County is a geographical area utilized for administrative or other reasons in certain contemporary countries. The word comes from the Old French comté, which meant a territory ruled by a count or viscount. The words comté, content, contact, and combat, which are literal translations from the equivalent of “count” in various languages, are no longer often used in official contexts.
About County
The phrase was introduced to England during the Norman conquest. The regions that would later become the historic counties of England were first created by the Saxons and were known as shires. Some examples of such county names include Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, which are derived from the names of the cities serving as the county seat for those respective areas.
| List | Details |
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| 1 | Under the Norman conquest, the Anglo-Saxon titles earl and earldom were seen as comparable to the continental terms count and County, and over time the two merged and became one. |
| 2 | The later-imported name also came to be used interchangeably with the comparable administrative division of the kingdom in Old English, known as a shire in modern English. |
| 3 | As a result, under a unitary (non-federal) form of government, the word “county” came to refer to a level of local administration directly below a national government. |
| 4 | In various federal government systems, the term “county” is now used differently to refer to a local administrative division subordinate to a principal subnational organization, such as a province or a level 3 territorial unit. |
| 5 | The United States and Canadian counties founded 600 years later on British traditions are typically administrative divisions created by convenient geographic demarcations. |
| 6 | Counties like this are managed by elected officials who serve in statewide or provincial structures, such as those responsible for setting up uniform judicial systems throughout the region. |
| 7 | Districts, hundreds, townships, or other administrative divisions within a county are possible additional subdivisions. |
| 8 | Cities, towns, townships, villages, and other municipal corporations are often found inside counties. However, this is not always the case. |
| 9 | County governments are typically partially reliant upon these municipal corporations. |
| 10 | Depending on the country, municipality, and local topography, municipalities may or may not be under direct or indirect county jurisdiction. |
An analog of the word “county” is used outside of English-speaking countries to designate subnational entities with a similar structure to counties but may not be administratively equal.
Counties and Cities Combined
Having the duties and authority of both kinds of institutions, a consolidated city-county is a city, a municipality (municipal corporation), and a county, an administrative division of a state. Due to the non-dichotomous nature of the two administrative units, the city border or jurisdiction is equivalent to the county line.
A combined city-county is thus formally noted as the name of the city name of the County. The same is true of New York City’s boroughs, each overlapping a county in New York State. City and county names may be used for those organizations when the city and County share a name.
Kenya
Kenya’s second-level political division at the moment is counties. Members of the county assembly (MCAs) sit in an assembly in each County. The governor is in charge of this assembly. In the Kenyan Senate, one member represents each County.
In addition, a woman is chosen to represent the interests of women in the Kenyan Parliament from each County. Provinces were replaced with counties as the second-level division after the 2010 Kenyan Constitution was ratified.
China
The word xiàn in Chinese is translated as a county in English. Counties and county-level divisions are the third levels of regional/local administration in Mainland China; they are under PRC jurisdiction and are situated above township and village but below province and prefecture.
| Number | About China |
|---|---|
| 1 | Out of the 2,862 county-level divisions in the PRC, there are 1,464 so-called “counties,” and the total number of counties has stayed chiefly consistent since the Han period (206 BC-AD 220). |
| 2 | It continues to be one of China’s earliest terms for local administration and predates the creation of provinces during the Yuan dynasty by a substantial margin (1279–1368). |
| 3 | Because the county level is the lowest at which the imperial government is operationally active and below which gentries mainly govern the local population, the county government was highly significant in imperial China. |
| 4 | The magistrate, who was often a freshly ascending jinshi, served as the head of a county administration throughout imperial China. |
Iran
Iran’s oceans (provinces) are split into shares (counties). The County is made up of a city center, a few bakhshes, and other villages around. Each County typically has a few urban and rural agglomerations. Numerous settlements are gathered in rural agglomerations. The County’s capital is designated to be one of the County’s cities.
Denmark
From 1662 until 2006, Denmark was split into counties (Danish: after). Five Regions replaced the counties on January 1, 2007. The number of municipalities was reduced to 98 at the same time.
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In Denmark-Norway, the counties were established in 1662, replacing the 49 fiefs with the same number of counties.
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The divisions of the Duchy of Schleswig, which was only partially under Danish administration, are not included in this figure.
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By 1793, only around 20 counties were left in Denmark (excluding Norway).
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The Prussian Kreise were replaced by four counties in 1920 when South Jutland was united with Denmark.
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In 1932, Aabenraa and Snderborg County amalgamated, and in 1942, Skanderborg and Aarhus were divided.
The quantity remained at 22 from 1942 until 1970. The number was further reduced by the 1970 Danish municipal reform, leaving 14 counties plus Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, two cities unattached to the county organization.
