__NOTOC__ Białystok County ( pl, powiat białostocki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (

powiat A ''powiat'' (pronounced ; Polish plural: ''powiaty'') is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture ( LAU-1, formerly NUTS-4) in other countries. The term "''powia ...

) in

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship or Podlasie Province ( pl, Województwo podlaskie, ) is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. The name of the province and its territory correspond to the historic region of Podlachia. The capital and largest cit ...

, north-eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, on the border with

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

. It was created on 1 January 1999 as a result of the

Polish local government reforms The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into ''voivodeships'' (provinces); these are further divided into ''powiats'' (counties or districts), and these i ...

passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the city of

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

, although the city is not part of the county (it constitutes a separate city county). The county contains nine towns:

Łapy Łapy is a town in north-eastern Poland, in Białystok County (''powiat''), Podlaskie Voivodeship; the administrative centre of the urban-rural gmina Łapy. It is situated in the North Podlasie Lowland, on the river Narew. According to ...

, south-west of Białystok,

Czarna Białostocka Czarna Białostocka is a town in north-eastern Poland. It is the seat of Gmina Czarna Białostocka, situated in Białystok County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, having previously been in Białystok Voivodeship (1975-1998) Białystok Voivodeship ...

, north of Białystok,

Wasilków Wasilków ( be, Васількаў) is a city in north-eastern Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . ...

, north of Białystok,

Choroszcz Choroszcz () is a town in north-eastern Poland, located in Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Choroszcz. The Baroque palace in Choroszcz was the summer residence of the noble Branicki family, and is now part of the Museum o ...

, west of Białystok,

Supraśl Supraśl (; be, Су́прасль; ) is a town and former episcopal see in north-eastern Poland. Supraśl is in Podlaskie Voivodeship (province) since 1999, previously in Białystok Voivodeship (1975-1998) (1975–1998), and is in Białystok C ...

, north-east of Białystok,

Michałowo Michałowo ( be, Міхалова) is a town in Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Michałowo. It lies appr ...

, east of Białystok, Zabłudów, south-east of Białystok,

Tykocin Tykocin is a small town in north-eastern Poland, with 2,010 inhabitants (2012), located on the Narew river, in Białystok County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is one of the oldest towns in the region, with its historic center designated a His ...

, west of Białystok, and

Suraż Suraż ( be, Сураж) is a town in north-eastern Poland situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Suraż in the Białystok County. Suraż, which has a long and rich history, and was a royal town in the Kingdom of Poland, currentl ...

, south-west of Białystok. The county covers an area of , making it the largest county in Poland (ahead of

Olsztyn County __NOTOC__ Olsztyn County ( pl, powiat olsztyński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local gove ...

). As of 2019 its total population is 148,745, out of which the population of Łapy is 15,609, that of Czarna Białostocka is 9,318, that of Wasilków is 11,527, that of Choroszcz is 5,890, that of Supraśl is 4,605, that of Michałowo is 3,026, that of Zabłudów is 2,462, that of Tykocin is 1,973, that of Suraż is 988, and the rural population is 93,347.

Neighbouring counties

Apart from the city of

, Białystok County is bordered by Hajnówka County and Bielsk County to the south,

Wysokie Mazowieckie County __NOTOC__ Wysokie Mazowieckie County ( pl, powiat wysokomazowiecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Pol ...

Zambrów County __NOTOC__ Zambrów County ( pl, powiat zambrowski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local governme ...

and

Łomża County __NOTOC__ Łomża County ( pl, powiat łomżyński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local governm ...

to the west,

Mońki County __NOTOC__ Mońki County ( pl, powiat moniecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, northeastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government re ...

to the north-west, and

Sokółka County __NOTOC__ Sokółka County ( pl, powiat sokólski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus. It was created on 1 January 1999 as a result of th ...

to the north-east. It also borders

to the east.

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into 15

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...

s (nine urban-rural and six rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

Notable residents

* Konstanty Kalinowski (known in Belarus as Kastuś Kalinoŭski)(1838,

Mostowlany Mostowlany ( be, Мастаўляны, lt, Mastaulėnai) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gródek, within Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It lies approximat ...

– 1864), writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary * Aliaksei Karpiuk (1920, Straszewo – 1992), Belarusian writer and public figureБыкаў угаворваў яго стаць вар’ятам. 10 фактаў пра пісьменьніка Аляксея Карпюка
( Bykaǔ was persuading him to become insane. 10 facts about the writer Aliaksei Karpiuk (in Belarusian)

References

Land counties of Podlaskie Voivodeship {{Białystok-geo-stub