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A '''county''', otherwise known as a shire, is a unit of local government that exists in most, and historically, all English speaking countries of the world. The first shires were the ancient divisions of the kingdom of [[Wessex]], and this system was expanded to the whole of [[England]] when the kings of Wessex became kings of [[England]] in the 10th century. Towards the end of the [[Medieval]] period the system was further expanded to [[Wales]], [[Scotland]], and [[Ireland]]. With the growth of the [[British Empire]] the system was expanded to [[America]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]].
A '''county''', otherwise known as a shire, is a unit of [[local government]] that exists in most, and historically, all English speaking countries of the world. The first shires were the ancient divisions of the kingdom of [[Wessex]], and this system was expanded to the whole of [[England]] when the kings of Wessex became kings of [[England]] in the 10th century. Towards the end of the [[Medieval]] period the system was further expanded to [[Wales]], [[Scotland]], and [[Ireland]]. With the growth of the [[British Empire]] the system was expanded to [[America]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]].
Traditionally, the chief officer of a county was a [[sheriff]], a word that comes from the [[Old English]] "shire-reeve" (a "reeve" was a general name for an administrative officer). Arguably the most famous sherriff in history was the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] from the [[Robin Hood]] legends. This office still survives in modern times, though administrative practice has gradually diverged and whereas in the USA a sheriff is nowadays a chief of police, in the UK he is a council officer responsible for enforcing court orders.
Traditionally, the chief officer of a county was a [[sheriff]], a word that comes from the [[Old English]] "shire-reeve" (a "reeve" was a general name for an administrative officer). Arguably the most famous sheriff in history was the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] from the [[Robin Hood]] legends. This office still survives in modern times, though administrative practice has gradually diverged and whereas in some parts of the USA a sheriff is nowadays a chief of police, in the UK he is a council officer responsible for enforcing court orders.
[[Category:sociology]]
The term "county" is also used to describe the rural administrative division below a [[city]] in [[China]] and [[Taiwan]], known in Chinese as 县(Pinyin: xian). Chinese counties have more powers than urban divisions at the same level, known as districts (区,qu). The head of a Chinese county is known as a "[[magistrate]]" in English, although this office now has no judicial function. The Chinese term is "xianzhang" {县长}.
In the [[United States]], a county is an administrative level between the [[city]] and the [[state]]. The [[town]] in which the county government is located is called the [[county seat]]. Most states are completely divided into counties. However, four states have at least one [[independent city]] that is outside of any county. Counties are called parishes in [[Louisiana]] and [[borough]]s in [[Alaska]], although much of Alaska lies in an area called the Unorganized Borough, which is governed directly by the state. In some [[New England]] states, county governments have been abolished, and the counties exist as geographical areas only.
==See also==
* [[British counties]]
* [[:Category:United States Counties|United States Counties]]
* [[Social Services]]
[[Category:Counties]]
[[Category:United States Counties]]
[[Category:Government]]
[[Category:Sociology]]