A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle the term borough designates a self-governing township although in practice official use of the term varies widely.

The word borough derives from common Germanic *burgs meaning fort: compare with bury (England) burgh (Scotland) Burg (Germany) borg (Scandinavia) burcht (Dutch) and the Germanic borrowing present in neighbouring Indo-european languages such as borgo (Italian) bourg (French) and burgo (Spanish and Portuguese). The incidence of these words as suffixes to place names (for example Canterbury Strasbourg Luxembourg Edinburgh Hamburg Gothenburg) usually indicates that they were once fortified settlements.

In the Middle Ages boroughs were settlements in England that were granted some self-government; burghs were the Scottish equivalent. In medieval England boroughs were also entitled to elect members of parliament. The use of the word borough probably derives from the burghal system of Alfred the Great. Alfred set up a system of defensive strong points (Burhs); in order to maintain these settlements he granted them a degree of autonomy. After the Norman Conquest when certain towns were granted self-governance the concept of the burh/borough seems to have been reused to mean a self-governing settlement.

The concept of the borough has been used repeatedly (and often differently) throughout the English-speaking world. Often a borough is a single town with its own local government. However in some cities it is a subdivision of the city (for example London New York City and Montreal). In such cases the borough will normally have either limited powers delegated to it by the city's local government or no powers at all. At certain times London has had no overall city government and boroughs were the main unit of local government for Londoners. In other places such as Alaska borough designates a whole region; Alaska's largest borough the North Slope Borough is comparable in area to the entire United Kingdom. In Australia borough can designate a town and its surrounding area such as the Borough of Queenscliffe.

Boroughs as administrative units are to be found in Ireland and the United Kingdom more specifically in England and Northern Ireland. Boroughs also exist in the Canadian province of Quebec and formerly in Ontario in some states of the United States in Israel and formerly in New Zealand. Contents 1 Pronunciation 2 Uses of borough 2.1 England and Wales 2.1.1 Ancient and municipal boroughs 2.1.2 Parliamentary boroughs 2.1.3 County boroughs 2.1.4 Metropolitan boroughs 2.1.5 Other current uses 2.2 Northern Ireland 2.3 Scotland 2.4 Canada 2.5 United States 2.6 Mexico 2.7 Australia 2.8 Republic of Ireland 2.9 New Zealand 2.10 Israel 2.11 Netherlands 3 Etymology 4 References 5 See also Pronunciation

In many parts of England "borough" is pronounced i /br/ as an independent word and as /br/ when a suffix of a place-name. As a suffix it is sometimes spelled "-brough".

In the United States "borough" is pronounced /bro/ or /bro/. When appearing as the suffix "-burg(h)" in place-names it is pronounced /br/. Uses of borough England and Wales Main articles: History of local government in England and Borough status in the United Kingdom Ancient and municipal boroughs Main articles: Ancient borough and Municipal borough

During the medieval period many towns were granted self-governance by the Crown at which point they became referred to as a borough. The formal status of borough came to be conferred by Royal Charter. These boroughs were generally governed by a self-selecting corporation (i.e. when a member died or resigned his replacement would be by co-option). Sometimes boroughs were governed by bailiffs or headboroughs.

