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{{short description|Designation for types of settlement as administrative territorial entities}}
{{other uses|Township (disambiguation)}}{{distinguish|Dispersed settlement}}
{{World city population tables}}
A '''township''' is a kind of [[human settlement]] or [[administrative subdivision]], with its meaning varying in different countries.

Although the term is occasionally associated with an [[urban area]], that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canada, [[Scotland]] and parts of the United States, the term refers to settlements too small or scattered to be considered urban.

{{TOC right}}

==Australia==
{{See also|Suburbs and localities (Australia)}}
''[[The Australian National Dictionary]]'' defines ''township'' as: "A site reserved for and laid out as a [[town]]; such a site at an early stage of its occupation and development; a small town".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://australiannationaldictionary.com.au/oupnewindex1.php |title=Township|date=2022 |website=Australian National Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=22 June 2022|quote=To those unacquainted with Australian colloquialisms the word 'township' is misleading. One is reluctant to give to a little [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]], containing barely a dozen houses, a title which would more properly apply to a town of moderate size. But, nevertheless, of that character are the majority of colonial townships.}}</ref>

The term refers purely to the settlement; it does not refer to a unit of government. Townships are governed as part of a larger council (such as that of a [[shire]], [[district]] or [[city]]) or authority.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2901.0Chapter23002016 |title=Australian Statistical Geography Standard |author= |date=2016 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=22 June 2022 }}</ref>

==Canada==
{{Main article|Township (Canada)}}
{{See also|Dominion Land Survey}}

In [[Canada]], two kinds of township occur in common use.
*In [[Eastern Canada]], a township is one form of the subdivision of a [[county]]. In [[Canadian French]], this is a {{Lang|fr-CA|canton}}. Townships are referred to as "lots" in [[Prince Edward Island]]; they merely form [[census subdivisions]] and are not administrative units. In Canada, a municipality is a city, town, township, county, or [[regional municipality]] which has been incorporated by [[statute]] by the legislatures of the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|provinces and territories]].

*In [[Western Canada]], townships exist only for the purpose of land division by the [[Dominion Land Survey]] and do not form administrative units. These townships are nominally six miles by six miles (36 square miles, or roughly 93 km<sup>2</sup>). Townships are designated by their township number and range number. Township 1 is the first north of the First Base Line, and the numbers increase to the north. While not an administrative unit, [[Alberta]] and [[Saskatchewan]] do have numbered [[Range road|township and range roads]] in rural areas based on the old Dominion Land Survey. In [[Saskatchewan]] and [[Manitoba]], [[Rural municipality (Canada)|rural municipalities]], township-like administrative units below the provincial level, are made up of groups of said surveyed townships.

==China==
{{Main article|Townships of the People's Republic of China}}
In [[China]], townships are found at the fourth level of the [[Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China|administrative hierarchy]], below [[Counties of China|counties]], [[District (China)|districts]] and county level [[List of cities in China|cities]]; above [[Villages of China|villages]] and communities, together with [[ethnic township]]s, [[town of China|town]]s and [[Subdistricts of China|subdistrict]]s.

==India==
In [[India]], townships are found at the fourth level of the city.

==Jersey==
In [[Jersey]], a township is a redundant term, as the only surviving local government level at present are the 12 [[Parishes of Jersey|parishes]] of the island.

==Malaysia==
{{Main article|Mukim}}
In [[Malaysia]], townships are found at the third level of the [[Administrative divisions of Malaysia|administrative hierarchy]], is a [[Country subdivision|subdivision]] of a ''{{Lang|ms|[[daerah]]}}'' ([[district]] or [[county]]) or autonomous sub-district (''{{Lang|ms|daerah kecil}}''), while above ''{{Lang|ms|[[kampung]]}}'' ([[village]]) and {{Lang|ms|taman}} (residential neighbourhood) as per Section 11(c) of the [[National Land Code (Malaysia)|National Land Code]] 1965.

==New Zealand==
In local government in [[New Zealand]], there are no longer towns or townships. All land is part of either a "[[List of cities in New Zealand|city]]" (mostly urban) or a "[[Districts of New Zealand|district]]" (mostly rural).  The term "municipality" has become rare in New Zealand since about 1979 and has no legal status.

