City, District, County, Town: What Are the Differences?
2021-05-22
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1(Question) Aygün writes,
2Can you explain the words 'province, city, district, county and town? What are the differences?
3(Answer) Dear Aygün,
4Your question centers on how a country divides itself into different levels of governance.
5The difference is much like the layers of an onion - underneath a large layer there are smaller layers beneath.
6There are differences between how these levels of governance look between countries, so let's only explore the United States.
7In the United States, we use the term "state" instead of the term "province."
8A state is a part of a country that can make its own laws about some things.
9But it is still controlled by the federal government.
10The United States has 50 states - Texas, New York, California, and so on.
11Each of these states generally has many cities, districts, counties, and towns.
12A city is a place where people live that is larger than a town.
13Famous cities in the U.S. include New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago.
14Let's talk through an example.
15Colorado is a state.
16Cities in Colorado include Denver, with an estimated population around 730,000, and Colorado Springs, with about 480,000 people.
17Towns in Colorado include Silverton, with an estimated population of 600, and Nucla, with around 700.
18A county is an area of a state that is larger than a city and has its own government to deal with local issues.
19For example, El Paso County, in Colorado, has the city of Colorado Springs as well as other communities inside of it.
20A district is an area of a country, city, or town that a government establishes for official business.
21In the U.S., there are school districts, voting districts, and so on.
22Colorado's 5th Congressional District, for example, is a voting district that includes Colorado Springs and other communities.
23It might help to think about different levels of governance in your country.
24Then you can compare your country to the United States.
25Maps can help, as well as the news!
26If you have a question for our staff of teachers, send it by email to learningenglish@voanews.com.
27And that's Ask a Teacher!
28I'm John Russell.
1Question: 2Aygün writes, 3Can you explain the words 'province, city, district, county and town? What are the differences? 4Answer: 5Dear Aygün, 6Your question centers on how a country divides itself into different levels of governance. The difference is much like the layers of an onion - underneath a large layer there are smaller layers beneath. 7There are differences between how these levels of governance look between countries, so let's only explore the United States. 8In the United States, we use the term "state" instead of the term "province." 9A state is a part of a country that can make its own laws about some things. But it is still controlled by the federal government. 10The United States has 50 states - Texas, New York, California, and so on. 11Each of these states generally has many cities, districts, counties, and towns. 12A city is a place where people live that is larger than a town. Famous cities in the U.S. include New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago. 13Let's talk through an example. 14Colorado is a state. Cities in Colorado include Denver, with an estimated population around 730,000, and Colorado Springs, with about 480,000 people. 15Towns in Colorado include Silverton, with an estimated population of 600, and Nucla, with around 700. 16A county is an area of a state that is larger than a city and has its own government to deal with local issues. For example, El Paso County, in Colorado, has the city of Colorado Springs as well as other communities inside of it. 17A district is an area of a country, city, or town that a government establishes for official business. 18In the U.S., there are school districts, voting districts, and so on. 19Colorado's 5th Congressional District, for example, is a voting district that includes Colorado Springs and other communities. 20It might help to think about different levels of governance in your country. Then you can compare your country to the United States. Maps can help, as well as the news! 21If you have a question for our staff of teachers, send it by email to learningenglish@voanews.com. 22And that's Ask a Teacher! 23I'm John Russell. 24John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 25_____________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27layer - n. an amount of something that is spread over an area 28onion - n. a round vegetable that is usually white, yellow, or red and has a strong smell and taste