County vs. Township — What's the Difference?

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.

A township is some kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. While the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule.

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

A subdivision of a county in most northeast and Midwest US states, having the status of a unit of local government with varying governmental powers.

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

A public land surveying unit of 36 sections or 36 square miles.

The territory under the jurisdiction of a count or earl.

An ancient administrative division of a large parish in England.

The people living in a county.

A suburb or city in South Africa formerly designated by the government as a predominantly black residential area.

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).

The territory of a town.

A definitive geographic region, without direct administrative functions.

A subdivision of a county.

A jail operated by a county government.

An area set aside for nonwhite occupation.

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

A nonwhite (usually subeconomic) area attached to a city.

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

A small town.

An earldom; the domain of a count or earl.

The district or territory of a town.

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.

In surveys of the public land of the United States, a division of territory six miles square, containing 36 sections.

A count; an earl or lord.

In Canada, one of the subdivisions of a county.

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

An administrative division of a county;

The largest administrative district within a state;