A district is a type of
administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the
local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning
regions or
counties, several
municipalities, subdivisions of municipalities,
school district, or
political district.
By country/region
Afghanistan
In
Afghanistan, a district (
Persian ps, ولسوالۍ ) is a subdivision of a province. There are almost 400 districts in the country.
Australia
Electoral districts are used in state elections. Districts were also used in several states as
cadastral units for land titles. Some were used as
squatting
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
districts.
New South Wales had several different types of districts used in the 21st century.
Austria
In
Austria, the word is used with different meanings in three different contexts:
* Some of the tasks of the administrative branch of the national and regional governments are fulfilled by the 95
district administrative offices (). The area a district administrative office is responsible for is often, although informally, called a district (). A number of
statutory cities, currently 15, are not served by any district administrative office. Their respective municipal bureaucracies handle the tasks normally performed by the district administrative office.
* The cities of
Vienna and
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
are divided into municipal districts (), assisting the respective municipal governments. In Vienna, the constituents of each district elect a district council (); the district council in turn elects a district chairperson (). Although the city vests its districts with a limited amount of budgetary autonomy, district councils and chairpersons have little real responsibility. In particular, they do not legislate. Most of the
districts of Vienna
The districts of Vienna (German: ''Wiener Gemeindebezirke'') are the 23 named city sections of Vienna, Austria, which are numbered for easy reference. They were created from 1850 onwards, when the city area was enlarged by the inclusion of surround ...
were independent municipalities at some point; district councils and chairpersons symbolize the town councils and mayors they used to have.
* From the point of view of the
judiciary of Austria, the country is subdivided into 115 judicial districts (), each corresponding to one of the country's 115 lowest-level trial courts.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is administratively divided into the following subdivisions:
*59 districts (; sing.– ),
*11 cities (; sing.– ),
*1 autonomous republic (), which itself contains:
**7 districts
**1 city
The rayons are further divided into municipalities ().
Additionally, Azerbaijan is subdivided into 9 (economic) regions (; sing.– ). This is not an administrative division. Each region contains a number of districts. The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic forms a separate, 10th economic region.
1. Absheron
2. Ganja-Qazakh
3. Shaki-Zaqatala
4. Lankaran
5. Quba-Khachmaz
6. Aran
7. Upper Karabakh
8. Kalbajar-Lachin
9. Daglig-Shirvan
10. Nakhchivan
Bangladesh
Bangladeshi districts are local administrative units. In all, there are 64 districts in Bangladesh. Originally, there were 21 greater districts with several subdivisions in each district. In 1984, the government made all these subdivisions into districts. Each district has several sub-districts called
Upazila in Bengali with a total 493 Upzillas.
Belgium
In
Belgian municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, on the initiative of the local council, sub-municipal administrative entities with elected councils may be created. As such, only
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , having over 460,000 inhabitants, became subdivided into
nine districts ( nl, districten).
The Belgian
arrondissements (also in French as well as in
Dutch), an administrative level between province (or the capital region) and municipality, or the lowest judicial level, are in English, sometimes called districts as well.
Bhutan
Bhutanese districts () are local administrative units consisting of village blocks called . Some have subdistricts called .
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a district is a self-governing administrative unit.
Brčko District
Brčko District in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina is formally part of both the
Republika Srpska and the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Republika Srpska. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists ...
. The Assembly of the
Brčko District has 29 seats.
Brazil
Brazilian
municipalities are subdivided into districts. Small municipalities usually have only one urban district, which contains the city itself, consisting of the seat of the local government, where the municipality's and (City Hall and City Council, respectively, the Executive and
Legislative local bodies) are located. The rural districts and groups of urban districts (mainly in large cities) may also present a sub local Executive body, named .
Brunei
A district is known locally as and it is the first-level administrative division of Brunei. There are four districts in the country, namely
Brunei-Muara
Brunei-Muara District ( ms, Daerah Brunei dan Muara; Jawi: برونائی-موارا ضلع) or simply Brunei-Muara is one of the four districts of Brunei. It has the smallest area among the four districts, with , yet is the most populous, wi ...
,
Tutong,
Belait and
Temburong. Each district is administered by a (District Office), which is headed by a (District Officer). All district offices are government departments under the Ministry of Home Affairs ().
Canada
Alberta
In
Alberta, the
municipal districts
A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It can refer to a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area.
