Municipality

A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.

The Ponce City Hall, in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, is the seat of the government for both the city and the surrounding barrios making up the municipality.
Map of all city municipalities in Slovenia

The term municipality may also mean the governing or ruling body of a given municipality.[1] A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district.

The term is derived from French municipalité and Latin municipalis.[2] The English word municipality derives from the Latin social contract municipium (derived from a word meaning "duty holders"), referring to the Latin communities that supplied Rome with troops in exchange for their own incorporation into the Roman state (granting Roman citizenship to the inhabitants) while permitting the communities to retain their own local governments (a limited autonomy).

A municipality can be any political jurisdiction from a sovereign state, such as the Principality of Monaco, to a small village, such as West Hampton Dunes, New York.

The territory over which a municipality has jurisdiction may encompass

Political powers

Powers of municipalities range from virtual autonomy to complete subordination to the state. Municipalities may have the right to tax individuals and corporations with income tax, property tax, and corporate income tax, but may also receive substantial funding from the state. In some European countries, such as Germany, municipalities have the constitutional right to supply public services through municipally-owned public utility companies.[4]

Terms in various countries
New York City as well as its composite five boroughs are all municipalities.
  1. Manhattan
  2. Brooklyn
  3. Queens
  4. The Bronx
  5. Staten Island
A city or town municipalities (red-colored) with other municipalities in Finland (2020)

Municipality

Terms cognate with "municipality", mostly referring to territory or political structure, are Spanish municipio (Spain) and municipalidad (Chile), and Catalan municipi.

Communes

In a number of countries terms cognate with "commune" are used, referring to the community living in the area and the common interest. These include terms:

The same terms may be used for church congregations or parishes, for example in the German and Dutch Protestant churches.

Other terms

In Greece, the word Δήμος (demos) is used, also meaning 'community'; the word is known in English from the compound democracy (rule of the people).

In some countries, the Spanish term ayuntamiento, referring to a municipality's administration building, is extended via synecdoche to denote the municipality itself. In Moldova and Romania, both municipalities (municipiu; urban administrative units) and communes (comună; rural units) exist, and a commune may be part of a municipality.

In many countries, comparable entities may exist with various names.

English-speaking
  • In Australia, the term local government area (LGA) is used in place of the generic municipality. Here, the "LGA Structure covers only incorporated areas of Australia. Incorporated areas are legally designated parts of states and territories over which incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility."[5]
  • In Canada, municipalities are local governments established through provincial and territorial legislation, usually within general municipal statutes.[6][7] Types of municipalities within Canada include cities, district municipalities, municipal districts, municipalities, parishes, rural municipalities, towns, townships, villages, and villes among others.[7] The Province of Ontario has different tiers of municipalities, including lower, upper, and single tiers.[8] Types of upper tier municipalities in Ontario include counties and regional municipalities.[8] Nova Scotia also has regional municipalities, which include cities, counties, districts, or towns as municipal units.[9]
  • In India, a Municipality or Nagar Palika is an urban local body that administers a city of population 100,000 or more. However, there are exceptions to that, as previously Municipality were constituted in urban centers with population over 20,000, so all the urban bodies which were previously classified as Municipality were reclassified as Municipality even if their population was under 100,000. Under the Panchayati Raj system, it interacts directly with the state government, though it is administratively part of the district it is located in. Generally, smaller district cities and bigger towns have a Municipality. Municipality are also a form of local self-government entrusted with some duties and responsibilities, as enshrined in the Constitutional (74th Amendment) Act,1992.
  • In the United Kingdom, the term was used until the 1972 Local Government Act came into effect in 1974 in England and Wales, and until 1975 in Scotland and 1976 in Northern Ireland, "both for a city or town which is organized for self-government under a municipal corporation, and also for the governing body itself. Such a corporation in Great Britain consists of a head as a mayor or provost, and of superior members, as aldermen and councillors".[10] Since local government reorganisation, the unit in England, Northern Ireland and Wales is known as a district, and in Scotland as a council area. A district may be awarded borough or city status, or can retain its district title.
  • In Jersey, a municipality refers to the honorary officials elected to run each of the 12 parishes into which it is subdivided. This is the highest level of regional government in this jurisdiction.
  • In Trinidad and Tobago, "municipality" is usually understood as a city, town, or other local government unit, formed by municipal charter from the state as a municipal corporation. A town may be awarded borough status and later on may be upgraded to city status. Chaguanas, San Fernando, Port of Spain, Arima and Point Fortin are the 5 current municipalities in Trinidad and Tobago.
  • In the United States, "municipality" is usually understood as a city, town, village, or other local government unit, formed by municipal charter from the state as a municipal corporation.[11] In a state law context, some U.S. state codes define "municipality" more widely, from the state itself to any political subdivisions given jurisdiction over an area that may include multiple populated places and unpopulated places[12][13] (see also: Political divisions of the United States).

