__NOTOC__ Białystok County ( pl, powiat białostocki) 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

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship or Podlasie Province ( pl, Województwo podlaskie, ) is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. The name of the province and its territory correspond to the historic region of Podlachia. The capital and largest c ...

, north-eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, on the border with

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

. It was created on 1 January 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 is the city of

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok U ...

, although the city is not part of the county (it constitutes a separate city county). The county contains nine towns:

Łapy Łapy is a town in north-eastern Poland, in Białystok County (''powiat''), Podlaskie Voivodeship; the administrative centre of the urban-rural gmina Łapy. It is situated in the North Podlasie Lowland, on the river Narew. According to data ...

, south-west of Białystok, Czarna Białostocka, north of Białystok, Wasilków, north of Białystok, Choroszcz, west of Białystok,

Supraśl Supraśl (; be, Су́прасль; ) is a town and former episcopal see in north-eastern Poland. Supraśl is in Podlaskie Voivodeship (province) since 1999, previously in Białystok Voivodeship (1975-1998) (1975–1998), and is in Białystok C ...

, north-east of Białystok, Michałowo, east of Białystok,

Zabłudów Zabłudów (; be, Заблудаў, translit=Zabłudaŭ, russian: Заблудов, translit=Zabludov, ) is a town in Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. Prior to 1999 it was part of the Białystok Voivodeship ( ...

, south-east of Białystok, Tykocin, west of Białystok, and Suraż, south-west of Białystok. The county covers an area of , making it the largest county in Poland (ahead of

Olsztyn County __NOTOC__ Olsztyn County ( pl, powiat olsztyński) 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 gove ...

). As of 2019 its total population is 148,745, out of which the population of Łapy is 15,609, that of Czarna Białostocka is 9,318, that of Wasilków is 11,527, that of Choroszcz is 5,890, that of Supraśl is 4,605, that of Michałowo is 3,026, that of Zabłudów is 2,462, that of Tykocin is 1,973, that of Suraż is 988, and the rural population is 93,347.

Neighbouring counties

Apart from the city of

, Białystok County is bordered by

Hajnówka County __NOTOC__ Hajnówka County ( pl, powiat hajnowski) 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 result ...

and

Bielsk County , settlement_type = County , total_type = Total , image_flag = POL powiat bielski (województwo podlaskie) flag.svg , image_shield = POL powiat bielski (województwo podlaskie) COA.svg , image_map = POL powiat bielski (województwo podlaskie ...

to the south,

Wysokie Mazowieckie County __NOTOC__ Wysokie Mazowieckie County ( pl, powiat wysokomazowiecki) 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 Poli ...

Zambrów County __NOTOC__ Zambrów County ( pl, powiat zambrowski) 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 governme ...

and

Łomża County __NOTOC__ Łomża County ( pl, powiat łomżyński) 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 governm ...

to the west, Mońki County to the north-west, and

Sokółka County __NOTOC__ Sokółka County ( pl, powiat sokólski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus. It was created on 1 January 1999 as a result of th ...

to the north-east. It also borders

to the east.

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into 15

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...

s (nine urban-rural and six rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

Notable residents

Konstanty Kalinowski Wincenty Konstanty Kalinowski, also known as Kastuś Kalinoŭski ( be, Касту́сь Каліно́ўскі also be, Вінцэ́нт Канстанці́н Каліно́ўскі, lit=Vincent Kanstancin Kalinoŭski, lt, Konstantinas Kalinau ...

(known in Belarus as Kastuś Kalinoŭski)(1838, Mostowlany – 1864), writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary *

Aliaksei Karpiuk Aliaksei Karpiuk ( be, Аляксей Карпюк, rus, Алексей Карпюк; 14 April 1920 in Straszewo, a village close to Gródek, Białystok County, Poland – 14 July 1992 in Grodno, Belarus) was a Belarusian writer and publ ...

(1920, Straszewo – 1992), Belarusian writer and public figureБыкаў угаворваў яго стаць вар’ятам. 10 фактаў пра пісьменьніка Аляксея Карпюка
( Bykaǔ was persuading him to become insane. 10 facts about the writer Aliaksei Karpiuk (in Belarusian)

References

Land counties of Podlaskie Voivodeship {{Białystok-geo-stub