Brazil
In Brazil, municipal districts are, in genera ...
and
improvement districts are types of
rural municipalities. They are recognized as
census subdivisions
The census geographic units of Canada are the Census division, census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct Census in Canada, the country's quinquennial census. These areas exi ...
by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, which form parts of
census divisions.
British Columbia
In the province of British Columbia, there are several kinds of administrative districts by that name. The usual usage is a reference to ''
district municipalities'', which are a class of municipality in the same hierarchy as city, town, or village. Most are styled, e.g., "
District of Mission" or
"District of Wells", though some are styled, e.g.,
"Corporation of Delta" or "
Township of Langley".
Within the area of municipal powers, ''
regional districts
The Canadian province of British Columbia is divided into regional districts as a means to better enable municipalities and rural areas to work together at a regional level.
History
Regional districts came into being via an order of governmen ...
'' – which are somewhat analogous to counties in other jurisdictions, a number of municipalities, and unincorporated areas – are always referred to as "regional districts" to distinguish them from district municipalities and other kinds of district.
Other kinds of districts in British Columbia are:
* Electoral districts (some early ridings, as electoral districts are commonly known, included "district" in their title, e.g.
New Westminster District
New Westminster District was a Canadian federal electoral district created when the province of British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871. Like other ridings established in that year, a byelection was called to fill the seat until the genera ...
)
* Forest districts, which are a set of administrative regions of the
British Columbia Ministry of Forests
The Executive Council of British Columbia (the Cabinet) is the Cabinet (government), Cabinet of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. Almost always composed of members of the Legislative Assembly of Brit ...
* Land districts, which are the underlying cadastral survey system for the province and are the primary locational reference used in government databases and references. The primary use of "district" in combinations such as the Lillooet District or New Westminster District was a reference to the land district, though sometimes to mining divisions.
*
School districts, also often referred to simply as "districts", when in context.
* Other types of regional subdivision, according to the ministry or agency, are generally styled "region" or "area". These include as Ministry of Environment regions,
health regions, and regional management planning areas such as the
Muskwa-Kechika Management Planning Area.
Mi'kma'ki
Situated across the
Atlantic provinces and
the Maritimes, the traditional country of the
Mi'kmaw Nation organizes itself into historically 7 or 8 districts. These districts are
Epekwitk
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
&
Piktuk, Eske'kewa'ki, Kespe'kewa'ki, Kespukwitk, Sikniktewa'ki, their central fire or capital district
Unama'ki
Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
The island accounts for 18. ...
, and
Ktaqamkuk. Although Canada and the provinces hardly recognize the legitimacy of
Mi'kma'ki, the nation remains and still retains functions as a
Wabanaki country.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick has numerous
local service districts, 7
school districts, 10
federal electoral districts and 55
provincial electoral districts.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
In western and northern Canada, the federal government created
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
as subdivisions of the
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
1870–1905, partly on the model of the districts created in the
Province of Canada. The first district created was the
District of Keewatin
The District of Keewatin was a territory of Canada and later an administrative district of the Northwest Territories. It was created in 1876 by the ''Keewatin Act'', and originally it covered a large area west of Hudson Bay. In 1905, it became a ...
in 1876 followed by four more districts in 1882. Gradually, these districts became separate territories (such as
Yukon), separate provinces (such as
Alberta and
Saskatchewan) or were absorbed into other provinces.
Ontario
In
Ontario, a district is a statutory subdivision of the province, but, unlike a county, a district is not incorporated. Most districts are composed of unincorporated lands, mostly
Crown land
Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...
. Originally present-day
Southern Ontario (then part of the
Province of Quebec and after 1791,
Upper Canada) was divided into districts in 178
Districts continued to operation until 1849 when they were replaced by counties by the
Province of Canada.
The current Ontario districts such as
Algoma District, Ontario, Algoma and
Nipissing were first created by the Province of Canada in 1858 prior to
Confederation for the delivery of judicial and provincial government services to sparsely populated areas from the
district seat
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
(e.g.
Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region of Canada and the United States located on St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. Founded as a single settlement in 1668, Sault Ste. Marie was divided in 1817 by the establishment of ...
). Some districts may have
District Social Service Administration Boards
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
, which are designed to provide certain social services. The boundaries of a federal
census division
Census divisions, in Canada and the United States of America, United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-lev ...
may correspond to those of a district.