Chinese-speaking

Municipalities by country
Country Term Example Subdivision of Quantity Notes Further reading
Afghanistan شاروالی یا شهرداری

shārwāli (or shahr-dari)

 Provinces of Afghanistan 204 34 'provincial' municipalities of provincial capitals (shārwāli) and 170 rural or 'district' municipalities (shārwāli uluswāli) www.km.gov.af, dmm.gov.af, idlg.gov.af
Albania bashki (urban) or komunë (rural) 61 Municipalities of Albania
Algeria Baladiyah daïra (district), which is part of a wilaya (province) 1,541 Municipalities of Algeria
Andorra parròquia Sant Julià de Lòria 7
Argentina municipalidad Puerto Madryn Provinces of Argentina, in some provinces they are a subdivision of departments 2,100 Smallest administrative division; either a city, town, or township Municipalities of Argentina
Australia Local government area Port Stephens Council States and territories of Australia 547 Local government in Australia
Austria Gemeinde a state (Bundesland). 1,725 The entire area of Austria is divided into municipalities, with no non-municipal gaps. This leads to some municipalities being very large despite having a small population. Municipality (Austria)
Bangladesh Pouroshobha Upazila or subdistrict, which is in turn part of a district 311 Municipalities of Bangladesh
Belgium gemeente/commune Montigny-le-Tilleul a province (provincie/province) or of the Brussels-Capital Region 581 The provinces are themselves subdivisions of the Walloon and Flemish Regions which have the authority over the municipalities Municipalities in Belgium
Bolivia municipio Arani Municipality province, which is part of a departamento. 327 (2005) Municipalities of Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina općina or opština in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina : of a canton (kanton). In Republika Srpska, municipality is first order of government after entity government. 144 Municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil município São Paulo (most populous), Borá (least populous) states (estados) 5,570 Smallest administrative subdivision. Not used in the Federal District or the Fernando de Noronha and St. Peter and St. Paul archipelagos, but encompasses all other territories nationwide Municipalities of Brazil
Brunei bandaran Bandar Seri Begawan 4 Independent of subdivisions; nevertheless overlap with mukims and villages Municipalities of Brunei
Bulgaria Bulgarian: община, Bulgarian: obshtina Aksakovo Municipality an oblast 264 Municipalities of Bulgaria
Canada municipality 3,572 Municipality system is similar to that in the United States, however rules vary depending on the province. Lists of municipalities in Canada
Cambodia ក្រុង (krong) Phnom Penh 1,446
Chile municipalidad Torres del Paine provinces 346 Specifically the administrative body, while subdivisions are comunas; most municipalities administer one comuna each, but occasional municipalities administer more
China 直辖市 Beijing 4 Status equal to a province Municipalities of China
Colombia municipio a department (departamento) 1,102 It is also subdivided into Localities and Neighborhoods in urban municipalities and into Corregimientos and Veredas in rural municipalities Municipalities of Colombia
Costa Rica Municipalidad Province (Provinces of Costa Rica) Cantones of Costa Rica
Croatia općina county (županija) 428 Municipalities of Croatia
Czech Republic obec Karlovy Vary a kraj (kraj) 6,254
Denmark kommune Aabenraa Municipality a region 98 Counties (amter) were abandoned in 2007 Municipalities of Denmark
Dominican Republic municipio province Municipalities of the Dominican Republic
El Salvador municipio Zacatecoluca departamentos 262 Municipalities of El Salvador
Estonia omavalitsus Are vald (Are Parish) county (maakond) 215 Can be either towns (linn) or parishes (vald) Municipalities of Estonia
Finland kunta (in Finnish), kommun (in Swedish) Helsinki region 311 Can choose whether to call itself a "city" (kaupunki). Municipalities of Finland
France commune canton, which is part of an arrondissement, which is part of a department (département) which is part of a region (région) 36,600
Germany Gemeinde district (Kreis, literally "Circle"). Larger entities of the same level are called Stadt, plural Städte (Cities resp. Towns), which can be part of a Kreis (they are kreisangehörig, meaning "belonging to a Circle") or constituting a district on its own (kreisfrei, meaning "free of a Circle"). In less populated regions, small municipalities are often put together into consolidated superior municipalities (Verbandsgemeinde, Samtgemeinde or Amtsgemeinde) 12,013 Municipalities of Germany
Georgia munits'ipaliteti 76 self-governing towns/cities (k'alak'i) and communities (t'emi) Municipalities of Georgia
Greece demos (δήμος, pl. δήμοι) or koinoteta (κοινότητα, pl. κοινότητες) 325 Demoi and koinotetes are both considered municipalities; the latter are less populous Municipalities and communities of Greece
Greenland kommunea Kujalleq 5 First-level administrative division Municipalities of Greenland
Haiti commune an arrondissement, which is part of a department (département).
Honduras municipio was in 1895 originally the subdivision of the district (distrito), but as districts have fallen into disuse, it is now the subdivision of the department (departamento). 298 Municipalities of Honduras
Hungary község a county (megye). 3,168 (in 2005)
Iceland sveitarfélag Reykjavík Regions 74 The country's only self-governing local administrative units Municipalities of Iceland
India Sainthia Excludes both villages and large cities; typically has more than twenty thousand residents, but cannot exceed five hundred thousand Municipalities of India
Indonesia Kabupaten (regency) or Kotamadya (city) Provinces of Indonesia List of regencies and cities of Indonesia
Iraq Qadhaa Al-Hamdaniya District a district (Arabic: Qadhaa‎) which is part of a Governorate (Region or Province, Arabic: Mouhafatha). 130 Second-level, below the governorate Municipalities of Iraq
Israel Iri'ya (עיריה, City Government), Moatsa (מועצה, Council) Includes city councils (large municipalities), local councils (small municipalities), and regional councils (a group of communities; often rural)
Italy comune a province (provincia) which is part of a region (regione). 7,982 Solely used for subdivisions of larger comuni, especially in Rome; municipio indicates the city hall; in some case, they are joined in mountain communities (comunità montane)[14] List of municipalities of Italy
Japan 市町村

