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District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipality|municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.
Austria
In Austria, a district or ''Bezirk'' is an administrative division normally encompassing several municipality|municipalities, roughly equivalent to the ''Landkreis'' in Germany. The administrative office of a district, the ''Bezirkshauptmannschaft'' is headed by the ''Bezirkshauptmann''. It is in charge of the administration of all matters of federal and state administrative law and subject to orders from the higher instances, usually the ''Landeshauptmann'' (governor) in matters of federal law and the ''Landesregierung'' (state government) in state law. While there are matters of administrative law of which the municipalities themselves are in charge or where there are special bodies, the district is the basic unit of general administration in Austria.
Officials on the district level are not elected, but appointed by the state government.
There are also independent cities in Austria. They are called Statutarstadt in Austrian administrative law. These urban districts do have the same tasks as a normal district.
Vienna
The State of Vienna, which is at the same time a municipality, is also subdivided in twenty-three districts, which, however, have a somewhat different function than in the rest of the country. Legally, the ''Magistratisches Bezirksamt'' (district office) is a local offices of the municipality's administration. However, representatives (''Bezirksräte'') on the district level are elected, and they in turn elect the head of the district, the ''Bezirksvorsteher''. Those representative bodies are supposed to serve as immediate contacts for the locals on the political and administrative level. In practice, they have some power, e.g. concerning matters of traffic.
Australia
- ''Main articles: State Electoral Districts, Cadastral divisions of 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 districts. Cadastral divisions of New South Wales|New South Wales had several different types of districts used in the nineteenth century.
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Bangladeshi districts are local administrative units inherited from the British Raj. 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.
Belgium
In Belgium|Belgian municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, on initiative of the local council, sub-municipal administrative entities with elected councils may be created. As such, only Antwerp, having over 460,000 inhabitants, became subdivided into Antwerp#Municipality|nine districts ().
The Belgian Arrondissement#Belgium|arrondissements (also in French language|French as well as in Dutch language|Dutch), an administrative level between province (or the capital region) and municipality, or the lowest judicial level, are in English language|English sometimes called districts as well.
Brazil
Brazilian List of municipalities in Brazil|municipalities are subdivided into districts. Each municipality usually have only one urban district, which contains the city itself, consisting of the seat of the local government, where the municipality's ''prefecture|prefeitura'' and ''city council|câmara de vereadores'' (respectively, the Executive (government)|Executive and Legislative local bodies) are located. The rural districts may also present a sublocal Executive body, named ''subprefecture|subprefeitura''.
Canada
Alberta
In Alberta, the district (known as municipal districts) acts like a county or a city but not like the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and British Columbia, all districts and county|counties are part of census subdivisions of their respective census divisions.
British Columbia
The province of British Columbia is subdivided into ''Regional districts of British Columbia|regional districts'', which are more or less analogous to counties in other jurisdictions, each comprising a district seat, a number of municipalities, and unincorporated areas.
Some municipalities in British Columbia are also incorporated as ''district municipality|district municipalities'', which essentially function as a city, town, or village.
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. Originally present-day Southern Ontario (then part of the Province of Quebec and after 1791, Upper Canada) was divided into districts in 1788http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/exhibits/maps/districts.htm. 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 District, Ontario|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 county seat|district seat (e.g. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste. Marie). Some districts may have District Social Service Administration Boards, which are designed to provide certain social services. The boundaries of a federal census division may correspond to those of a district.
Northwest Territories
In western and northern Canada, the federal government created Districts of the Northwest Territories|districts as subdivisions of the Northwest Territories 1870-1905, partly on the model of the districts created in the Province of Canada. The first district created was the District of Keewatin in 1876 followed by four more districts in 1882. Gradually, these districts became separate territories (such as Yukon Territory, separate provinces (such as Alberta and Saskatchewan) or were absorbed into other provinces.
