Parish (administrative division)
A parish is an administrative division used by several countries. To distinguish it from an ecclesiastical parish, the term civil parish is used in some jurisdictions, as noted below.
The table below lists countries which use this administrative division:
| Country or territory | Local name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andorra | Parròquia | ||
| Antigua and Barbuda | Parish | ||
| Australia | Parish | Official use of parishes is done on a state-by-state basis
Qld: Prior to the digitisation and renumbering of the cadastre of Queensland parishes were used on title documents. While they have never officially been abolished, they are no longer used except in historical contexts.[1] NSW: Utilised.[2] Vic: Utilised.[3] Tas: Used until the 20th century, when they were renamed to land districts. NT: Uses hundreds instead WA: Not utilised. ACT: Not used since the establishment of the Territory | |
| Barbados | Parish | ||
| Bermuda | Parish | ||
| Canada | New Brunswick | Civil Parish | Subdivision of counties; current basis for rural census subdivisions. Formerly a governance unit. |
| Prince Edward Island | Parish | ||
| Quebec | Parish municipality | ||
| China | Macau | Freguesia / 堂區 | |
| Dominica | Parish | ||
| Ecuador | Parroquia | ||
| Estonia | Vald | ||
| Georgia | მუნიციპალიტეტი | ||
| Grenada | Parish | ||
| Guernsey | Parish | ||
| Ireland | Civil parish | In the Republic of Ireland, civil parishes continue to exist for statutory purposes only. | |
| Jamaica | Parish | ||
| Jersey | Parish | ||
| Latvia | Pagasts | ||
| Isle of Man | Parish | ||
| Montserrat | Parish | ||
| (Nordic countries) | Municipality | In Nordic countries, a rural administrative parish corresponds to the concept of socken or sogn, a predecessor to today's municipalities of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. | |
| Portugal | Freguesia | ||
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Parish | ||
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Parish | ||
| Spain | (Asturias, Galicia) | Parroquia | |
| Ukraine | район | ||
| United Kingdom | England | Civil parish | In all parts of the British Isles except Scotland and Wales, it is known as a civil parish to distinguish it from the ecclesiastical parish.[5] In England, a (civil) parish council may choose to rename itself as a town council or as a community council. In Northern Ireland, civil parishes continue to exist for statutory purposes only. |
| Northern Ireland | Civil parish | ||
| Scotland (formerly) | Civil parish | ||
| Scotland | Community | ||
| Wales | Community | ||
| United States | Louisiana | Parish | The term "county" is used in 48 US states, while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parishes and boroughs respectively.[6] |
| South Carolina (formerly) | Parish | Until the late 19th century, the South Carolina Lowcountry was divided into parishes. Today all of South Carolina is divided into counties.[7] | |
| Venezuela | Parroquia | ||
See also
References
- ^ "Parishes and historical land administration". Government of Queensland. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ "Parish and historical maps". Land & Property Information. Government of New South Wales. 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "Victorian county, parish & township plans".
- ^ "Hundreds". Data.SA. 2023-05-05 [2016-03-23]. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- ^ "In praise of ... civil parishes". The Guardian. 16 May 2011.
- ^ "An Overview of County Government". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on April 17, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ The Newberry Library (2009). "South Carolina: Individual County Chronologies, South Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries". publications.newberry.org. Chicago, Illinois, US. Retrieved June 5, 2018.