Municipality#Commune

File:Ponce City Hall.JPG, in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, is the seat of the government for both the city and the surrounding barrios making up the municipality.]]

Powers 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 some European countries, such as Germany, municipalities have the constitutional right to supply public services through municipally-owned public utility companies.{{Cite web |last=Andersen |first=Uwe |title=Gemeinden/Kommunale Selbstverwaltung {{!}} bpb |url=https://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/lexika/handwoerterbuch-politisches-system/202028/gemeinden-kommunale-selbstverwaltung |access-date=2020-06-16 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}

File:5 Boroughs Labels New York City Map.svg as well as its composite five boroughs are all municipalities.

{{legend|#4DAF4A|1. Manhattan}}

{{legend|#FFFF33|2. Brooklyn}}

{{legend|#FF7F00|3. Queens}}

{{legend|#E41A1C|4. The Bronx}}

{{legend|#984EA3|5. Staten Island}}|alt=A map with five insular regions of different colors.]]

File:Suomen kaupungit 2020.svg or town municipalities (red-colored) with other non-town municipalities in Finland (2020)]]

Terms cognate with "municipality", mostly referring to territory or political structure,{{clarify|date=July 2019}} are Spanish {{lang|es|municipio}} (Spain) and {{lang|es|municipalidad}} (Chile), Catalan {{Wikt-lang|ca|municipi}}, Portuguese {{Lang|pt|município}}.

• In Brazil, a município is the local government, recognized by the Brazilian Federal Constitution and established through state constitutions. It is the smallest territorial division holding executive and legislative powers. Since the Constitution of 1988, all municípios are members of the federation. Colloquially, the local population uses the terms municipality and city interchangeably, although the constitution defines "city" as the seat of the municipality.{{Cite web |title=Constituição da república federativa do brasil de 1988 |url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=www.planalto.gov.br}}

In many countries, terms cognate with "commune" are used, referring to the community living in the area and the common interest. These include terms:

• in Romance languages, such as French {{Wikt-lang|fr|commune}} (France, French-speaking areas of Belgium and Switzerland, French-speaking countries of Africa, e.g. Benin), Italian {{Wikt-lang|it|comune}} (Italy), Portuguese {{Wikt-lang|pt|comuna}} (Angola), Romanian {{Wikt-lang|ro|comună}} (Romania), and Spanish {{Wikt-lang|es|comuna}} (Chile);
• in Germanic languages such as German {{Wikt-lang|de|Kommune}} (in political parlance), Swedish {{Wikt-lang|sv|kommun}} (Sweden), Faroese {{Wikt-lang|fo|kommuna}} (Faroe Islands), Norwegian, Danish {{lang|da|{{lang|no|kommune}}}} (Norway, Denmark);
• the more remote cognates {{Wikt-lang|nl|gemeente}} in Dutch (Netherlands, Dutch-speaking areas of Belgium), {{Wikt-lang|lb|Gemeng}} in Luxembourgish (Luxembourg) and {{Wikt-lang|de|Gemeinde}} in German (the official term; Germany);
• Finnish {{lang|fi|kunta}} (Finland).
• Ukrainian {{lang|uk|hromada}}.
• and Polish {{lang|pl|gmina}}.

The same terms "Gemeente" (Dutch) or "Gemeinde" (German) may be used for church congregations or parishes, for example, in the German and Dutch Protestant churches.

In Greece, the word {{Lang|el|Δήμος|italic=no}} ({{Lang|el-latn|demos}}) is used, also meaning 'community'; the word is known in English from the compound democracy (rule of the people).

In some countries, the Spanish term {{lang|es|ayuntamiento}}, referring to a municipality's administration building, is extended via synecdoche to denote the municipality itself.{{Cite web |last=ASALE |first=RAE- |last2=RAE |title=ayuntamiento {{!}} Diccionario de la lengua española |url=https://dle.rae.es/ayuntamiento |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=«Diccionario de la lengua española» - Edición del Tricentenario |language=es}} In Moldova and Romania, both municipalities (municipiu; urban administrative units) and communes ({{Lang|ro|comună}}; rural units) exist, and a commune may be part of a municipality.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

In many countries, comparable entities may exist with various names.

