Local government area
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 term
municipality
may also mean the governing body of a given municipality.
[1]
A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a
special-purpose district
.
The
English
word is derived from
French
municipalite
, which in turn derives from the
Latin
municipalis
,
[2]
based on the word for
social contract
(
municipium
), referring originally 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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
Municipality
[
edit
]
Terms cognate with "municipality", mostly referring to territory or political structure,
[
clarification needed
]
are Spanish
municipio
(Spain) and
municipalidad
(Chile), Catalan
municipi
, Portuguese
municipio
.
- In
Brazil
, a
municipio
is the local government, recognized by the Brazilian Federal Constitution and established through state constitutions. It is the smallest territorial division holding executive and legislative powers. Since the
Constitution of 1988
, all
municipios
are members of the federation. Colloquially, the local population uses the terms
municipality
and
city
interchangeably, although the constitution defines "city" as the seat of the municipality.
[5]
Commune
[
edit
]
In many countries, terms cognate with "commune" are used, referring to the community living in the area and the common interest. These include terms:
- in Romance languages, such as French
commune
(
France
, French-speaking areas of Belgium and Switzerland, French-speaking countries of Africa, e.g.
Benin
), Italian
comune
(
Italy
), Romanian
comun?
(
Romania
), and Spanish
comuna
(
Chile
);
- in Germanic languages such as German
Kommune
(in political parlance), Swedish
kommun
(
Sweden
), Faroese
kommuna
(
Faroe Islands
), Norwegian, Danish
kommune
(
Norway
,
Denmark
);
- the more remote cognates
gemeente
in Dutch (
Netherlands
),
Gemeng
in Luxembourgish (
Luxembourg
) and
Gemeinde
in German (the official term;
Germany
);
- Finnish
kunta
(
Finland
).
- Ukrainian
hromada
.
- and Polish
gmina
.
The same terms "Gemeente" (Dutch) or "Gemeinde" (German) may be used for church congregations or parishes, for example, in the German and Dutch Protestant churches.
Other terms
[
edit
]
In Greece, the word
Δ?μο?
(
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.
[6]
In
Moldova
and
Romania
, both
municipalities
(
municipiu
; urban administrative units) and
communes
(
comun?
; rural units) exist, and a commune may be part of a municipality.
[
citation needed
]
In many countries, comparable entities may exist with various names.
English-speaking
[
edit
]
- 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."
[7]
- In
Canada
, municipalities are local governments established through provincial and territorial legislation, usually within general municipal statutes.
[8]
[9]
Types of
municipalities within Canada
include
cities
,
district municipalities
,
municipal districts
, municipalities,
parishes
,
rural municipalities
,
towns
,
townships
,
villages
, and
villes
among others.
[9]
The province of
Ontario
has different tiers of municipalities, including lower, upper, and single tiers.
[10]
Types of upper tier municipalities in Ontario include counties and regional municipalities.
[10]
Nova Scotia
also has regional municipalities, which include cities, counties, districts, or towns as municipal units.
[11]
- In
India
, a municipality (also known as
municipal council
) is an urban local body that administers a city of population 100,000 or more (the criteria varies from state to state). However, there are exceptions to that, as previously municipalities 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. 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. Municipalities 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
Local Government Act 1972
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".
[12]
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.
[13]
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
[14]
[15]
(see also:
Local government in the United States#Municipal governments
).
Chinese-speaking
[
edit
]
- In the
People's Republic of China
, a
direct-administered municipality
(直?市 in
pinyin
: zhixiashi) is a municipality with equal status to a
province
:
Beijing Municipality
,
Chongqing Municipality
,
Shanghai Municipality
, and
Tianjin Municipality
(see also:
Direct-administered municipalities of China
).
- In the
Republic of China (Taiwan)
, a
special municipality
(直轄市 in
pinyin
: zhixiashi) is a municipality with equal status to a province:
Kaohsiung
,
New Taipei
,
Taichung
,
Tainan
,
Taipei
, and
Taoyuan
(see also:
Special municipality (Taiwan)
).
Municipalities by country
[
edit
]
Country
|
Term
|
Example
|
Subdivision of
|
Quantity
|
Notes
|
Further reading
|
Brazil
|
municipio
|
Blumenau
,
Cuiaba
,
Maceio
,
Porto Alegre
|
a state (
estado
), which is part of a region (
regiao
)
|
5,570
|
A municipality usually is divided in the urban part, the city (
cidade
), and the rural part.
|
List of municipalities of Brazil
|
Ireland
|
bardas, contae
or
comhairle
|
Baile Atha Cliath
|
a province (
cuige
) or a county (
contae
)
|
31
|
A municipality usually has authority of the whole county. In some cases however, authority is reduced to a subdivision of the county for highly populated regions, especially in Dublin (Baile Atha Cliath)
|
Local governments in the Republic of Ireland
|
Italy
|
comune
|
Montefiascone
|
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 (
comunita montane
)
[16]
|
List of municipalities of Italy
|
India
|
municipality
(
nagar palika, or nagar parishad in Hindi)
|
|
|
|
It is an administrative unit that governs a specific urban area, such as a town or city. Municipalities are established under state legislation and operate under the framework of the relevant state municipal acts. Municipalities have their own elected bodies, which typically include a mayor or chairperson and councilors representing different wards or constituencies within the urban area.
|
Municipal governance in India
|
Philippines
|
bayan
,
munisipyo
or
munisipalidad
|
Janiuay
|
a
province
(
lalawigan
or
probinsya
, except for
Pateros
)
|
1,488
[17]
|
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
.
