for most purposes other than the registration of land ownership, which, under the Torrens title system, is centralised in the state capital of Sydney. Sydney lies in the County of Cumberland. Local government is organised as municipality municipalities for urban areas, and shires for rural areas. Large urban areas are called "cities".

Western Australia
Local government in the metropolitan area are called cities or town. Rural areas are called Shires.

Canada
image:censusdivisions.PNG 300px|thumb|Outline map of Canada's Census Divisions in 2001 ''Main article: Census division'' Five of Canada's ten provinces are divided into counties. In Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, these are local government units, whereas in Quebec and Prince Edward Island they are now only geographical divisions. 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. See also: * List of New Brunswick counties * List of Nova Scotia counties * List of Prince Edward Island counties * List of Ontario counties * List of Quebec counties * List of Quebec county regional municipalities Divisions of the other provinces: * In Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador, instead of counties, ''divisions'' are used. (Though Alberta has "counties," they are not equivalent to Census Divisions). See list of Alberta Census Divisions. * In British Columbia, ''regional districts'' are used. (see List of British Columbia Regional Districts) * The Yukon Territory is one district in itself * The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are divided into districts. Statistics *Census division statistics of Canada

China
''Main article: County of China'' The word "county" is used to translate the Chinese language Chinese term ''xiàn'' (县 or 縣). On Mainland China under the People's Republic of China, counties are the Political division of China#County level third level of local government, coming under both the Political division of China#Province level province level and the Political division of China#Prefecture level prefecture level. On Taiwan, the streamlining of Taiwan Province has left the county the major governmental level below the Republic of China central government. The number of counties in China proper numbers about 2,000, and has remained more or less constant since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 220 AD). 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 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. In older context, "prefecture" and "district" are alternative terms to refer to ''xiàn'' before the establishment of the Republic of China. The English nomenclature "county" was adopted following the establishment of the ROC. See also: Political divisions of China, Counties of Taiwan

Croatia
Counties have been units of regional self-government in Croatia since 1990. There are twenty counties and the city of Zagreb which has the same status. They are called ''županije'' and they are each headed by a ''župan'' (whose replacement is called a ''dožupan''). See also: Counties of Croatia

Hungary
The administrative unit of Hungary is called ''megye'', or in Latin: comitatus, which can be translated with the word ''county''. Presently Hungary is subdivided into 19 "proper" counties, 22 city counties and 1 capital, Budapest. See the list of counties of Hungary. The comitatus was also the historic administrative unit in the Kingdom of Hungary, which included present-day neighboring countries of Hungary. See the list of historic counties of Hungary.

Ireland
The island of Ireland is divided into Counties of Ireland 32 counties, of which 26 later formed the Republic of Ireland and 6 made up Northern Ireland (for current status on Northern Irish counties, see under 'United Kingdom,' below). The counties are traditionally grouped into Provinces of Ireland 4 provinces - Leinster (12), Munster (6) Connacht (5) and Ulster (9). Historically, the counties of Meath, West Meath and Dublin constituted the province of Meath - one of the "Five Fifths" of Ireland; but these have long since become the three northernmost counties of Leinster province. 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 1990's. For example County Dublin was broken into three: Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin - the City of Dublin had existed for centuries before. 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. Thus, though sometimes called the 'twenty-six counties', the Republic of Ireland now has thirty-four 'county-level' authorities. For almost all sporting, cultural and other purposes, the traditional 32 counties and 4 provinces remain in common usage. Each county has its own flag/colours (and often a nickname too), and county allegiances are taken quite seriously. See the counties of Ireland.

Japan
"County" is one of the translations of ''gun'' (郡), which is a subdivision of prefecture. It is also translated as rural district, rural area or district. 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 talk:Manual of Style (Japan-related articles)/Translation note Japanese translation note. Presently, "counties" have no political power or administrative function. The division is mainly significant in Mail postal services.

Lithuania
''Apskritis'' (pl. ''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. See counties of Lithuania.

New Zealand
After New Zealand abolished its Provinces of New Zealand 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" (eg Rotorua) or a change of name to "district' (eg Waimairi) or "city" (eg Manukau). 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".

Norway
Norway is divided into 19 Counties of Norway counties (sing. ''fylke'', plur. ''fylker'', literally "folk") as of 1972. Up to this year Bergen, Norway Bergen was a separate county, but is today a municipality in the county of Hordaland. All counties are divided into Municipalities of Norway municipalities, (sing. ''kommune'', plur. ''kommuner''), the ones with incorporated cities being called city municipalities (sing. ''bykommune'', plur. ''bykommuner''). The county of Oslo is equivalent to the municipality of Oslo. Each county has its own assembly (''fylkesting'') whose representatives are elected every 4 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 Conservatives, Høyre, call for the abolishment of the counties once and for all, while others merely want to merger some of them into larger regions.