• In Australia, the term local government area (LGA) 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."{{cite web |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/9f0b5791ed98061fca256f1900128409?OpenDocument |title=Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) |date=28 September 2005 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}
• In Canada, municipalities are local governments established through provincial and territorial legislation, usually within general municipal statutes.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Municipal Government |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia > Government > Government, General > Municipal Government |publisher=Historica Foundation of Canada |year=2009 |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/municipal-government |access-date=17 July 2011 |archive-date=13 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160213184814/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/municipal-government/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/92f0009x/92f0009x2011000-eng.pdf |title=Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names – From January 2, 2010 to January 1, 2011 |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=April 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1591.aspx |title=List of Ontario Municipalities |publisher=Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing |date=4 July 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228023807/http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1591.aspx |archive-date=28 February 2013 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web |title = Municipal Government Act|publisher = Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly|url = http://nslegislature.ca/legc/statutes/municipal%20government.pdf|date = 7 January 2010|access-date = 17 July 2011}}
• In India, a municipality (also known as municipal council) is an urban local body that administers a city of population 100,000 or more (the criteria varies from state to state). However, there are exceptions to that, as previously municipalities were constituted in urban centers with population over 20,000, so all the urban bodies which were previously classified as municipality were reclassified as municipality even if their population was under 100,000. it interacts directly with the state government, though it is administratively part of the district it is located in. Generally, smaller district cities and bigger towns have a municipality. Municipalities are also a form of local self-government entrusted with some duties and responsibilities, as enshrined in the Constitutional (74th Amendment) Act,1992.
• In the United Kingdom, the term was used until the Local Government Act 1972 came into effect in 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".{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Municipality | volume= 19 | page = 7 |short= 1}} 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 Trinidad and Tobago, "municipality" is usually understood as a city, town, or other local government unit, formed by municipal charter from the state as a municipal corporation. A town may be awarded borough status and, later on, may be upgraded to city status. Chaguanas, San Fernando, Port of Spain, Arima and Point Fortin are the 5 current municipalities in Trinidad and Tobago.
• 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.{{cite web |url=http://public.findlaw.com/library/pa-municipal-law.html |title=Legal Dictionary: Municipal Law |work=FindLaw}} 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{{cite web |url=http://law.justia.com/codes/nevada/2009/title-3/chapter-43/43-080/ |title=2009 Nevada Code |publisher=Justia}}{{cite web |title=Kansas Statues |url=http://kansasstatutes.lesterama.org/Chapter_75/Article_11/75-1117.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024092626/http://kansasstatutes.lesterama.org/Chapter_75/Article_11/75-1117.html |archive-date=Oct 24, 2014 |publisher=Lesterama}} (see also: Local government in the United States#Municipal governments).

• In the People's Republic of China, a direct-administered municipality (直辖市 in pinyin: zhíxiáshì) is a municipality with equal status to a province: Beijing Municipality, Chongqing Municipality, Shanghai Municipality, and Tianjin Municipality (see also: Direct-administered municipalities of China).
• In the Republic of China (Taiwan), a special municipality (直轄市 in pinyin: zhíxiáshì) is a municipality with equal status to a province: Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, and Taoyuan (see also: Special municipality (Taiwan)).

{{Multiple issues |section=yes|1=

{{cleanup reorganize|section|discuss=Municipalities by country|date=January 2014}}

{{Table to prose|section|discuss=Municipalities by country|date=August 2021}}

{{incomplete list|date=June 2025}}

}}

• 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 in use in Portugal and some of its former overseas provinces, but it is no longer in use in Brazil, where município refers to the territorial boundaries and prefeitura is its administrative organ.

• Council of European Municipalities and Regions
• Council–manager government
• Creature of statute
• Lists of municipalities
• Mayor–council government
• Municipal corporation
• {{portal-inline|Cities}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Wiktionary}}

• {{Cite EB9 |last=Elton |first=Charles Isaac |authorlink=Charles Isaac Elton |wstitle=Municipality |volume=17 |short=x}}

{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities}}

{{Cities}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Types of administrative division

Category:Types of populated places