People's Republic of China
In People's Republic of China|China, the District (PRC)|district or ''qū'' (市辖区, pinyin: ''shì xiá qū'') is a subdivision of any of various city administrative units, including Municipality of China|municipalities, Sub-provincial city|sub-provincial cities and Prefecture-level city|prefecture-level cities. Districts have Political divisions of China#County level|county level status.
Modern districts are a recent innovation. In the context of ancient China|pre-modern China, the English translation "district" is typically associated with ''xian'', another Chinese administrative division. The ''xian'' is translated as "county of China|county" in the context of modern China.
Colombia
- In Colombia a '''district''' is a special administrative unit. 10 areas within Colombia are designated as districts.
Barranquilla is designated a Special Industrial Port District; Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena is a Tourism and Cultural District; Bogotá is the Capital District and Santa Marta Historical, Tourism and Cultural District. There are also the Historial and Cultural District of Tunja; Special, Ecotouristic, Historical and Universitarian District of Popayán; Special Portuarial District of Turbo; Special Industrial, Portuarial, Biodiverse and Ecotouristic District of Tumaco; Special Border and Touristic District of Cúcuta and Special Industrial, Portuarial, Biodiverse and Ecotouristic District of Buenaventura
Germany
- In Germany, a '''district''' (''"Kreis"'') is an administrative unit between the ''"Länder"'' (States of Germany|German federal states) and the local / municipal levels (States of Germany#Further subdivisions|Gemeinden). Most of the 429 German districts are ''"Landkreise"'', rural districts. 116 larger cities (usually with more than 100,000 inhabitants) do not belong to a district are considered as urban districts (''"Kreisfreie Städte"'' or ''"Stadtkreise"'') themselves.
- In some states, there is additional level of administration between the ''Länder'' and the ''Landkreise'' called '''Regierungsbezirk''' (''government district'').
- '''District''' (''Bezirk'') was also the name of administrative subdivisions of the East Germany|German Democratic Republic since 1952. ''See Administrative division of the German Democratic Republic''
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is divided into eighteen districts, each with a district council.
India
List of Indian districts|India's districts (; /zilɑː/ or /ɟənpəd/ or Mavattam Bengali:জেলা) are local administrative units inherited from the British Raj. They generally form the tier of local government immediately below that of India's States and territories of India|subnational States and Territories. Where warranted, Districts may further be grouped into administrative Divisions, which form an intermediate level between the District and the State (subnational)|subnational State (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 Tax|revenue, and criminal prosecution in the District Courts of India|district and sessional courts. Usually, the Deputy Commissioner/ District Collector is conferred with 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 ''tehsils'' or ''talukas'' or ''Mavattam''s, 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/ Sub-Collectors. Each district has well-defined boundaries, and 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 the main town/city that it contains.
As of June 2008, a total of 610 Districts are defined in India.Thus the number of districts in the country exceeded the number of M.P. constituencies(545).In A.P.districts (23)are less than M.P.seats (42).
- District Revenue administration in A.P.:
- 1. District headed by Collector
- 2.A District is composed of 4 or 5 Revenue Divisions administered by R.D.O./sub collector,
- 3.Revenue Divisions divided into Taluks/mandals headed by tahsildars,
- 4.mandals composed of a 10 or above villages administered by village Revenue officers and village servants.
- There is four tier local government in Panchayati Raj:
- 1.Grama panchayath:sarpanch
- 2.village clusters :M.P.T.C.
- 3.Mandal/Taluk :M.P.P./Z.P.T.C.
- 4.District:Z.P.Chairperson.
Iraq
In Iraq, they use the word Kaza|qadaa for districts. There are over a hundred districts, each district being within one of 18 Governorates of Iraq|Iraqi governorates, sometimes known as provinces. The district generally (but not always) bears the name of a city within that district which is usually the capital of that district.
Japan
A district (''gun'' in Japanese language|Japanese) is a local administrative unit comprising Towns of Japan|towns and Villages of Japan|villages but not Municipality of Japan|cities. See districts of Japan for 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 ''chiku'', defined by Japan's planning law.