Poland
Polish second-level administration unit ''powiat'' is usually translated into English language English as ''county'' or ''district''. ''See also'': *List of counties in Poland *List of counties in Poland by voivodships

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 40 counties and the capital, Bucharest having a separate status. See the list of counties of Romania.

Serbia and Montenegro
Subdivisions of Serbia (''okrug'') are sometimes translated as counties, though more often as districts. See District#Serbia and Montenegro

Sweden
The Swedish division into Counties of Sweden counties was established in 1634, and was based on an earlier division into Provinces of Sweden Provinces. Sweden is today divided into 21 counties, and each county is further divided into Municipalities of Sweden municipalities. At the county level there is a County Administrative Boards of Sweden county administrative board led by a governor appointed by the central government of Sweden, as well as an elected County Councils of Sweden county council that handles a separate set of issues, notably hospitals and public transportation. The Swedish term used is ''län'', which literally means "fief."

United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is divided into a number of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. There are also ceremonial county ceremonial counties and traditional counties which have no administrative function but exist as geographic areas. The metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties had replaced in 1974 a system of Administrative counties of England administrative counties which were introduced in 1889. Most non-metropolitan counties in England are run by county councils and divided into non-metropolitan districts, each with its own council. 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. These became known as the ''shire town'' or later the county town. In most cases, the shires were named after their shire town (for example Bedford''shire'') however exceptions to this rule exist, such as Wiltshire. In several other cases, such as Devon the shire has a county town different from that which it is named after. 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 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. The thirteen Traditional counties of Wales traditional 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 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. 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). For centuries, the counties were used mainly for legal administration and tax raising. Modern local government did not come into being until 1889, when administrative county administrative counties (county councils) were created which were based upon the traditional county areas. 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 county metropolitan counties which served large urban areas as a single administrative unit. In 1986, however, the metropolitan county councils were abolished, and divided into a series of unitary authorities, although the counties still exist in name and for some administrative and ceremonial purposes. Traditionalists still refer to traditional counties for geographic purposes rather than administrative ones. Uniquely, the Isle of Wight is a unitary authority with county status. 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. See also: *Association of British Counties *County Watch

United States
{{mergeto|County (United States)}} ''Main article: County (United States)'' Image:Map of USA with county outlines.png thumb|300px|right|Map of the United States with county outlines. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 U.S. states states of the United States for the tier of state government authority immediately below the statewide tier and above the township tier, in those states that sub-divided counties into civil townships. Each county contains a county seat, which is where county offices are located (this is usually, but not always, an incorporated municipality). In some states, counties are subdivided into civil township townships, which typically provide some or all of the local government services provided by cities and towns. The State of Michigan additionally has "charter townships", which are self-governing townships that have many of the rights of a city but fewer of the responsibilities, e.g., a charter township can have its own police force but it can also opt merely to use the county sheriff's deputies; and whereas ordinary townships cannot refuse to release land that a neighbouring city wishes to annex, charter townships, by virtue of having a charter from the state, have right of refusal. In most western states, the county controls all unincorporated land within its boundaries. In states with a township tier, unincorporated land is controlled by the township. Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level or township-level resource allocation decisions can incorporate as a city or village. In turn, depending on the state, the city or village government can then choose to provide all its own services, or provide only some and allow the county to provide the rest. Usually, the key difference between "city" and "village" is that a city ''must'' provide all of its own services and equivalent county authorities have no jurisdiction without the city's permision; while villages (which remain subject to township governments in those states that have them), being usually rural or semi-rural jurisdictions, are typically required to provide only those services that they can, with the rest being provided by the county or township. Lists of counties by state can be found through U.S. counties; for more comparative information on U.S. counties, see county statistics of the United States.

Exceptions in Louisiana and Alaska
Louisiana uses the term ''parish parishes'' and Alaska uses ''borough boroughs''. The United States Census Bureau U.S. Census Bureau lists 3,141 counties or county-equivalent administrative units. The power of the county government varies widely from state to state as does the relationship between counties and incorporated municipal governments, but counties (parishes, boroughs) are ''always'' administrative divisions of the state and the power they exercise is state government power. Unlike cities, which are municipal corporations with a degree of sovereignty granted by the state, counties have no powers of their own but merely exercise powers of state government that have assigned to their jurisdiction, either by the state constitution or the state legislature.