Quebec
In Quebec, districts are municipal electoral subdivisions of
boroughs, which are subdivisions of cities. They function in a similar manner to what is elsewhere known as a
ward.
Chile
Mainland China
In
mainland China, the
district () is a subdivision of any of various city administrative units, including
municipalities,
sub-provincial cities, and
prefecture-level cities. Districts have
county level status.
Modern districts are a recent innovation. In the context of
pre-modern China, the English translation "district" is typically associated with (), another Chinese administrative division. The is translated as "
county" in the context of modern China.
Colombia
In Colombia, a district is one of ten special administrative units:
Czech Republic
A "district" in the
Czech Republic is an (plural ). After a reform in 2002, the districts lost administrative power to regions () and selected towns () and became statistical zones.
France
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
districts were the first subdivision of the from the 4 March 1790 to the (17 February 1800). Then, in the 20th century, districts were a type of intercommunity, they've been replaced by and after 1999.
Germany
* In
Germany, a district () is an administrative unit between the (
German federal states) and the local / municipal levels (
Gemeinden
Gemeinde (; plural: Gemeinden) is a German word translating to "community", "town", "parish", or "municipality".
Gemeinde may refer to:
* An administrative division encompassing a single village, town, or city:
** Gemeinde (Austria)
** Gemeinde (G ...
). As of 2011, most of the 402 German districts are , rural districts. 107 larger cities (usually with more than 100,000 inhabitants) that do not belong to a district are considered as urban districts ( or ).
** A local subdistrict is called a , and is mostly a smaller rural area (with similar concepts in Austria and Switzerland). A is usually associated with and named after a central town or village. Areas in such subdistricts and their usage are documented in central registries (German: ) and have been historically used for taxation.
* In some states, there is additional level of administration between the and the called (''government district'').
* District () was also an administrative subdivision of the
German Democratic Republic from 1952. ''See
Administrative division of the German Democratic Republic''
* City district ( or ) is the primary subdivision category of many .
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is divided into eighteen districts, each with a
district council District council may refer to:
*A branch of local government in the United Kingdom:
**Supervising one of the Districts of England:
***A Metropolitan borough
***A Non-metropolitan district
***A Unitary authority
**Supervising one of the Principal ...
.
Hungary
175 districts were established on January 1, 2013. The existing
19 counties are subdivided into 6–18 districts per county. The capital city of
Budapest does not belong to any counties and is already divided to 23 districts.
India
India's districts are local administrative units inherited from the
British Raj. They generally form the tier of local government immediately below that of
India's
subnational states and territories. Where warranted, districts may further be grouped into administrative divisions, which form an intermediate level between the district and the
subnational state
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
(or
union territory).
A district is headed by a
Deputy Commissioner/ Collector, who is responsible for the overall administration and the maintenance of law and order. The district collector may belong to IAS (
Indian Administrative Service). Other key responsibilities include the collection of
revenue, and criminal prosecution in the
district and sessional courts. Usually, the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector is granted magisterial powers under section 20 of Criminal Procedure Code, and designated as the
District Magistrate. The official designations are "Collector and District Magistrate" or "Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate".
Districts are most frequently further sub-divided into smaller administrative units, called either or or , depending on the region. These units have specific local responsibilities, including in particular coordinating revenue collection.
An intermediate level (the sub-division) between district and tehsil/taluka may be formed by grouping these units under the oversight of
Assistant Commissioners or sub-collectors. Each district includes one or two cities (or large towns), a few smaller towns and dozens of villages. Most of the Indian districts have the same name as their main town or city.
As of April 2016, the
National Informatics Centre of the
Government of India, lists a total of 664 districts in India, more than the number of parliamentary constituencies (545).
This number went up to a total of 723 districts in 2019.
District revenue administration in A.P.
# District headed by collector
# A district is composed of four or five revenue divisions administered by R.D.O./sub collector,
# Revenue Divisions divided into taluks/mandals headed by tahsildars,
# Mandals composed of a ten or more villages administered by village revenue officers and village servants.
In Uttar Pradesh Districts and tahsils are defined in U.P. Land Revenue Act, 1901.
Panchayati Raj
Tiers of administration
# Grama panchayath: sarpanch
# Village clusters: M.P.T.C.
# Mandal/Taluk: M.P.P./Z.P.T.C.
# District: Z.P. Chairperson.
Indonesia
In
Papua and
West Papua, two of the 34 provinces of Indonesia, a is a subdivision of a regency or a city. Formerly it was called a . In translations of most official documents, itself is translated into English as "district", but some other documents (especially from older era) translated it to "subdistrict", which is equivalent to a in recent translations. This translation ambiguity has caused confusions among foreigners. or do not have legal autonomy to govern themselves, because they are only administrative extensions of a regency or a city.