Debates on the Reform Bill (eventually the Reform Act 1832) had highlighted the variations in systems of governance of towns and a Royal Commission was set up to investigate the issue. This resulted in a regularisation of municipal government (Municipal Corporations Act 1835). 178 of the ancient boroughs were reformed as municipal boroughs with all municipal corporations to be elected according to a standard franchise based on property ownership. The unreformed boroughs either lapsed in borough status or were reformed (or abolished) at a later time. Several new municipal boroughs were formed in the new industrial cities after the bill enacted according to the provisions of the bill. As part of a large-scale reform of local government in England and Wales in 1974 municipal boroughs were finally abolished (having become increasingly irrelevant). However the civic traditions of many boroughs were continued by the grant of a charter to their successor district councils. In smaller boroughs a town council was formed for the area of the abolished borough while charter trustees were formed in other former boroughs. In each case the new body was allowed to use the regalia of the old corporation and appoint ceremonial office holders such as sword and mace bearers as provided in their original charters. The council or trustees may apply for an Order in Council or Royal Licence to use the former borough coat of arms. Parliamentary boroughs Further information: Reform Act 1832 From 1265 two burgesses from each borough were summoned to the Parliament of England alongside two knights from each county. Thus parliamentary constituencies were derived from the ancient boroughs. Representation in the House of Commons was decided by the House itself which resulted in boroughs' being established in some small settlements for the purposes of parliamentary representation despite their possessing no actual corporation. After the Reform Act which disenfranchised many of the rotten boroughs (boroughs that had declined in importance had only a small population and had only a handful of eligible voters) parliamentary constituencies began to diverge from the ancient boroughs. While many ancient boroughs remained as municipal boroughs they were disenfranchised by the Reform Act. County boroughs Main article: County boroughs The Local Government Act 1888 established a new sort of borough the county borough. These were designed to be 'counties-to-themselves'; administrative divisions to sit alongside the new administrative counties. They allowed urban areas to be administered separately from the more rural areas. They therefore often contained pre-existing municipal boroughs which thereafter became part of the second tier of local government below the administrative counties and county boroughs. The county boroughs were like the municipal boroughs abolished in 1974 being reabsorbed into their parent counties for administrative purposes. Metropolitan boroughs Main article: Metropolitan borough In 1899 as part of a reform of local government in the County of London the various parishes in London were reorganised as new entities the 'metropolitan boroughs'. These were reorganised further when Greater London was formed out of Middlesex and the County of London in 1965. When the new metropolitan counties (Greater Manchester Merseyside Tyne & Wear West Midlands South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire) were created in 1974 their sub-divisions also became metropolitan boroughs; in many cases these metropolitan boroughs recapitulated abolished county boroughs (for example Stockport). The metropolitan boroughs possessed slightly more autonomy from the metropolitan county councils than the shire county districts did from their county councils. With the abolition of the metropolitan county councils in 1986 these metropolitan boroughs became independent and continue to be so at present. Other current uses Elsewhere in England a number of district and unitary authority councils are called "borough". Throughout history this was a status that denoted towns with a certain type of local government (a municipal corporation). Since 1974 it has been a purely ceremonial style granted by royal charter which entitles the council chairman to bear the title of mayor. Districts may apply to the British Crown for the grant of borough status upon advice of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland In Northern Ireland local government was reorganised in 1973. Under the legislation that created the 26 districts of Northern Ireland a district council whose area included an existing municipal borough could resolve to adopt the charter of the old municipality and thus continue to enjoy borough status. Districts that do not contain a former borough can apply for a charter in a similar manner to English districts. Scotland Main article: burgh Canada Main article: Municipal government in Canada In Quebec the term borough is generally used as the English translation of arrondissement referring to an administrative division of a municipality. Only eight municipalities in Quebec are divided into boroughs. See List of boroughs in Quebec. It was previously used in Metropolitan Toronto Ontario to denote suburban municipalities. The Borough of East York was the last Toronto municipality to hold this status relinquishing it upon becoming part of the City of Toronto on January 1 1998. United States Main article: Borough (United States) In the United States a borough is a unit of local government below the level of the state. The term is currently used in seven states. The following states use or have used the word with the following meanings: Alaska as a county-equivalent Connecticut as an incorporated municipality within or consolidated with a town Minnesota formerly applied to one municipality New Jersey as a type of independent incorporated municipality - see Borough (New Jersey) New York as one of the five divisions of New York City each coextensive with a county - See Borough (New York City) Pennsylvania as a type of municipality comparable to a town. Only one incorporated town is chartered in Pennsylvania. - see Borough (Pennsylvania) Virginia as a division of a city under certain circumstances. Mexico In Mexico as translations from English to Spanish applied to Mexico City the word borough has resulted in a delegacin (delegation) referring to the 16 administrative areas within the Mexican Federal District. (see: Boroughs of Mexico and Boroughs of the Mexican Federal District) Australia In Australia the term "borough" is an occasionally used term for a local government area. Currently there is only one borough in Australia the Borough of Queenscliffe in Victoria although there have been more in the past. Republic of Ireland Under the Local Government