New England
In New England, counties function primarily as Court judicial districts, as most local government is exercised by town towns. In Connecticut and Rhode Island, they have even lost all governmental function and are solely geographic designations. Outside New England, counties typically maintain law enforcement agencies, public utility public utilities, library systems, collect vital statistics and prepare, and/or process the state, certificates of births, deaths, marriages, and dissolutions (divorce decrees). In some states, the county sheriff is the principal law enforcement officer in the county, usually limited to areas outside the jurisdiction of cities and towns. In parts of the U.S., counties are "policed" by sheriffs, and cities are policed by police. In other areas, county law enforcement is called "County Police" with county sheriffs providing court services.

=Massachusetts
= As of 2005, Massachusetts has terminated 7 of 14 County Governments and put these county governments under state control.

Independent Cities in the U.S.
In Virginia, all municipalities incorporated as ''cities'' are organized as separate political units that are not part of any county (i.e., independent city independent cities). In addition, in Virginia there is the concept of an "urban county" within which no city is allowed to incorporate. An example of this is Arlington County, which is bordered by Washington, D.C., Fairfax County, and the independent cities of Falls Church and Alexandria. In Maryland, the city of Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is independent of any county, and Baltimore County, Maryland Baltimore County is a separate entity outside the city. In Missouri, the city of St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is independent of any county, and St. Louis County, Missouri St. Louis County is a separate entity outside the city. There are also a small number of independent cities (not part of any county) in other states. However, independent cities are the exception rather than the rule, as are metropolitan municipalities. (In addition, until November 7, 1997, the portion of Yellowstone National Park that was within Montana was not part of any county, but as of that date, that portion has been nominally added to Gallatin County, Montana Gallatin County.) All National Parks and Monuments, though owned by the Federal Government, are now parts of one or more county. An example of this is Coconino County, Arizona, the second-largest county in the U.S. by area, which extends from well-south of the county seat of Flagstaff all the way to the Utah border in the north. It contains the heart of the Grand Canyon National Park. Certain things in National Parks fall under county jurisdiction. For example, unexplained or accidental deaths anywhere in a county fall under the county coroner and/or medical examiner.

City-County Consolidations
Consolidated city and county governments (sometimes called "metropolitan" or "regional municipalities") simultaneously operate as administrative divisions of and subordinate to state power and as municipal corporations that exercise whatever degree of sovereignty the state government or constitution confers upon them.

=Cities merged with the county containing them
= A number of cities were once only a portion of the county with which they have subsequently consolidated with, and other cities or unincorporated areas that were once outside the city but inside the county are now part of a city-county amalgamation. Examples include: Indianapolis, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; Lexington, Kentucky; Louisville, Kentucky; Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. New York City is a unique metropolitan municipality, being coextensive with five counties, each with its own administrative organs but all of them subject to one, integrated citywide government.

=City-county consolidations not resulting from amalgamation
= Unlike the examples given above, some city-counties did not merge a city with a surrounding county, but instead the city-county status has existed since the creation of the county. Broomfield, Colorado; Denver County, Colorado Denver, Colorado; City & County of Honolulu Honolulu, Hawaii; and San Francisco, California are cases in which the city-county status was not preceded by the existence of both a separate city and county.

Cities overlapping two or more counties
Some cities lie within two or more counties with state approval. Examples are Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; and Kansas City, Missouri. In a few states, a city existing in more than one county is expressly forbidden by the State Consitiution. ''See also List of U.S. cities in multiple counties''

Atlanta and Fulton County
As Atlanta has grown, its relationship with Fulton County and DeKalb County, in which it lies, has become more complicated. A further complication is that Fulton County is geographically shaped like a dumbbell. It has one bulbous area to the north, another bulbous area to the southwest, and the "handle" area in the middle consisting of most of the City of Atlanta. A much smaller section of Atlanta extends east into DeKalb County. This odd shape of Fulton County dates back to the Great Depression, when as a financial expedient, the impoverished counties to the north and southwest were merged into Fulton County, which had more resources. Below are several plans for reconciliation.