Iran
Iran is subdivided into thirty one
provinces (
Persian: ), each governed from a local center, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital (
Persian: ) of that province. The provinces of Iran further subdivided into
counties called ( fa, شهرستان ), an area inside an , and consists of a city center, few ( fa, بخش) and many villages around them. There are usually a few cities ( fa, شهر ) and rural agglomerations ( fa, دهستان ) in each county. Rural agglomerations are a collection of a number of villages. One of the cities of the county is appointed as the capital of the county. The word comes from the Persian words and , which mean ''city'' (or ''town'') and ''province'', respectively. The nearest equivalent of in English would be sub-province or county. Each has a governmental office known as which coordinates different events and governmental offices. The , or the head of , is the governor of the which is the highest governmental authority in the division.
Iraq
In Iraq, they use the word for districts. There are over a hundred districts, each district being within one of 18
Iraqi governorates
Iraq consists of 19 governorates ( ar, محافظة, Muhafazah, muḥāfażah; ckb, پارێزگا , parêzgeh), also known as "provinces". Per the Iraqi constitution, governorates can form an autonomous region. Four governorates, Erbil, Sula ...
, sometimes known as provinces. The district generally (but not always) bears the name of a city within that district, usually the capital of that district.
Japan
A is a local administrative unit comprising
towns and
villages but not
cities. See
districts of Japan for a more complete description. In 1923, its administrative role was abolished although it is still in use for addressing purposes. "District" is also a translation of , defined by Japan's planning law.
Kenya
In
Kenya, a district () is a subdivision of a
Province and is headed by a
District Officer (DO).
South Korea
A district () is a subdivision of larger cities in South Korea. Smaller cities have no districts, whereas districts in
Seoul and six
Metropolitan Cities are treated as a city in their own right.
Macau
Malawi
Malawi is divided into 28 districts within three regions. Each district is headed by a District Commissioner.
Mauritius
The districts of the
Republic of Mauritius are the second-order
administrative divisions after the
Outer islands of the country. Mauritius is divided into nine districts which consist of
2 cities, 4 towns and 130 villages, the capital is
Port Louis.
The island of
Rodrigues
Rodrigues (french: Île Rodrigues, link=yes ; Creole: ) is a autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. Rodr ...
used to be the tenth district of Mauritius but it gained autonomous status in 2002.
Malaysia
A district is known as in
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
. A district governed directly by the federal government is known as a
Federal Territory
A federal territory is an administrative division under the direct and usually exclusive jurisdiction of a federation's national government. A federal territory is a part of a federation, but not a part of any federated state. The states constit ...
, and they are
Kuala Lumpur,
Putrajaya
Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya), is a planned capital city which functions as the administrative capital and the judicial capital of Malaysia. The seat of the federal government ...
, and
Labuan.
In
Peninsular Malaysia, a district is a division of a
state. A is a subdivision of a district. The , is however, of less importance with respect to the administration of local government.
In
East Malaysia, a district is a subdivision within a
division of a state. For example,
Tuaran is a district within the
West Coast Division of
Sabah. A district is usually named after the main town or its administrative capital, for example,
Sandakan town is the capital of the district of Sandakan, as well the capital of
Sandakan Division. (Note: Sandakan district is a sub-division of Sandakan Division.)
In Malaysia, each district will have a District Office, headed by a district officer, and is administered by a local government either being a District Council, Municipal Council, or a City Council. In some highly urbanized districts, there may be further subdivisions. For example, the district of
Petaling in
Selangor is administered by 3 local governments:
Shah Alam City Council,
Petaling Jaya City Council, and
Subang Jaya Municipal Council
Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ; Malay: ''Majlis Bandaraya Subang Jaya'') is the city council which is in charge of the Subang Jaya city and the southern parts of Petaling district. This agency is under Selangor state government of Malaysia. MBS ...
. Another example is the district of
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...
in
Johor, which has 3 subdivisions:
Johor Bahru City Council,
Iskandar Puteri City Council, and
Pasir Gudang Municipal Council
The Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG; ms, Majlis Bandaraya Pasir Gudang, Jawi: مجليس بندارايا ڤاسير ڬودڠ) is the city council which administrates Pasir Gudang in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia. This agency is under J ...
