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Municipality

(Redirected fromMunicipal government)

Amunicipalityis usually a singleadministrative divisionhavingcorporatestatus and powers ofself-governmentorjurisdictionas granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.

ThePonce City Hall,in the city ofPonce, Puerto Rico,is the seat of the government for both the city and the surroundingbarriosmaking up the municipality.
Map of allcity municipalities in Slovenia

The termmunicipalitymay also mean the governing body of a given municipality.[1]A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to aspecial-purpose district.

TheEnglishword is derived fromFrenchmunicipalité,which in turn derives from theLatinmunicipalis,[2]based on the word forsocial contract(municipium), referring originally to the Latin communities that supplied Rome with troops in exchange for their own incorporation into the Roman state (grantingRoman citizenshipto the inhabitants) while permitting the communities to retain their own local governments (a limited autonomy).

A municipality can be any politicaljurisdiction,from a sovereign state such as thePrincipality of Monaco,to a small village such asWest Hampton Dunes, New York.

The territory over which a municipality has jurisdiction may encompass:

Political powers

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Powers of municipalities range from virtual autonomy to complete subordination to thestate.Municipalities may have the right to tax individuals and corporations withincome tax,property tax,andcorporate income tax,but may also receive substantial funding from the state. In someEuropeancountries, such as Germany, municipalities have the constitutional right tosupply public servicesthrough municipally-ownedpublic utility companies.[4]

Terms in various countries

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New York Cityas well as its composite fiveboroughsare all municipalities.
1. Manhattan
2. Brooklyn
3. Queens
4. The Bronx
5. Staten Island
Cityortownmunicipalities (red-colored) with other non-town municipalities inFinland(2020)

Municipality

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Terms cognate with "municipality", mostly referring to territory or political structure,[clarification needed]are Spanishmunicipio(Spain) andmunicipalidad(Chile), Catalanmunicipi,Portuguesemunicípio.

  • InBrazil,amunicípiois 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 theConstitution of 1988,allmunicípiosare members of the federation. Colloquially, the local population uses the termsmunicipalityandcityinterchangeably, although the constitution defines "city" as the seat of the municipality.[5]

Commune

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In many 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 "Gemeente" (Dutch) or "Gemeinde" (German) may be used for church congregations or parishes, for example, in the German and Dutch Protestant churches.

Other terms

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

In some countries, the Spanish termayuntamiento,referring to a municipality's administration building, is extended viasynecdocheto denote the municipality itself.[6]InMoldovaandRomania,bothmunicipalities(municipiu;urban administrative units) andcommunes(comună;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

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  • InAustralia,the termlocal 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]
  • InCanada,municipalities are local governments established through provincial and territorial legislation, usually within general municipal statutes.[8][9]Types ofmunicipalities within Canadaincludecities,district municipalities,municipal districts,municipalities,parishes,rural municipalities,towns,townships,villages,andvillesamong others.[9]The province ofOntariohas 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 Scotiaalso has regional municipalities, which include cities, counties, districts, or towns as municipal units.[11]
  • InIndia,a municipality (also known asmunicipal 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 thedistrictit 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 theConstitutional (74th Amendment) Act,1992.
  • In theUnited Kingdom,the term was used until theLocal Government Act 1972came into effect in 1974 inEnglandandWales,and until 1975 inScotlandand 1976 inNorthern 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 adistrict,and in Scotland as acouncil area.Adistrictmay be awardedboroughorcitystatus, or can retain itsdistricttitle.
  • InJersey,a municipality refers to the honorary officials elected to run each of the 12parishesinto which it is subdivided. This is the highest level of regional government in this jurisdiction.
  • InTrinidad 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,ArimaandPoint Fortinare the 5 current municipalities in Trinidad and Tobago.
  • In theUnited 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