Kenya
In Kenya, a district (''wilayah'') is a subdivision of a Provinces of Kenya|Province and is headed by a District Officer (DO).
Korea (South)
A district (''gu'') is a subdivision of larger cities in South Korea. Smaller cities have no districts, whereas districts in Seoul and six Special cities of Korea|Metropolitan Cities are treated as a city in its own right.
Malaysia
A district is known as ''Daerah'' in Malay language|Malay. A district governed directly by the federal government is known as a Federal Territory (Malaysia)|Federal Territory, and they are Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan.
In Peninsular Malaysia, a district is a division of a States of Malaysia|state. A ''mukim'' is a subdivision of a district. The mukim is however of less importance with respect to the administration of local government.
In East Malaysia, a district is a subdivision within a Divisions of Malaysia|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 (political)|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 urbanised 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. Another example is the district of Kinta in Perak which has 3 subdivisions: Ipoh City Council, West Kinta District Council, and South Kinta District Council. 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.
An administrative district border and an Parliamentary constituencies and state assemblies of Malaysia|electoral district border (constituency) transcends each other and does not correspond with each other in most instances.
Nauru
The districts of Nauru are the only subdivisions of the whole state.
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 urbanised, tend to cover more than one population centre 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|Chatham Islands Territory is neither a district nor a city.
A district is not always a simple division of a List of regions in New Zealand|region: several district lie within two regions, and the Taupo District lies in four.
Pakistan
Pakistan's districts are local administrative units inherited from the British Raj. Districts were generally grouped into administrative Divisions, which in turn formed Provinces and territories of Pakistan|Provinces. Pakistan has 130 districts (including seven in Azad Jammu and Kashmir). They comprise villages, towns and cities. A District is headed by a District Nazim (Mayor), who is an elected official and the local controller of the district level officers of all the departments under provincial government. The District Nazim heads an elected District Council which is composed of councilors, who represent various district-level constituencies. The councils have a constitutional requirement to be composed of a minimum of 33% women, there is no upper limit to that; so women can comprise 100% of these councils but men cannot.
Peru
Philippines
The usage of the term 'district' (''distrito'') in the Philippines has similarities to that in the United States.
Legislative
National
A constituency with a representative in the lower house of Congress of the Philippines|Congress is a congressional district. However, the term congressional district has become synonymous in local parlance as 'representative district,' because, just like in the US, the word 'congress' (''konggreso'') has come to refer especially just to the lower house (the House of Representatives of the Philippines|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 Legislative district of Pateros-Taguig|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 that of other more populated 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 was 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 of the Philippines|Senate). 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 ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly|legislative assembly.
Provincial
There are provincial districts for the purpose of electing ''Sangguniang Panlalawigan'' (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 ''Sangguniang Panlungsod'' (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 an administrative entity only in local government, with limited powers or responsibilities. Certain cities, such as Manila#Districts|Manila, Iloilo City#Subdivisions|Iloilo and Districts of Davao City|Davao, for administrative purposes, formally divide their jurisdictions into city districts which are 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 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 which have 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 barangay.
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 (Philippines)|Department of Education (DepEd), engineering districts for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and coast guard districts for 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 City, Camarines Sur|Naga City and Makati City.
Poland
The second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (Local administrative unit|LAU-1) in other countries is called a ''powiat''. 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 (''distritos'') are administrative divisions of Portugal. They do not have an elected government; they are governed by a "civil governor" appointed by the central government. See Districts of Portugal.
Russia
In the Russia|Russian Federation, districts (''raions'') are administrative and municipal divisions of the federal subjects of Russia|federal subjects, as well as administrative divisions of larger cities ("city districts").
In historical context (for the Russian Empire), the term "district" is often used to refer to uyezds.
Scotland
In Scotland, local government districts were used from 1975 to 1996.