. Conversely, there may be one local government administering more than one district, for example,
Seberang Perai Municipal Council administers the districts of
Central Seberang Perai,
North Seberang Perai, and
South Seberang Perai
The South Seberang Perai District ( ms, Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan; abbreviated "SPS") is a district in Penang, Malaysia. It covers an area of 242 square kilometres, and had a population of 162,905 at the 2010 Census. The district is bordered b ...
; as well as
Kuala Terengganu City Council, which administers the districts of
Kuala Terengganu and
Kuala Nerus
Kuala Nerus is a district in Terengganu, Malaysia. It is the youngest district in the state, having been declared a separate district in 2014. Formerly it was part of Kuala Terengganu district (North Kuala Terengganu) but still governed by Kua ...
.
An administrative district border and an
electoral district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
border (
constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
) transcend each other and do not correspond with each other in most instances.
Malta
Malta holds 13 Electoral Divisions for the unicameral (single-assembly) parliament. Each consists of a number of
localities (although there is no requirement that electoral boundaries follow the boundaries of localities).
Nauru
The
districts of Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...
are the only subdivisions of the whole state.
Nepal
Nepal is divided into 77 districts. Each district acts as an independent administrative unit. A district consists of two types of units like
Rural Municipalities and Municipalities. Official documents like citizenship cards and passports are issued by the Chief of District Office (CDO). Constituencies for elections are also constructed according to the population distribution within the district.
New Zealand
A district in New Zealand is a territorial authority (second-tier local government unit) that has not gained the distinction of being proclaimed a city. Districts tend to be less urbanized, tend to cover more than one population center and a larger amount of rural area, and tend to have a smaller population than cities. While cities and districts are generally considered to be two different types of territorial authority, the area covered by a city is often known as its district—for example the term ''district plan'' is used equally in districts and cities. The
Chatham Islands Territory is neither a district nor a city.
A district is not always a simple division of a
region: several districts lie within two regions, and the
Taupo District lies in four.
Northern Cyprus
Norway
Pakistan
Districts of
Pakistan are local administrative units inherited from the
British Raj. They form third-level Administrative Division in Pakistan after Provinces and Divisions. Districts were generally grouped into administrative divisions, which in turn formed
provinces. Pakistan has 160 districts (including ten in
Azad Jammu and Kashmir). They are known as in
Urdu. They comprise villages, towns, and cities. A district is headed by a district (mayor), who is an elected official (in local body elections) and the local controller of the district level officers of all the departments under provincial government, while
Deputy Commissioner is the executive head of the District usually Grade-18 officer from
Pakistan Administrative Service. Deputy Commissioner is entrusted with overall responsibility of law & order, implementation of government schemes and is also authorized to hear revenue cases pertaining to the district. The district mayor () heads an elected district council composed of councilors, who represent various district-level constituencies. The councils have a constitutional requirement to be composed of a minimum of 33% women or more than that.
Peru
Philippines
The usage of the term 'district' () in the Philippines has similarities to that in the United States.
Legislative
=National
=
A constituency with a representative in the lower house of
Congress is a
congressional district. However, the term
congressional district has become synonymous in local parlance with 'representative district,' because, just like in the US, the word 'congress' () has come to refer specifically to the lower house (the
House of Representatives).
A legislative district, which has an average population of about 250,000 to 500,000, may be composed of:
(a.) an entire province,
(b.) within a province, a group of municipalities and cities (sometimes even including independent and highly urbanized cities geographically located in the province),
(c.) a single city,
(d.) a group of geographically adjacent independent cities and independent municipalities (currently the only example is the
Pateros-Taguig, or
(e.) a group of
barangays within a city.
Each province is guaranteed at least one representative to the lower house, even though it may not come close to having the same population as other legislative districts. Only voters within each district are allowed to vote in the election for the member of the House of Representatives from that district.
From 1916 to 1935, the Philippines were divided into 12 senatorial districts, of which 11 elected two members each, for a total of 22 out of the 24 members of the upper house of Congress (the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
). Since 1935 senators have been elected at large.
=Regional
=
In addition, each congressional district that falls under the jurisdiction of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (a total of 8) elects three members each to the country's only subnational
legislative assembly.