Act 2001 section 10 (3) and schedule 6 part 1 chapter 1 the following continue to be known as Boroughs (though this is largely a matter of nomenclature) Clonmel Drogheda Kilkenny Sligo Wexford. In Section 10 (7) continues the "use of the description city in relation to Kilkenny to the extent that that description was used before (January 1 2002) and is not otherwise inconsistent with this Act." New Zealand New Zealand formerly used the term borough to designate self-governing towns of more than 1000 people although 19th century census records show many boroughs with populations as low as 200.1 A borough of more than 20000 people could become a city by proclamation. Boroughs and cities were collectively known as municipalities and were enclaves separate from their surrounding counties. Boroughs proliferated in the suburban areas of the larger cities: By the 1980s there were 19 boroughs and three cities in the area that is now the City of Auckland. In the 1980s some boroughs and cities began to be merged with their surrounding counties to form districts with a mixed urban and rural population. In 1989 a nationwide reform of local government completed the process. Counties and boroughs were abolished and all boundaries were redrawn. Under the new system most territorial authorities cover both urban and rural land. The more populated councils are classified as cities and the more rural councils are classified as districts. Only Kawerau District an enclave within Whakatane District continues to follow the tradition of a small town council that does not include surrounding rural area. Israel Under Israeli law inherited from British Mandate municipal law the possibility of creating a municipal borough exists. However no borough was actually created under law until 20052006 when Neve Monosson and Maccabim-Re'ut both communal settlements (Heb: yishuv kehilati) founded in 1953 and 1984 respectively were declared to be autonomous municipal boroughs (Heb: vaad rova ironi) within their mergers with the towns of Yehud and Modi'in. Similar structures have been created under different types of legal status over the years in Israel notably Kiryat Haim in Haifa Jaffa in Tel Aviv-Yafo and Ramot and Gilo in Jerusalem. However Neve Monosson is the first example of a full municipal borough actually declared under law by the Minister of the Interior under a model subsequently adopted in Maccabim-Re'ut as well. It is the declared intention of the Interior Ministry to use the borough mechanism in order to facilitate municipal mergers in Israel after a 2003 wide-reaching merger plan which in general ignored the sensitivities of the communal settlements and largely failed. Netherlands Larger cities in the Netherlands are often divided into boroughs or stadsdelen Etymology The word borough derives from the Old English word burh meaning a fortified settlement. Other English derivatives of burh include bury and brough. There are obvious cognates in other Indo-European languages. For example; burgh in Scots and Middle English; burg in German and Old English2 borg in Scandinavian languages; parcus in Latin and pyrgos in Greek. A number of other European languages have cognate words that were borrowed from the Germanic languages during the Middle Ages including brog in Irish bwr or bwrc meaning "wall rampart" in Welsh bourg in French burg in Catalan (in Catalonia there is a town named Burg) borgo in Italian and burgo in Spanish (hence the place-name Burgos). The 'burg' element is often confused with 'berg' meaning hill or mountain (cf. iceberg). Hence the 'berg' element in Bergen relates to a hill rather than a fort. In some cases the 'berg' element in place names has converged towards burg/borough; for instance Farnborough from fernaberga (fern-hill). References 1881 census summary The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition (2000) See also Borough status in the United Kingdom Boroughs incorporated in England and Wales 18351882 Boroughs incorporated in England and Wales 18821974 Boroughs in New York City Burgh County borough Ancient borough History of local government in England List of burghs in Scotland Metropolitan borough Municipal borough v d eTypes of administrative country subdivisions Smallcaps indicate a type used by ten or more countries. Current English terms Alpine resort  Area (Insular area  Local government area  Special area  Urban (urbanized) area)  Bailiwick  Banner (Autonomous banner)  Block  Borough (County borough  Metropolitan borough)  Canton  Capital (Federal capital)  Circle  Circuit  City (Autonomous city  Chartered city  Independent city  Rural city)  Colony  Commune  Community (Autonomous community  Residential community)  Condominium  Constituency  County (Administrative county  Autonomous county  Metropolitan county)  Department  District (Autonomous district  Capital district  City district  Federal district  Metropolitan district  Municipal district  Subdistrict  Regional district)  Division (Cadastral division)  Duchy  Eldership  Federal dependency  Governorate  Hamlet  Municipality (Direct-controlled municipality  District municipality  Regional municipality  Regional county municipality  Rural municipality  Specialized municipality)  Neighbourhood  Parish (Civil parish)  Periphery  Prefecture (Autonomous prefecture  Subprefecture  Super-prefecture)  Principality (Co-principality)  Protectorate  Province (Autonomous province)  Quarter  Regency  Region (Autonomous region  Capital region  Special administrative region)  Republic (Autonomous republic)  Reservation (Reserve)  Riding  Sector  Shire  State  Suzerainty  Territory (Capital territory  Dependent territory  National territory  Union Territory)  Unit (Autonomous territorial unit  Local administrative unit)  Town  Townland  Township (Civil township)  Village (Summer village)  Ward Current non-English and loanword terms Amt  Arrondissement  Bairro  Bakhsh  Baladiyah  Barangay  Bezirk / Regierungsbezirk  Comarca  Comune  Dara  Deme  Frazione  Freguesia  Gmina  l  Jude  Kommun  Localit  Mahalle  Megye  Nome  Oblast  Okrug (Autonomous okrug)  Ostn  Powiat  Raion  Ranchera  Shabiyah  Shahr  Shahrestn  Ssla  Taluka  Tehsil  Vingtaine  Voivodeship  Wilayah  Woreda Defunct and historical English terms Agency  Barony  Burgh  Diocese  Exarchate  Free imperial city  Hide  Hundred  Imperial Circle  March  Praetorian prefecture  Presidency  Residency  Rural district  Sanitary district  Tithing  Urban district  Viscountcy (Viscounty) Defunct and historical non-English terms Commote  Heerlijkheid  Katepanikion  Liwa  Naucrary  Pagus  Pargana  Plas  Satrapy  Theme  Subah See also: Census division  Electoral division  Political division  Arabic terms for country subdivisions  French terms for country subdivisions  Spanish terms for country subdivisions