County vs. Region — What's the Difference?

Local administrative division.

Broad area with common features.

Responsible for specific local governance.

Can span multiple administrative areas.

Provides public services.

Used for strategic planning.

Has elected officials.

May not have formal governance.

Defined by political boundaries.

Defined by various characteristics.

A county is a geographical region of a country used for administrative or other purposes in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French conté or cunté denoting a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count (earl) or a viscount.

In geography, regions are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and the environment (environmental geography). Geographic regions and sub-regions are mostly described by their imprecisely defined, and sometimes transitory boundaries, except in human geography, where jurisdiction areas such as national borders are defined in law.

The largest administrative division of most states in the United States.

A large, usually continuous segment of a surface or space

A territorial division exercising administrative, judicial, and political functions in Great Britain and Ireland.

A portion of the earth's surface distinguished from others by some characteristic

The territory under the jurisdiction of a count or earl.

A bioregion.

The people living in a county.

A political district or unit, often with its adjacent lands

An administrative region of various countries, including Bhutan, Canada, China, Croatia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and 48 of the 50 United States (excluding Alaska and Louisiana).

An area of the body having natural or arbitrarily assigned boundaries

A definitive geographic region, without direct administrative functions.

An area of interest or activity; a sphere

A jail operated by a county government.

An approximate degree or amount

(historical) The land ruled by a count or a countess.

Any considerable and connected part of a space or surface; specifically, a tract of land or sea of considerable but indefinite extent; a country; a district; in a broad sense, a place without special reference to location or extent but viewed as an entity for geographical, social or cultural reasons.

Characteristic of a ‘county family’; representative of the gentry or aristocracy of a county.

An administrative subdivision of a city, a territory, a country.

An earldom; the domain of a count or earl.

(historical) Such a division of the city of Rome and of the territory about Rome, of which the number varied at different times; a district, quarter, or ward.

A circuit or particular portion of a state or kingdom, separated from the rest of the territory, for certain purposes in the administration of justice and public affairs; - called also a shire. See Shire.

An administrative subdivision of the European Union.

A count; an earl or lord.

A subnational region of Chile; equivalent to province.

A region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government;

(Ontario) regional municipality

The largest administrative district within a state;

Ellipsis of administrative region

(figuratively) The inhabitants of a region or district of a country.

(anatomy) A place in or a part of the body in any way indicated.

(obsolete) Place; rank; station; dignity.

(obsolete) The space from the earth's surface out to the orbit of the moon: properly called the elemental region.

One of the grand districts or quarters into which any space or surface, as of the earth or the heavens, is conceived of as divided; hence, in general, a portion of space or territory of indefinite extent; country; province; district; tract.

Tract, part, or space, lying about and including anything; neighborhood; vicinity; sphere.

The upper air; the sky; the heavens.

The inhabitants of a district.

Place; rank; station.

The extended spatial location of something;

A part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve;

A large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth;

The approximate amount of something (usually used prepositionally as in `in the region of');

A knowledge domain that you are interested in or are communicating about;

Regions generally do not have legal authority or a formal governmental structure, unlike counties which have defined responsibilities and governance.

Regions are typically larger and can encompass multiple counties, but the size can vary depending on the criteria used to define the region.

Yes, a county can be part of multiple regions if it shares characteristics with more than one defined area.

Counties are usually governed by elected officials, including a county board or council, and are responsible for local services like law enforcement and public health.

Regions play a significant role in strategic planning, especially in areas like economic development, transportation, and environmental conservation, by providing a broader perspective beyond individual counties.

A region can be identified by its natural features, cultural heritage, economic activities, or a combination of these and other factors.

The boundaries of a region can change or be redefined based on changing characteristics, such as economic development or environmental changes, unlike the more fixed boundaries of counties.

A county is defined as an administrative division within a state or country, with specific governmental responsibilities and legal boundaries.

A region is a broader area that can span multiple administrative divisions and is defined by common geographical, cultural, or economic features, rather than specific governance.

Some regions are officially recognized for administrative purposes, like census or statistical regions, while others are informally recognized based on common characteristics.