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Municipalities by country

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Country Term Example Subdivision of Quantity Notes Further reading
Brazil município Blumenau,Cuiabá,Maceió,Porto Alegre a state (estado), which is part of a region (região) 5,570 A municipality usually is divided in the urban part, the city (cidade), and the rural part. List of municipalities of Brazil
Croatia Općina Fužine,_Croatia,Bosiljevo,Klana,Kršan Županija (county in english) 428 A municipality usually has center village of same name. Exception: Vinodolska općina - center village: Bribir. Municipalities_of_Croatia
Greece Deme/Δήμος Athens,Thessaloniki 332 A municipality usually is divided in Municipal Units and them into Communities. List of municipalities of Greece
Ireland bardas, contaeorcomhairle Baile Átha Cliath a province (cúige) 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 Átha Cliath) Local governments in the Republic of Ireland
Italy municipio Rignano Flaminio acomunewhich is part of a province (provincia) which is part of a region (regione). 9 for Milan, 15 for Rome Solely used for subdivisions of largercomuni,especially in Rome;municipioindicates the city hall; in some case, they are joined in mountain communities (comunità montane)[16] Municipi of Rome,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
Netherlands municipality(gemeente) aprovinceor specialmunicipalitywhich doesn't fall under any province but directly under the central government. 345 It is the lowest administrative unit of the country that governs a specific area, such as a town or city. Municipalities fall under the Dutch Municipalities Act. It is governed by a directly elected municipal council, a municipal executive and a mayor. Municipal council (Netherlands)
Philippines bayan,munisipyoormunisipalidad Janiuay aprovince(lalawiganorprobinsya,except forPateros) 1,488[17] A municipality is the official name for atownand is divided intobarangays.Municipalities with a larger population and income may become acitythrough acity charter.[18] Municipalities of the Philippines
Portugal município Lisbon,Sintra,Vila Nova de Gaia 18 districts and 2 autonomous regions (AzoresandMadeira) 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 surroundingbarrioscomprising 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,Malmö Municipality,Ale Municipality aregion(region), the 21 self-governing areas consisting of one or more municipalities)

acounty(län), subdivision of the national state into 21 areas administered byCounty administrative boards.

Regions and counties often follow the same geographical borders. 		290 According to theInstrument 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 (köping) 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.

Forresidentandland registrationpurposes, Sweden is also divided in 2 523districts(distrikt), based on the historicChurch of Swedenparishes 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 wordconcelhois used, when referring to theorgan of State,the wordmunicípiois used. This differentiation is in use in Portugal and some of its former overseas provinces, but it is no longer in use in Brazil, wheremunicípiorefers to the territorial boundaries andprefeiturais its administrative organ.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Municipality".Merriam-Webster.
  2. ^"municipality definition".Yourdictionary.com.
  3. ^"Santiago de Chile – Comunas".Mapas de Chile, Castor y Polux Ltda. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2019.Retrieved24 August2011.
  4. ^Andersen, Uwe."Gemeinden/Kommunale Selbstverwaltung | bpb".bpb.de(in German).Retrieved16 June2020.
  5. ^"Constituição da república federativa do brasil de 1988".www.planalto.gov.br.Retrieved18 September2022.
  6. ^ASALE, RAE-; RAE."ayuntamiento | Diccionario de la lengua española".«Diccionario de la lengua española» - Edición del Tricentenario(in Spanish).Retrieved23 January2023.
  7. ^"Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)".Australian Bureau of Statistics.28 September 2005.
  8. ^"Municipal Government".The Canadian Encyclopedia > Government > Government, General > Municipal Government.Historica Foundation of Canada. 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 13 February 2016.Retrieved17 July2011.
  9. ^ab"Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names – From January 2, 2010 to January 1, 2011"(PDF).Statistics Canada.April 2011.Retrieved17 July2011.
  10. ^ab"List of Ontario Municipalities".Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.4 July 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2013.Retrieved17 July2011.
  11. ^"Municipal Government Act"(PDF).Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly. 7 January 2010.Retrieved17 July2011.
  12. ^"Municipality".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 19 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 7.
  13. ^"Legal Dictionary: Municipal Law".FindLaw.
  14. ^"2009 Nevada Code".Justia.
  15. ^"Kansas Statues".Lesterama. Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2014.
  16. ^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.Archived fromthe originalon 24 March 2016.Retrieved18 March2016.
  17. ^"National Summary –number of Provinces, Cities, Municipalities and Barangays, by Region – As of 30 June 2021".Philippine Statistics Authority.30 June 2021.Retrieved26 January2022.
  18. ^"Republic Act 7160 – Local Government Act of 1991".Official Gazette (Philippines).11 October 1991.Retrieved2 October2020.
  19. ^Ayuda: Divulgación de Resultados de la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones – Municipio.Archived21 October 2011 at theWayback MachineComision Estatal de Elecciones. Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  20. ^Autonomous Municipalities Law.(in Spanish)Archived5 December 2010 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 24 October 2011.
  21. ^"The Constitution".www.riksdagen.se.Sveriges Riksdag. 2023.Retrieved25 August2023.
  22. ^"The Instrument of Government (1974:152)"(PDF).www.riksdagen.se.Sveriges Riksdag. 2018.Retrieved25 August2023.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.
  23. ^SFS 2015:493Archived30 September 2018 at theWayback Machine,Svensk författningssamling:Förordning om distrikt.
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