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Administrative divisions of Poland |
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Voivodeships Powiats (list) Gminas (list) |
The gmina (Polish: [ˈɡmina], plural gminy [ˈɡminɨ]) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality.[1] As of 1 January 2019[update], there were 2,477 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. Nine hundred and forty gminy include cities and towns, with 322 among them constituting an independent urban gmina (Polish: gmina miejska) consisting solely of a standalone town or one of the 107 cities, the latter governed by a city mayor (prezydent miasta).[2]
The gmina has been the basic unit of territorial division in Poland since 1974, when it replaced the smaller gromada (cluster). Three or more gminy make up a higher level unit called a powiat, except for those holding the status of a city with powiat rights. Each and every powiat has the seat in a city or town, in the latter case either an urban gmina or a part of an urban-rural one.