=Provincial
=
There are provincial districts for the purpose of electing (Provincial Council) members, which follow the congressional district arrangement, except that independent and highly urbanized cities whose charters prevent them from electing provincial officials are excluded. Also, provinces that comprise a lone congressional district are divided into at least two provincial districts.
=City
=
There are also city councilor districts for the purpose of electing (City Council) members, which follow the congressional district arrangement. In cases where the city does not form two or more congressional districts by itself, it is divided into at least two city council districts.
Administrative
=Current
=
Districts exist as administrative entities only in local government, with limited powers or responsibilities. Certain cities, such as
Manila,
Iloilo and
Davao, for administrative purposes, formally divide their jurisdictions into city districts composed of several
barangays, but the extent of these district-level administrative powers vary. Several barangays (the lowest level of government) also have the word 'district' in their names – examples are those in
Jala-jala
Jalajala (; also spelled as Jala-jala), officially the Municipality of Jalajala ( tgl, Bayan ng Jalajala), is a 4th class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the ...
and
Zamboanga City. However, this is solely for the purpose of nomenclature, and does not imply a higher level of local government.
=Historical
=
During Spanish and early American colonial rule, certain areas of the Philippines were designated as 'districts,' mainly those that had not been formally organized into provinces or incorporated into existing ones.
In the American era, cities and municipalities were divided into city and municipal districts, which served as the lowest level of government before the creation of the .
Special-purpose districts
Special-purpose districts also exist in the Philippines, created for government departments and agencies. Examples are school districts for the
Department of Education (DepEd), engineering districts for the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), an
coast guard districtsfor the
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Informal districts
Some cities and municipalities also extend the usage of the word 'district' to refer to certain areas, even without having any formal administrative purposes. Examples are the central business districts in
Naga, Camarines Sur, and
Makati.
Poland
The second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (
LAU-1) in other countries is called a . As of 2008, there are 379 powiat-level entities in Poland: 314 land counties and 65 city counties. For a complete alphabetical listing, see
list of counties in Poland.
Portugal
Districts () are administrative divisions of
Portugal. They were mainly used as the jurisdiction areas for the civil governors, the government officials that represented locally the
Central Government. However, in 2011, the role of the civil governor was ''de facto'' extinct (although not ''de jure''), with the decision taken by the Government not to appoint new civil governors and to transfer its functions to other bodies. The district areas are now only used as the regional jurisdiction areas of some public bodies (like the
Public Security Police district commands) and some private entities (like the district associations and championships of football).
Russia
In
Russia, districts are administrative and municipal divisions of the
federal subjects, as well as administrative divisions of larger cities ("city districts") which are commonly referenced as (russian: links=no, Районы) and (russian: links=no, Округа) respectively.
The term "district" is also used to refer to the type of administrative division of the
Sakha Republic
Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),, is the largest republic of Russia, located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of roughly 1 million. Sakha comprises half of the area of its governing Far Eas ...
— (russian: links=no, улус; sah, улуус). The Sakha Republic is administratively divided into five cities under the Republic's jurisdiction and 33 ''uluses''. The law of the Sakha Republic establishes that the terms and "district" are equivalent.
[Law Z#77-I of 6 July 1995 "On Administrative and Territorial Structure of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic", with amendments]
In historical context (for the
Russian Empire), the term "district" is often used to refer to .
Serbia
Serbia is divided into twenty-nine
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
() and the city of
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, each of which is further divided into municipalities ()
Slovakia
In Slovakia, a district () is a local administrative unit.
Slovenia
South Africa
In South Africa, the
district municipality forms the layer of government below the
provinces. A district municipality is in turn divided into several
local municipalities.
This structure varies in the eight largest urban areas:
#
Bloemfontein (seat of the
Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality),
#
Cape Town (
City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality),
#
Durban (seat of the
eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality),
#
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
/
King Williams Town (seat of the
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
Buffalo City is a metropolitan municipality situated on the east coast of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. It includes the towns of East London, Bhisho and Qonce, as well as the large townships of Mdantsane and Zwelitsha.
History
The muni ...
),
#
East Rand (seat of the
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality),
#
Johannesburg (
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality),
#
Port Elizabeth
Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...
incl.
Uitenhage (seat of the
Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality) and
#
Pretoria (seat of the
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
),
where a
metropolitan municipality replaces both a district and a local municipality.
