__NOTOC__
Ełk County ( pl, powiat ełcki) 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 "''powiat ...
) in
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship or Warmia-Masuria Province or Warmia-Mazury Province (in pl, Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie, is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn. The voivodeship has an ar ...
, northern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 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 and only town is
Ełk
Ełk (; former pl, Łek; german: Lyck; Old Prussian: ''Luks''; lt, Lukas), also spelled Elk in English, is a small city in northeastern Poland with 61,677 inhabitants as of December 2021. It was assigned to Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 199 ...
, which lies east of the regional capital
Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county right ...
.
The county covers an area of . As of 2019, Ełk County's total population was 91,446, with the town of Ełk having a population of 62,006.
Neighbouring counties
Ełk County is bordered by
Olecko County
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Olecko County ( pl, powiat olecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland. Its administrative seat and only town is Olecko, which lies east of the regional ...
to the north,
Suwałki County
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Suwałki County ( pl, powiat suwalski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland, on the Lithuanian border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of ...
to the north-east,
Augustów County
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Augustów County ( pl, powiat augustowski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a resul ...
to the east,
Grajewo County
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Grajewo County ( pl, powiat grajewski) 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 government ...
to the south, and
Pisz County
__NOTOC__
Pisz County ( pl, powiat piski) 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 government refo ...
and
Giżycko County
__NOTOC__
Giżycko County ( pl, powiat giżycki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local governme ...
to the west.
Administrative division
The county is subdivided into five
gminas (one urban and four rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elk County
Land counties of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship