Samtgemeinde

A Samtgemeinde (German pronunciation:, lit.'collective municipality'; plural: Samtgemeinden) is a type of administrative division in Lower Saxony, Germany. Samtgemeinden are local government associations of municipalities, equivalent to the Ämter in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Brandenburg, and the Verbandsgemeinden in Rhineland-Palatinate.