Shichoson

 1,719 Below the prefecture; includes shi (cities), cho (towns), and son (villages) Municipalities of Japan
Kenya a municipality is one of four types of local authorities. Nearly 50 major towns are given the municipality status.
Latvia singular: novads, plural: novadi Aglonas novads (Aglona Municipality) 110 A municipality normally consists of amalgamated parishes (singular: pagasts, plural: pagasti). Municipalities of Latvia
Lebanon a district (Arabic: Qadaa‎) which is part of a Governorate (Region or Province, Arabic: Mouhafazah).
Libya Baladiyah the municipality level is that of the Basic People's Congress. Large cities are subdivided. Municipalities of Libya
Lithuania savivaldybė Kalvarijos savivaldybė (Kalvarija Municipality) a district (apskritis) and is subdivided into elderates (seniūnija). Municipalities of Lithuania
Luxembourg commune (in French); Gemeng, plur. Gemengen (in Luxembourgish) part of a canton (Luxembourgish: Kantoun) which itself is part of a district 105 are the lowest divisions
Malta Kunsill Lokali (Local Council) Valletta Local Council none 68 established 1993, one new council created since then (Mtarfa) Local councils of Malta
Mauritius a municipality: The administration of all the main towns in Mauritius is done by the municipality of the respective towns.Most of the towns are found in the district of Plaines Wilhems. The capital city, Port-Louis is managed by the Municipality of Port-Louis, found in the district of Port Louis. The other seven districts are administered by are called district councils.
Mexico municipio / delegación Asientos Municipality a state (estado) or the DF 2,466 a borough (delegación) is a subdivision of the Federal District Municipalities of Mexico and boroughs of the Mexican Federal District
Moldova municipiu Municipiul Chișinău 32 is a main city or town and surrounding villages ranked by law at this level. Moldova#Administrative divisions
Montenegro opština Andrijevica Municipality the country (top-level) Municipalities of Montenegro
Nepal Nagarpalika and Gaunpalika Pokhara Provinces of Nepal 276 Municipalities (by Constitution of Nepal, 2015 and amendments thereafter) Nepal has 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities or gaunpalikas after federal division of country by Constitution of Nepal 2015. A municipality is a town not large enough in population or infrastructure to qualify as a sub-metropolitan city. List of cities in Nepal
Netherlands gemeente a province (provincie) 388 + 3 special municipalities Municipalities of the Netherlands
New Zealand a municipality is part of either a "city" (mostly urban) or a "district" (mostly rural). The term "municipality" has become rare in New Zealand since about 1979 and has no legal status. (See territorial authorities of New Zealand.)
Nicaragua municipio a department (departamento) or of one of the two Autonomous Regions, North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. Municipalities of Nicaragua
North Macedonia opština Aračinovo Municipality The country (top-level) or the City of Skopje 84 (2004) Current set established in 2004, reduced from 123 created in 1996. Municipalities of North Macedonia
Norway kommune Røyken kommune a county (fylke) 356 (2020) Municipalities of Norway
Palestinian National Authority 105 municipalities are localities with populations over 4,000 and have 13-15 council members. Municipality (Palestinian Authority)
Pakistan of a tehsil/taluka or sub-district of a "district". 149 Local government in Pakistan
