A municipality is usually an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually
powers of self-government or jurisdiction.
The term municipality is also used to mean the governing body of a municipality.
A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose
district.
The term is derived from French "municipalité" and Latin "municipalis".
The English word "Municipality" derives from the Latin social contract "municipium", meaning
duty holders, referring to the Latin communities that supplied Rome with troops in exchange
for their own incorporation into the Roman state while permitting the communities to
retain their own local governments.
A municipality can be any political jurisdiction from a sovereign state, such as the Principality
of Monaco, or a small village, such as West Hampton Dunes, New York.
The territory over which a municipality has jurisdiction may encompass
only one populated place such as a city, town, or village
several of such places as townships governing several villages, Municipalities of Mexico)
only parts of such places, sometimes boroughs of a city such as the 34 municipalities of
Santiago, Chile.
Political powers The power of municipalities range from virtual
autonomy to complete subordination to the state.
Municipalities may have the right to tax individuals and corporations with income tax, property
tax, and corporate income tax, but may also receive substantial funding from the state.
In various countries In various countries, municipalities are sometimes
referred to as "communes", from Latin, notably in Romance languages such as French commune,
Italian comune, Romanian comună, and Spanish comuna, and in Germanic languages such as
German Kommune, Swedish kommun, and Norwegian/Danish kommune.
Other terms include Spanish ayuntamiento, and municipalidad and Polish gmina.
English-speaking In Australia, the term local government area
is used in place of the generic municipality.
Here, the "LGA Structure covers only incorporated areas of Australia.
Incorporated areas are legally designated parts of states and territories over which
incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility."
In Canada, municipalities are local governments established through provincial and territorial
legislation, usually within general municipal statutes.
Types of municipalities within Canada include cities, district municipalities, municipal
districts, municipalities, parishes, rural municipalities, towns, townships, villages,
and villes among others.
The Province of Ontario has different tiers of municipalities, including lower, upper,
and single tiers.
Types of upper tier municipalities in Ontario include counties and regional municipalities.
Nova Scotia also has regional municipalities, which include cities, counties, districts,
or towns as municipal units.
In the United Kingdom, the term was used until 1974 in England and Wales, and until 1975
in Scotland and 1976 in Northern Ireland, "both for a city or town which is organized
for self-government under a municipal corporation, and also for the governing body itself.
Such a corporation in Great Britain consists of a head as a mayor or provost, and of superior
members, as aldermen and councillors".
Since local government reorganisation, the unit in England, Northern Ireland and Wales
is known as a district, and in Scotland as a council area.
A district may be awarded borough or city status, or can retain its district title.
In Jersey, a municipality refers to the honorary officials elected to run each of the 12 parishes
into which it is subdivided.
This is the highest level of regional government in this jurisdiction.
In the United States, "municipality" is usually understood as a city, town, village, or other
local government unit, formed by municipal charter from the state as a municipal corporation.
In a state law context, some U.S. state codes define "municipality" more widely, from the
state itself to any political subdivisions given jurisdiction over an area that may include
multiple populated places and unpopulated places.
Chinese-speaking In the People's Republic of China, a direct-controlled
municipality is a city with equal status to a province: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and
Chongqing.
In Taiwan, a special municipality is a city with equal status to a province: Kaohsiung,
New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Taipei.
Municipalities by country In Portuguese language usage, there are two
words to distinguish the territory and the administrative organ.
When referring to the territory, the word concelho is used, when referring to the organ
of State, the word município is used.
This differentiation is still in use in Portugal and some of its former overseas provinces,
but it’s no longer in use in Brazil.
See also Council of European Municipalities and Regions
Council-manager government Creature of statute
Lists of municipalities Mayor-council government
Municipal corporation Municipal government
References
External links Charles Isaac Elton.
"Municipality".
Encyclopaedia Britannica 17.