Sri Lanka
For purposes of local government, the country of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
is divided into nine
provinces:
Western,
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
,
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
,
Northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
,
Eastern,
North Western,
North Central,
Uva
UVA most often refers to:
* Ultraviolet A, a type of ultraviolet radiation
* University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Uva or UVA may also refer to:
Places
* Uva, Missouri, an unincorpora ...
, and
Sabaragamuwa. (The Northern and Eastern Provinces have however, technically been jointly administered since 1988.)
Each of the districts is divided into divisions. These were originally based on the feudal counties, the and . They were formerly known as 'D.R.O. Divisions' after the 'Divisional Revenue Officer'. Later the D.R.O.s became 'Assistant Government Agents' and the Divisions were known as 'A.G.A. Divisions'. Currently, the Divisions are administered by a 'Divisional Secretary', and are known as a 'D.S. Divisions'. Rural D.S. Divisions are also administered by a '
Pradeshiya Sabha
There are 276 Pradeshiya Sabhas in Sri Lanka, which are the legislative bodies that preside over the third tier municipalities in the country. Introduced in 1987 through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, Pradeshiya Sabhas becam ...
' (Sinhala for 'Regional Council'), which is elected.
Switzerland
In
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, some
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
s organize themselves into districts, while others dispense with districts and govern themselves at the (
constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
or electoral district) level.
Sweden
Some municipalities in the
Kingdom of Sweden have divided their territory into smaller areas, which often are assigned an administrative board responsible for certain elements of municipal governance within their district. These areas take a variety of different Swedish names; however, "district" is usually the official English term for them. The term "borough" is sometimes used in unofficial contexts.
Taiwan
In the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
on
Taiwan, the district () is the 3rd level of the administrative division. It is a division of
special municipality Special municipality may refer to:
* Special municipality (Netherlands)
There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands (), representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility fo ...
and
provincial city of
Taiwan Province. Currently, there are 157 districts in total from 5 special municipalities and 3 provincial cities.
Thailand
A district () is a subdivision of a
province () in
Thailand. Some provinces also contain minor districts (), which are smaller than the average district.
Turkey
In
Turkey, a district ( tr, ilçe) is an administrative subdivision of a province ( tr, il). They are governed by a district governor/official (
Kaymakam) appointed by the Ministry of the Interior, and a by the local population elected Mayor. See also
Districts of Turkey.
Uganda
Ukraine
In
Ukraine, districts (
raions) second level of administrative division of Ukraine and are primarily the most common division of Ukrainian regions, as well as administrative divisions of larger cities ("city districts").
United Kingdom
England
Districts are the most recognizable form of local government in large parts of England. For those areas that retain two-tier local government, districts usually form the lower tier of that arrangement, with
counties forming the upper tier. Districts tend to have responsibility for a number of areas including:
*Tax collection (
council tax and
non-domestic rates)
*Leisure Services
*Refuse collection
*Housing
*Planning
*Arts & Entertainment
*Environmental Health
Each district raises taxes from residents on behalf of itself, and the upper tier authority through the
Council Tax. It also raises income from business through the
Non-Domestic Rates system, which is coordinated nationally.
Wales
There is no official use of the word ''district'' in Wales. The country is broken up into 22
unitary authorities. However, ''district'' may be used informally for a whole or unofficial part of a
ward in a city.
Scotland
Districts of
Scotland were local government areas between 1975 and 1996.
Between 1930 and 1975, districts were subdivisions of
counties, formed under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929. See
List of local government areas in Scotland 1930–75
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
. Scotland, since 1996, has been divided in 32 unitary council areas, and districts are no longer used.
Scotland has had other kinds of administrative areas which might be described as districts:
*
Shires of Scotland
The shires of Scotland ( gd, Siorrachdan na h-Alba), or counties of Scotland, are historic subdivisions of Scotland established in the Middle Ages and used as administrative divisions until 1975. Originally established for judicial purposes (bei ...
, until 1975
*
Subdivisions of Scotland
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" ( gd, comhairlean), which are all governed by single-tier authorities designated as "councils". They have the option under the Local Government (Ga ...
, councils or unitary authorities, from 1996, pursuant to the
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
*
Committee areas
Many large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees or area boards, which involve local people and organisations in decisions affecting council spending within their area. They cover a geographical area suc ...
, from 1996, within larger unitary authorities
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into 11 districts for local government purposes. The councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom; for example, they have no responsibility for education, road-building or housing (although they do nominate members to the advisory Northern Ireland Housing Council).