=Secession
= One solution which has come up frequently during the 2000s is for north Fulton County to secede, again becoming Milton County, Georgia Milton County. This time it would include Roswell, Georgia Roswell, as well as its original county seat of Alpharetta, Georgia Alpharetta, and the neighborhood incorporated as Mountain Park, Georgia Mountain Park, and stretches of unincorporated land. Some proposals call for it to include Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs as well, though it has always been in Fulton County and not in Milton. One of those proposals is being studied by a commission set up by the Georgia General Assembly during its 2005 session. Any change in Georgia's county borders requires the consent of any county whose territory is involved, and the state legislature. In addition, any attempt to divide Fulton would require a constitutional amendment to the Georgia state constitution, in order for more than 159 counties to exist, which is the present constitututional limit.

=Municipalization
= Since the 1970s, the longest-running battle has been allowing Sandy Springs to incorporate. With over 80,000 residents, it is already one of the largest cities in the state. It has not become a city however, due to the fact that it will take at least 20 million dollars away from the county every year, which will not be offset by the services the new city would take over. In 2005, the legislature finally allowed a referendum on the matter, and on June 21 Sandy Springs residents voted 94% in favor of incorporation. The new city will take over on the first day of 2006, though the county will continue to provide most services under contract through sometime in 2007. There was an additional complication that the State Legislature had to waive. By the Constitution, no new city or town may be created within 5 miles of another without the consent of the Legislature. Sandy Springs ''directly borders'' on Atlanta to the south and Roswell to the north. Since 2004, municipalization of the entire county has also been considered, which would incorporate every area into one contiguous city. This would esentially eliminate the county's home rule powers (granted in the 1960s) to act as a municipality in unincorporated areas, and return it to being entirely a local extension of state government. At least one proposal would create several small cities, even where there are no longer towns to base them in (??). If Milton county were to become an official county again, incorporating the relatively undeveloped northern and eastern corners of it would eliminate the need for much new government for a new county, though it would also create a need for two new city governments, possibly without a large enough tax base to support one or either of them. Incorporating the southwest of the county (formerly part of Campbell County) would be difficult, since there are only towns there, and not cities, and the unincorporated areas are quite large and not necessarily near any of them.

=Other options
= Other options which may be considered: * Under current Georgia law, the city of Atlanta could merge governments with Fulton County's, becoming a consolidated city-county. This could be complicated by the fact that part of Atlanta is in another county, and by the presence of other large cities in Fulton. * Consolidation could also occur by reducing Fulton County down to contain only Atlanta, or to Atlanta and its immediate neighbors, leaving no unincorporated areas. This would also put the Atlanta-in-DeKalb area into Fulton, and require two new counties in the north and southwest. * Atlanta could be made an independent city one tier city and if possible, they may change the official city name to Fulton County, Georgia The Corporation of Fulton County(simply as City of Fulton County), taking it out of both Fulton and DeKalb Counties entirely. This would be difficult until more urban development can improve the city's tax base, and until the state begins to give significant support for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and the large Grady Hospital (which serve the entire metro area but are paid for almost entirely by the city and the counties of Fulton and DeKalb). Doing this would split Fulton County, requiring the remaining parts to become two more counties. * Extraterritorial jurisdiction could be allowed, though statutory restrictions on the distance this could extend from an existing city may make it difficult to reach the far corners of the unusually-shaped and very unevenly-populated county. ETJ could also become a problem if boundaries are not organized and agreed upon at the beginning, which could spark further confusion and political discord if it becomes a first-come, first-served situation. ETJ is also mainly a zoning function, and thus may not be a complete solution. * A different type of municipal or civil division could be created, such as a town or township. This could give independent local boards certain ETJ-like powers, but unlike a new city still allow for annexation by existing cities. This option could be politically complicated, as it would make a change which would likely have a statewide effect. The only neighboring state with townships is North Carolina, where they are considered county divisions. * With the approval of the legislature, the far ends of the county could join other counties with their consent. The north end could rejoin Forsyth County, bringing the heavy business tax base of Alpharetta into the heavily-residential and still largely rural exurban county. The largely-undeveloped southwest end could rejoin with Douglas County, as they were originally under Campbell County. Some of those options (except the first two and last) would also require an amendment passed by two-thirds of both the state house and senate, and a statewide referendum. Most have not yet been widely discussed, though the idea of consolidation has recently been mentioned by at least one state legislator.

Notes
#{{note|Etymology}} [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=county&searchmode=none Etymology of the word ''county''.]

References
{{unsourced}} {{Subnational entity}} Category:Subnational entities Category:Counties * bg:Окръг da:Amt de:County es:Condado fr:Comté nl:County no:Fylke pt:Condado (administração) simple:County fi:Piirikunta sv:Län tpi:kaunti zh:县

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