[18]
|
Municipalities of the Philippines
|
Portugal
|
municipio
|
Lisbon
,
Sintra
,
Vila Nova de Gaia
|
18 districts and 2 autonomous regions (
Azores
and
Madeira
)
|
308
|
Usually a municipality is named after its largest or historically most important town or city. Municipalities are typically much larger than the city or town after which they are named.
|
List of 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.
[19]
[20]
|
Municipalities of Puerto Rico
|
Sweden
|
kommun
|
Stockholm Municipality
Gothenburg Municipality
Malmo Municipality
Ale Municipality
|
a
region
(
region
), the 21 self-governing areas consisting of one or more municipalities)
a
county
(
lan
), subdivision of the national state into 21 areas administered by
County administrative boards
.
Regions and counties often follow the same geographical borders.
|
290
|
According to the
Instrument of Government
, Swedish democracy is realised through a parliamentary form of government and through local selfgovernment. Municipalities are independent of the regions and counties in which they are located.
[21]
[22]
Before 1971, municipalities were incorporated as either cities (
stad
), market towns (
koping
) or rural municipalities (
landskommun
). The city-label is still used for marketing purposes, but lacks legal status and cannot be used in formal governing documents.
For
resident
and
land registration
purposes, Sweden is also divided in 2 523
districts
(
distrikt
), based on the historic
Church of Sweden
parishes of 1999. The districts lack authority, governing body and agency.
[23]
|
Municipalities of Sweden
|
- 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
municipio
is used. This differentiation is in use in Portugal and some of its former overseas provinces, but it is no longer in use in Brazil, where
municipio
refers to the territorial boundaries and
prefeitura
is its administrative organ.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Municipality"
.
Merriam-Webster
.
- ^
"municipality definition"
. Yourdictionary.com.
- ^
"Santiago de Chile ? Comunas"
. Mapas de Chile, Castor y Polux Ltda. Archived from
the original
on 20 September 2019
. Retrieved
24 August
2011
.
- ^
Andersen, Uwe.
"Gemeinden/Kommunale Selbstverwaltung | bpb"
.
bpb.de
(in German)
. Retrieved
16 June
2020
.
- ^
"Constituicao da republica federativa do brasil de 1988"
.
www.planalto.gov.br
. Retrieved
18 September
2022
.
- ^
ASALE, RAE-; RAE.
"ayuntamiento | Diccionario de la lengua espanola"
.
≪Diccionario de la lengua espanola≫ - Edicion del Tricentenario
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
23 January
2023
.
- ^
"Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)"
.
Australian Bureau of Statistics
. 28 September 2005.
- ^
"Municipal Government"
.
The Canadian Encyclopedia > Government > Government, General > Municipal Government
. Historica Foundation of Canada. 2009.
Archived
from the original on 13 February 2016
. Retrieved
17 July
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"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
.
- ^
a
b
"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
.
- ^
"Municipal Government Act"
(PDF)
. Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly. 7 January 2010
. Retrieved
17 July
2011
.
- ^
"Municipality"
.
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 7.
- ^
"Legal Dictionary: Municipal Law"
.
FindLaw
.
- ^
"2009 Nevada Code"
. Justia.
- ^
"Kansas Statues"
. Lesterama. Archived from
the original
on 24 October 2014.
- ^
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 Comunita montana"
.
Diritto&Giustizia Edizione Online
. Archived from
the original
on 24 March 2016
. Retrieved
18 March
2016
.
- ^
"National Summary ?number of Provinces, Cities, Municipalities and Barangays, by Region ? As of 30 June 2021"
.
Philippine Statistics Authority
. 30 June 2021
. Retrieved
26 January
2022
.
- ^
"Republic Act 7160 ? Local Government Act of 1991"
.
Official Gazette (Philippines)
. 11 October 1991
. Retrieved
2 October
2020
.
- ^
Ayuda: Divulgacion de Resultados de la Comision 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.
- ^
Autonomous Municipalities Law.
(in Spanish)
Archived
5 December 2010 at the
Wayback Machine
Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^
"The Constitution"
.
www.riksdagen.se
. Sveriges Riksdag. 2023
. Retrieved
25 August
2023
.
- ^
"The Instrument of Government (1974:152)"
(PDF)
.
www.riksdagen.se
. Sveriges Riksdag. 2018
. Retrieved
25 August
2023
.
All public power in Sweden proceeds from the people. Swedish democracy is founded on the free formation of opinion and on universal and equal suffrage. It is realised through a representative and parliamentary form of government and through local selfgovernment. Public power is exercised under the law.
- ^
SFS 2015:493
Archived
30 September 2018 at the
Wayback Machine
, Svensk forfattningssamling:
Forordning om distrikt
.
External links
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]
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Non-English terms or loanwords
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