France
In medieval France, a comté was a region under the control of a count. A department (département) is roughly equal to a county in contemporary France, as used in many English-speaking nations. There are 96 departments in metropolitan France, including five foreign departments (sometimes known as overseas).
334 arrondissements, which serve as the foundation for the local organization of the police, fire services, and, sometimes, election administration, are further split into departments but lack authority.
Summary
Districts, hundreds, townships, or other administrative subdivisions may be used to divide a county. Cities, towns, townships, villages, and other municipal units that fall under county administrations are often included in counties. Municipalities may fall under direct or indirect county authority depending on the nation, municipality, and local geography.
Comparatives by County
The United States Census Bureau refers to units similar to counties but uses other names such as “county equivalents.” To represent Alaska’s system of several classes of boroughs with differing levels of administrative authority, the state used the name “borough” rather than “county.”
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None of Alaska’s 19 established boroughs constitutes most of the state’s geographic area.
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The state of Alaska refers to this enormous region, which is more significant than France and Germany put together, as the Unorganized Borough.
Outside of other incorporated borough limits, it lacks an independent “county” government, though several incorporated city governments exist within its borders; most of it is governed and operated by the State of Alaska as an outpost of the state government.
The Unorganized Borough has been split into 11 census areas for statistical reasons solely by the United States Census Bureau in collaboration with the Alaskan state government.
During the Spanish and French colonial eras, when the Catholic Church predominated the region, the word “parish” referred to a territorial unit or local government in Louisiana.
The Etymologies and Names
Names of individuals, places, geographical features, locations in other states or countries, and animals are often used as the basis for county names. Many counties have names that have Native American, French, or Spanish roots. Over 2,100 of the 3,144 counties have been named after persons, most often political officials or early immigrants.
Washington County, named after George Washington, the nation’s first president, is the most famous county name, with 31 instances. Washington County existed inside the District of Columbia until 1871, but the District of Columbia Organic Act abolished it.
Jefferson County has 26. Harding is the most recent president to have a county named after him since New Mexico and Arizona became states in 1912. Franklin, Clay, and Montgomery are non-presidential county names.
Summary
The US Census Bureau uses county equivalents to represent comparable entities with different names. Alaska’s system of boroughs, each with different administrative responsibilities, is referred to as a “borough” rather than a “county.”
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
There are the following essential questions related to this topic.
1 - What Does County in the USA Mean?
A county is a particular area inside a state or nation. In addition to its 50 states, the United States contains 3,144 counties. In the US, a county is a distinct administrative region inside a state, meaning each County has its local government.
2 - Is the UK a County?
The political union of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland is referred to as the “United Kingdom.” The four countries that make up the UK are also in their own right and enjoy some degree of autonomy, even though it is a completely independent sovereign state.
3 - What Does County Imply in the Uk?
For political, administrative, legal, and cultural reasons, the County, or shire, has traditionally been the central geographic division of the United Kingdom. There are several historic counties in each of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
4 - What Kind of County Would That Be?
An administrative division of a state or nation is referred to as a county. On Long Island in New York, Suffolk County is an illustration of a county.
5 - How Many Counties Make Up the USA?
By 2020, the 50 states and DC will have 3,143 counties and county equivalents. There are 3,243 counties and county-equivalents in the US if the 100 comparable counties in the US territories are included.
6 - Is a County a Country?
In contemporary countries, a county is a specific geographic area utilized for administrative or other reasons.
7 - What Are the UK’s Four Counties?
The four countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland make up the United Kingdom (UK). Was this knowledge helpful to you? We regret to inform you of that.
8 - Which UK County Is the Largest?
North Yorkshire is England’s largest County. It’s 8,654 km2 (3,341 sq mi). North Yorkshire is England’s biggest County and fourth-most populous. Lincolnshire, Cumbria, and Devon are the other 2,500-square-mile counties.
9 - Is London a County?
In 1965, the County of London was disbanded and replaced by the five times larger Greater London, which included almost the whole County of Middlesex as well as portions of Surrey, Kent, Essex, and Hertfordshire. When the County was established in 1889, Middlesex and Surrey had already decreased.
10 - What Should I Enter for Uk County?
Every time you write down your postal address, including the name of your County. Nothing influences how people perceive where they reside more than their postal address. The historical County’s name is now permitted in any UK postal address.
Conclusion
Some modern nations use counties to do administrative tasks. The word “comté” denotes a count’s or viscount’s domain derived from Old French. The phrases comté, Content, Contado, contact, Condado, Grafschaft, Graafschap, and Chupa in Slavic languages—literal analogs in other languages deriving from “count”—are now hardly used in official contexts; commune/community terminology is often used in their place.
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