Paraguay municipalidad a departament (departamento)
Peru municipio a province (provincia), which is part of a department (departamento). As of 2002 a department is now called a region (región). is another term for district (distrito) and is the lower-level administrative subdivision.
Philippines bayan, munisipyo or munisipalidad a province (lalawigan or probinsya, except for Pateros) 1,488[15] A municipality is the official name for a town and is divided into barangays. Municipalities with a larger population and income may become a city through a city charter.[16] Municipalities of the Philippines
Poland gmina Gmina Annopol county (powiat).
Portugal concelho or município Oeiras District 308 Concelho is a directly elected local area authority generally consisting of a main city or town and surrounding villages, with wide-ranging local administration powers. Apart from the municipality of Corvo, however, municípios are not the smallest administrative unit in Portugal, that being the freguesia (civil parish). For central government purposes, Portuguese municipalities are grouped into districts (distritos). In Portugal, a municipality (município/concelho) is the primary local administrative unit. Although part of a district (distrito) for certain national administrative purposes, the municipality is not subordinate to the district and decentralization is doing away with the districts. A municipality contains one or more freguesias. Municipalities of Portugal
Puerto Rico municipio Arecibo none 78 municipality consists of an urban area (termed a city or town) plus all of its surrounding barrios comprising the municipality. It has a popularly elected administration and a municipal mayor. The seat of the municipal government is located in such urban area and serves the entire municipal jurisdiction.[17][18] Municipalities of Puerto Rico
Romania municipiu / oraș / comună Deva County (județ) 103 + 217 + 2856 A municipality (municipiu) is a special status given to cities which fulfill certain criteria related to size, influence and development, as defined by Law no. 351/2001 (on the National Territorial Management Plan). Localities which do not meet the criteria are designated "cities" (orașe) or "communes" (comune). Municipalities of Romania
Cities of Romania
Communes of Romania
Russia several types of municipalities ("municipal formations") exist; see subdivisions of Russia
San Marino there are also eight minor municipalities, castelli.
Serbia opština a district (okrug)
Slovakia obec district (okres) which is part of a kraj (kraj) 2,891
Slovenia občina region (regija) 212 a municipality (občina) is the primary local administrative unit. There are 212 of them, 11 of which have a special "Urban" status with additional autonomy. Municipalities of Slovenia
South Africa 249 district municipalities and metropolitan municipalities are subdivisions of the provinces, and local municipalities are subdivisions of district municipalities.
Spain municipio / municipi / concello / udalerria Barcelona, Madrid 8,122 a municipality (municipio) is the primary local administrative unit. It is a part of a province (provincia) for all national administrative purposes. In the Galicia region, the municipalities are called, in Galician language, concellos, and in the Principality of Asturias region, a municipality is called a concejo (in Spanish language) or a conceyu (in Asturian language). In these two regions a municipality contains one or more parroquias (parishes). Municipalities of Spain
Sweden kommun Stockholm Municipality