Their functions do include waste and
recycling services,
leisure and community services,
building control and local economic and cultural development. They are not planning authorities, but are consulted on some planning applications. Collection of rates (local tax) is handled by the
Rate Collection Agency
Rate or rates may refer to:
Finance
* Rates (tax), a type of taxation system in the United Kingdom used to fund local government
* Exchange rate, rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another
Mathematics and science
* Rate (mathema ...
.
United States
There are several types of districts in the United States.
Federal District
The
District of Columbia is the only part of the United States, excluding
territories, that is not located within any of the fifty states.
Legislative constituencies
A constituency with a representative in
Congress is a
congressional district. Each state is organized into one or more such districts; the exact number within each state is based on the
most recent census. Only voters within each district are allowed to vote in the election for the member of the
House of Representatives from that district. Overall, there are 435 congressional districts in the United States; each has roughly 630,000 people, with some variance.
A constituency with a representative in a state legislature is a ''
legislative district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
''; the territory over which a federal court has jurisdiction is a
federal judicial district.
City councils that are not elected
at large may have constituencies called districts or wards.
Single Purpose Districts
The United States also has many types of
special-purpose districts with limited powers of local government.
School districts are the most common, but other types of districts include
community college districts, hospital districts, utility districts, irrigation districts, port districts, and public transit districts.
Many cities in the late 20th century adopted names for non-governmental districts as a way of increasing the recognition and identity of these distinct areas and neighborhoods. Perhaps most apparently in
Los Angeles, various areas and neighborhoods within the city are specified as districts. For instance,
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
is a district of Los Angeles, whereas
Beverly Hills and
West Hollywood are independent
incorporated cities
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owned ...
, with their own governments and police departments. This can be confusing, as the difference between districts and neighboring cities is usually not readily apparent, for they all make up the
greater Los Angeles area. Typically, districts may or may not be distinguished at the boundary of the district with a "district sign" with the city's insignia; whereas at a city boundary, a
city limit sign
A town sign or city limit sign is a road sign placed at the side of the road or street at the boundary of the territory of a city, town, or village. Town signs may be placed for reading both by drivers entering the town and, in a different format, ...
would usually be placed on the street with the city's name and population, at a minimum, but also often includes its
elevation. The important distinction is that areas classified as districts are still part of the parent city and governed by the laws and ordinances of that city.
Various federal, regional, and local agencies such as the
National Register of Historic Places recognized
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
s.
Municipalities
From the late 18th century until the
Philadelphia Act of Consolidation in 1854, districts were politically independent
municipalities made up of densely populated neighborhoods adjacent to but outside the legal boundaries of the
City of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
.
Northern Liberties,
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, and
Spring Garden were among the ten largest municipalities by population in the United States.
Municipal utility district
A municipal utility district is a
special-purpose district or other
jurisdiction that provides services (such as
electricity,
natural gas,
sewage treatment,
waste collection/
management,
wholesale telecommunications,
water) to district residents. Local residents may vote to establish a municipal utility district, which is represented by a board of directors elected by constituents.
As governmental bodies, they are usually nonprofit.
In the US, public utility districts (PUD) have similar functions to Municipal utility districts, but are created by a local government body such as a city or county, and have no authority to levy taxes. They provide
public utilities to the residents of that district.
PUDs are created by a
local government body, such as a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
,
county, or
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
service area (two or more communities joining together for public utility purposes). Normally the districts are
non-profit.
PUDs are often governed by a
commission, which may be appointed or
elected.
Vietnam
The term ''district'' in Vietnam refers to the second level administrative unit, below provinces () and municipalities (). This second level unit is called a (counties) in rural areas, while in urban areas districts are either (subdivisions of municipalities), (provincial cities) or (towns). Vietnam had 707 "districts" including 77 provincial cities, 52 towns, 49 urban subdivisions, and 529 rural districts/counties (including 12 island districts/counties).
[ :vi:Huyện (Việt Nam)]
Vietnamese districts vary significantly in both population and area. Excluding the island districts, the most populous is Biên Hoà (provincial city) with 1,099,943 people; the least populous is the town of Mường Lay (12,125). Similarly, the largest district is Tương Dương (2,812.07 km
2) while the smallest is Cồn Cỏ with an area of only 2.3 km
2.
See also
*
Municipality
*
Utility cooperative
References
{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities
Types of administrative division