A county-level city (Chinese: 县级市; pinyin: xiànjí shì) is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted A province, in the context of China, is a translation of sheng ( which is an administrative division An autonomous region ( is a first-level administrative subdivision of China. Direct-controlled municipality (直辖市 zhíxiáshì) is the highest level classificiation for Cities used by Chinese governments with status equal to A Special Administrative Region ( SAR) is a high autonomous administrative division of the People's Republic of China. Prefecture, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China. In a similar fashion to the former Soviet Union 's Titular nations a number of areas associated with one or more ethnic minorities are designated as '''autonomous''' A prefecture-level city ( or prefecture-level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and A sub-provincial city ( Chinese: 副省级城市 (or deputy-provincial city in the People's Republic of China, is a Prefecture-level city A league ( ayimaɣ or historically čiɣulɣan; Chinese: 盟 Pinyin: méng is an administrative unit in Inner Mongolia, In the context of Political divisions of China, county is the standard English translation of 县 ( xiàn) In a similar fashion to the former Soviet Union 's Titular nations a number of areas associated with one or more ethnic minorities are designated as '''autonomous''' A sub-prefecture-level city (副地級市 or vice-prefecture-level city, is an administrative division of China The term district, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China. This article is about a type of administrative division in Inner Mongolia China In a similar fashion to the former Soviet Union 's Titular nations a number of areas associated with one or more ethnic minorities are designated as '''autonomous''' Township ( is the basic level of political divisions in China. In a similar fashion to the former Soviet Union 's Titular nations a number of areas associated with one or more ethnic minorities are designated as '''autonomous''' Sum, sumu, sumon, and somon ( sumuud) are a type of administrative district used in China, Mongolia, and Russia In a similar fashion to the former Soviet Union 's Titular nations a number of areas associated with one or more ethnic minorities are designated as '''autonomous''' When referring to Political Divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 (simplified 镇; pinyin zhèn Wade-Giles The subdistrict ( Chinese: 街道 Pinyin: Jiēdào is one of the smallest Political divisions of China. The term district, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions. See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted

Most county-level cities were created in the 1980s and 1990s by replacing counties. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 In the context of Political divisions of China, county is the standard English translation of 县 ( xiàn) This process was halted in 1997. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar

County-level cities are not "cities" in the strictest sense of the word, since they usually contain rural areas many times the size of their urban, built-up area. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status This is because the counties that county-level cities have replaced are themselves large administrative units containing towns, villages, and farmland. In the context of Political divisions of China, county is the standard English translation of 县 ( xiàn) When referring to Political Divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 (simplified 镇; pinyin zhèn Wade-Giles To distinguish a "county-level city" from its actual urban area (the traditional meaning of the word "city"), the term 市区 shìqū, or "urban area", is used. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status

Comparable territorial divisions in other countries

In France, an equivalent of a county-level city is an agglomeration community. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. An agglomeration community ( French: communauté d'agglomération) is a metropolitan government structure in France, created by the Chevènement

While the idea of a "city" being a unit consisting of several "towns" is not a common one in English-speaking world, a somewhat similar naming convention is used for Local Government Areas in some parts of Australia. Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled For example, in New South Wales such a unit may often be called a "city" (rather than a traditional "shire"), and consist of "towns". The Local Government Areas of New South Wales, Australia have been subject to periodic bouts of restructuring and rationalisation by the State Government involving E. g. City of Blue Mountains is made of a number of towns (Katoomba, Springwood, etc. The City of Blue Mountains is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. Katoomba is the chief town of the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia and the administrative headquarters of Blue Mountains City Council Springwood is a town in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. ).

Sub-prefecture-level cities

A sub-prefecture-level city is a county-level city with powers approaching those of prefecture-level cities. A sub-prefecture-level city (副地級市 or vice-prefecture-level city, is an administrative division of China A prefecture-level city ( or prefecture-level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and Examples include Jiyuan (Henan province), Xiantao (Hubei), and Golmud (Qinghai). Jiyuan ( is a Sub-prefecture-level city in northwestern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Henan ( is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country Xiantao ( Chinese: 仙桃 Pinyin: Xiāntáo is a city in the province of Hubei in central China ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. Golmud, sometimes spelled Ge'ermu or Geermu ( Mongolian: Голмуд meaning "Rivers" in local Western Mongolian dialect; Tibetan (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake.

See also

• County of China
• Provincial city
• Political divisions of China
• Agglomeration communities in France