Serbia
Serbia is divided into twenty-nine Districts of Serbia|districts (''okrug'') and the city of Belgrade, each of which is further divided into municipality|municipalities (''opstina|opština'')
Slovakia
In Slovakia, a district (''okres'') is a local administrative unit.
South Africa
In South Africa, the district municipality (South Africa)|district municipality forms the layer of government below the Provinces of South Africa|provinces. A district municipality is in turn divided into several local municipality (South Africa)|local municipalities. This structure varies in the six largest urban areas (Cape Town, Durban, East Rand, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria), where a metropolitan municipality (South Africa)|metropolitan municipality is both a district and a local municipality.
Sri Lanka
For purposes of local government, the country of Sri Lanka is divided into nine Provinces of Sri Lanka|provinces: Western Province, Sri Lanka|Western, Central Province, Sri Lanka|Central, Southern Province, Sri Lanka|Southern, Northern Province, Sri Lanka|Northern, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka|Eastern, North Western Province, Sri Lanka|North Western, North Central Province, Sri Lanka|North Central, Uva Province|Uva and Sabaragamuwa Province|Sabaragamuwa. (The Northern and Eastern Provinces have however, technically been jointly administered since 1988.)
Each of the districts is divided into administrative sub-units known as 'Divisions. These were originally based on the feudal counties, the ''korale''s and ''rata''s. 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' (Sinhala for 'Regional Council'), which is elected.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, some Canton of Switzerland|cantons organise themselves into districts, while others dispense with districts and govern themselves at the ''Wahlkreise'' (Constituency or electoral district) level.
Thailand
A district ("amphoe") is a subdivision of a ''Provinces of Thailand|Province'' ("changwat") in Thailand. Some provinces also contain minor districts ("king amphoe"), which are smaller than the average district.
Turkey
In Turkey, a district () is an administrative subdivision of a province (). See also Districts of Turkey.
United Kingdom
England
Districts are the most recognisable form of local government in large parts of England. For those areas which retain two-tier local government, districts usually form the lower tier of that arrangement, with Counties of England|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 co-ordinated nationally.
Wales
There is no official use of the word 'district' in Wales. The country is broken up into 22 unitary authority|unitary authorities. The term district may be used informally to describe a whole or unofficial part of a ward in a city.
Scotland
In Scotland, local government districts were use from 1975 to 1996.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into twenty-six 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, e.g. they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing (though 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.
United States
There are several types of district in the United States.
A constituency with a representative in United States Congress|Congress is a congressional District|congressional district. Each state is organized into one or more such districts; the exact number within each state is based on the United States 2000 Census|most recent census. Only voters within each district are allowed to vote in the election for the member of the United States House of Representatives|House 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''; the territory over which a federal court has jurisdiction is a United States federal judicial district|federal judicial district.
The Washington, DC|District of Columbia is the only part of the United States, excluding Territory (country subdivision)|territories, that is not located within any of the fifty U.S. state|states.
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 District|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 recognition and identity of these distinct areas. Perhaps most apparently in Los Angeles, various areas and neighborhoods within the city are specified as districts. For instance, Hollywood is a district of Los Angeles, whereas Beverly Hills is an independent city, with its own government and police department. This can often lead to confusion among foreigners and natives alike, as the difference between districts, suburbs and neighboring cities is often quite ambiguous, for they all make up the greater LA area. As with any city, the important distinction is that areas classified as districts are still part of the parent city.
Various federal, regional and local agencies such as the National Register of Historic Places recognize Historic district (United States)|historic districts.
Prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854|Act of Consolidation in 1854, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania had some districts acting like cities or towns.
Vietnam
A district (''quận'') is an administrative unit lying between a province (or lower province) and higher village.
See also
- Lists of unofficial regions by country
- Municipality
- Traditional districts of Norway
Category:Administrative divisions
simple:District
Related Images- Districts of South Africa
- Satellite photograph of the District of Columbia.
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