A ' () or ' () is an

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

in several Hispanophone and

Lusophone The Portuguese-speaking world, also known as the Lusophone world () or the Lusophony (''Lusofonia''), comprises the countries and territories in which the Portuguese language is an official, administrative, cultural, or secondary language. This ...

nations, respectively. It is often translated as "

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

." It comes from ''mūnicipium'' (), meaning a township. In English, a municipality often is defined as relating to a single city or town, but in Spanish, the term ''municipio'' may mean not a single city or town but rather a jurisdiction with several towns and cities such as a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

. The Italian term ''municipalità'' () refers to a single city or to a group of cities and towns in a township, and the term ''municipio'' () is used for city subdivisions. On the other hand, usage of ''município'' in Portuguese is almost entirely restricted to a cluster of cities or towns such as a county or township. However, in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, a ''município'' is an independent city and a public corporation with the status of a federated entity. In the Philippines, a ''munisipyo'' may refer to a

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

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{{Spanish terms for country subdivisions Types of administrative division Spanish words and phrases Portuguese words and phrases Italian words and phrases

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