A ' () or ' () is an administrative division in several Hispanophone and Lusophone nations, respectively. It is often translated as 'municipality' in English. It comes from mūnicipium (), meaning 'township'.
In English, a municipality is often defined as relating to a single city or town, but in Spanish, the term municipio may not refer to a single city or town but rather a jurisdiction with several towns and cities such as a township, county, borough or civil parish. 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, 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.
Overview
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Country
! Term
!class="unsortable"|Detailed article
! Administered by
! Comment
|-
|Angola
|Município is used
|Municipalities of Angola
|
|-
|Argentina
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Argentina
|
| According to laws of the provinces
|-
|Bolivia
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Bolivia
|
| Below provinces
|-
|Brazil
|Município is used
|Municipalities of Brazil
|
|Município with elected (Prefeito) (mayor) and Vereador (plural: Vereadores) (councilors).They are part of the federation De facto et De jure
|-
|Chile
|Comuna is used
|Communes of Chile
|Municipalidad with elected alcalde (mayor) and councilors
|
|-
|Colombia
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Colombia
|
|Below departments
|-
|Costa Rica
|Municipalidad is used
|Municipalities of Costa Rica
|
|Coterminous with the Cantones
|-
|Cuba
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Cuba
|
|
|-
|Dominican Republic
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of the Dominican Republic
|ayuntamiento (elected municipal council) and síndico (mayor)
|
|-
|East Timor
|Município is used
|Municipalities of East Timor
|Autoridade Municipal (Municipal Authority), with a president (presidente), along with a Municipal Council (Concelho Municipal)
|
|-
|Ecuador
|Cantón is used
|Cantons of Ecuador
|Municipio or Municipalidad with elected alcalde (mayor) and concejales (councilors)
|Below provinces. Further subdivided into urban and rural parishes.
|-
|El Salvador
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of El Salvador
|Alcalde
|Below departments
|-
|Equatorial Guinea
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Equatorial Guinea
|Alcalde
|
|-
|Guatemala
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Guatemala
|Municipalidad
|Below departments
|-
|Honduras
|Municipalidad is used
|Municipalities of Honduras
|Alcalde
|Below departments
|-
|Italy
|Comune is used; in some parts of Italy the municipio is the building housing the administration of the comune; elsewhere it is simply called comune. A municipalità may be a subdivision of comune
|Municipalities of Italy
| Consiglio comunale, headed by a sindaco
|
|-
|Mexico
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Mexico
|Ayuntamiento, headed by a municipal president
|Below states
|-
|Mozambique
|Município is used
| Municipalities of Mozambique
|
|-
|Nicaragua
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Nicaragua
|Alcalde
|Below departments
|-
|Paraguay
|Municipalidad is used
|Municipalities of Paraguay
|
|
|-
|Peru
|Municipalidad is used
|Municipalities of Peru
|
|
|-
|Philippines
|Municipio (munisipyo) and sometimes municipalidad (municipalidad) are used
|Municipalities of the Philippines
|Elected alcalde (alkalde, “mayor”) as the executive, vicealcalde (bise alkalde, “vice mayor”) and concejales (konsehal, “councilor”) of the Sangguniang Bayan (Ayuntamiento, “Municipal Council”).
|Below provinces (except Pateros); equivalent to a town; has a lower income than a city (ciudad). Like a city, it is also further subdivided into barangays.
|-
|Portugal
|Município is used (also called concelho)
|Municipalities of Portugal
|Câmara Municipal (executive) and Assembleia Municipal (legislative)
|
|-
|Puerto Rico
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Puerto Rico
|Alcalde and municipal legislature
|
|-
|Spain
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Spain
|Ayuntamiento (municipal corporation) or Concejo abierto, headed by an alcalde
|
|-
|Uruguay
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Uruguay
|Alcaldía (municipal council), headed by an alcalde
|
|-
|Venezuela
|Municipio is used
|Municipalities of Venezuela
|Consejo Municipal (municipal council) with separately elected alcalde and independent comptroller
|Below state
|}
See also
- Municipalidad
- Commune (country subdivision)