Gothenburg Municipality Malmö Municipality Ale Municipality

 County Councils of Sweden (Swedish: landsting) self-governing local authority, covering 21 counties, each comprising one or more of the municipalities. 290 is self-governing according to the Swedish constitution and constitutes local government. Before 1971, a municipality could be called a town (stad), a köping or a rural municipality (landskommun); present municipalities which used to be towns are still commonly called towns. Sweden is also divided in 2 523 districts (Swedish: distrikt) since 1 January 2016.[19] Municipalities of Sweden
Switzerland commune/Gemeinde/comune a canton (canton/Kanton/cantone) and defined by cantonal law. 2,596 Municipalities in Switzerland
Thailand thesaban None 1,602 There are three levels of municipalities, and municipalities are not self-governed except for Bangkok and Pattaya. Municipalities introduced in 1935, Bangkok became self-governed in 1972, and Pattaya became self-governed in 1978. Thesaban
Turkey belediye Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality il (province) 2,920 is a local government authority and there are two types of municipalities: metropolitan (büyükşehir) municipality, district (alt/ilçe) municipality.
Ukraine Ukrainian: громада, hromada Ternopil City hromada Raions of Ukraine 1470 In Ukraine executive power belongs to ispolkom (an executive committee) of the council of hromada. Functions of ispolkom in Kyiv and Sevastopol performs a state administration due to the status of those cities. For other populated places, there are mainly two types of municipalities: urban and rural. Their governing bodies are councils (i.e. miskrada, selyshchna rada or silrada). They are considered the lowest administrative division in the country and better known as the local government. Urban municipalities are more complex and divided into city municipalities (miska hromada) and town municipalities (selyshchna hromada).
United Arab Emirates an emirate is defined by the law of the specific emirates.
Uruguay municipio 89 Municipalities of Uruguay
Venezuela municipio Anaco Municipality a state, as well as a subdivision of the Capital District (estado) Municipalities of Venezuela
Vietnam Direct-controlled municipality - Thành phố trực thuộc trung ương Ho Chi Minh City (largest) 5 A direct-controlled municipality (Thành phố trực thuộc trung ương) is a city with equal status to a province Municipalities of Vietnam
  • In Portuguese language usage, there are two words to distinguish the territory and the administrative organ. When referring to the territory, the word concelho is used, when referring to the organ of State, the word município is used. This differentiation is in use in Portugal and some of its former overseas provinces, but it's no longer in use in Brazil.

See also

References
  1. "Municipality". Merriam-Webster.
  2. "municipality definition". Yourdictionary.com.
  3. "Santiago de Chile – Comunas". Mapas de Chile, Castor y Polux Ltda. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  4. Andersen, Uwe. "Gemeinden/Kommunale Selbstverwaltung | bpb". bpb.de (in German). Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. "Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)". Australian Bureau of Statistics.
  6. "Municipal Government". The Canadian Encyclopedia > Government > Government, General > Municipal Government. Historica Foundation of Canada. 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  7. "Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names – From January 2, 2010 to January 1, 2011" (PDF). Statistics Canada. April 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  8. "List of Ontario Municipalities". Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 4 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  9. "Municipal Government Act" (PDF). Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  10. Wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Municipality
  11. "Legal Dictionary: Municipal Law". FindLaw.
  12. "2009 Nevada Code". Justia.
  13. "Kansas Statues". Lesterama.
  14. The law provides for the possibility of overlapping of the office of President of the mountain community with that of mayor of one of the municipalities of the community: Buonomo, Giampiero (2001). "Compatibile il sindaco-dirigente della locale Comunità montana". Diritto&Giustizia Edizione Online.  – via Questia (subscription required)
  15. "Philippine Standard Geographic Code – List of Municipalities". Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  16. "Republic Act 7160 – Local Government Act of 1991". Official Gazette (Philippines). 11 October 1991. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  17. Ayuda: Divulgación de Resultados de la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones – Municipio. Archived 21 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Comision Estatal de Elecciones. Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  18. Autonomous Municipalities Law. (in Spanish) Archived 5 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  19. SFS 2015:493 Archived 30 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Svensk författningssamling: Förordning om distrikt.
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