The term "township" is, however, still in common usage in New Zealand, in reference to a small town or urban community located in a rural area. The expression would generally equate to that of "village" in England.<ref>{{cite web |last=Baker |first=Carl |date=21 June 2018 |title=City & Town Classification of Constituencies & Local Authorities |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8322/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 June 2022 |website=Commons Library, UK Parliament}}</ref>
==Pakistan==
{{main|Tehsil}}
{{empty section|date=March 2023}}

==Philippines==
In the [[Philippines]], "townships" referred to administrative divisions established during the [[History of the Philippines (1898–1946)|American Civil Government]] in the country. Many of these political divisions were originally established as [[rancheria]]s during the [[History of the Philippines (1521-1898)|Spanish Regime]]. The term was later replaced with "[[municipal district]]".<ref name=TamingPhilH>{{cite book|last1=Keesing|first1=Felix Maxwell|last2=Keesing|first2=Marie Margaret|last3=Keesing|first3=Marie Martin|title=Taming Philippine Headhunters: A Study of Government and of Cultural Change in Northern Luzon|date=1934|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=9780804721103|page=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0OsAAAAIAAJ|access-date=11 November 2014}}</ref> Most municipal districts would later be converted into [[Municipalities in the Philippines|regular municipalities]] by [[executive order]]s from the Philippine president.<ref name=GovPH>{{cite web|title=Executive Order No. 42, s. 1963: Declaring Certain Municipal Districts in the Philippines as Municipalities|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1963/06/25/executive-order-no-42-s-1963/|website=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines|access-date=25 October 2014}}</ref>

Currently, [[Mambukal]], a [[hill station]] geographically located in [[Murcia, Negros Occidental]], is the only legally constituted township in the Philippines, created under Republic Act No. 1964, approved June 22, 1957.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

In modern days, the term "township" in the Philippines refers to new developments with their own amenities both Vertical and Horizontal projects. The modern and largest townships in the Philippines are [[New Clark City]] with 9,450 hectares in [[Capas]] of [[Tarlac]], Hamilo Coast with 5,900 hectares in [[Nasugbu]] of [[Batangas]], Nuvali with 2,290 hectares in [[Santa Rosa, Laguna|Santa Rosa]] of [[Laguna (province)|Laguna]], Lancaster New City with 2,000 hectares in Kawit Imus GenTri of [[Cavite]], Vista City with 1,500 hectares in Las Piñas Muntinlupa of [[Metro Manila]] and [[Dasmariñas]] of Cavite, Twin Lakes with 1,149 hectares in [[Tagaytay]] of Cavite and Alviera with 1,125 hectares in [[Porac]] of [[Pampanga]]. Majority of the current townships are located near Metro Manila, allowing faster access to the capital region by road and/or rail transport.

==Post-Soviet countries==
{{main|Urban-type settlement}}

In the context of [[Russian Empire]], the [[Soviet Union]], and [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] states, the term is sometimes used to denote a small semi-urban, sometimes industrial, settlement and used to translate the terms ''{{Lang|ru|поселок городского типа|italic=no}}'' ([[Urban-type settlement|townlet]]), ''{{Lang|ru|посад|italic=no}}'' (''{{Lang|ru-latn|[[posad]]}}''), ''{{Lang|ru|местечко|italic=no}}'' (''mestechko'', from Polish "{{Lang|pl|[[miasteczko]]}}", a small town; in the cases of predominant [[Jewish]] population the latter is sometimes translated as [[shtetl]]).{{cn|date=January 2018}}

==South Africa==
[[File:Khayelitsha, Baden Powell Drive (South Africa).jpg|thumb|[[Khayelitsha]]]]
{{Main article|Township (South Africa)}}

In [[South Africa]], under [[apartheid]], the term ''township'' (or ''location''), in everyday usage, came to mean a residential development that confined non-whites (Blacks, Coloureds, and Indians) living near or working in white-only communities. [[Soweto]] ("SOuth-WEstern TOwnships") and [[Mdantsane]] are well-known examples. However, the term township also has a precise legal meaning and is used on land titles in all areas, not only traditionally non-white areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lawsoc.co.za/webs/surveyorgeneral/survey_system_sa/survey_system_sa.doc |title=The Survey System in South Africa |first=Richard |last=Birkett |date=August 2003 |publisher=KZNLS Information Services |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222081957/http://www.lawsoc.co.za/webs/surveyorgeneral/survey_system_sa/survey_system_sa.doc |archive-date=2018-12-22 |access-date=October 21, 2022 |quote=page 3: In an urban area, the basic unit of land is an erf. And page 5: A general plan is registered as a “township” in the Deeds Office and in he case of Durban. Hence the trend now is to frame diagrams for townships that should really be depicted on general plans.}}</ref>

==Taiwan==
{{Main article|Township (Taiwan)}}
In [[Taiwan]], townships are administered by a [[County (Taiwan)|county]], together with [[county-administered city]]. There are three types of townships in Taiwan: urban townships, rural townships and mountain indigenous townships. Mountain indigenous townships are those with significant populations of [[Taiwanese aborigines]].

==Thailand==
{{Main article|Tambon}}
{{empty section|date=March 2023}}

==United Kingdom==
===England===
{{Main article|Township (England)}}
[[File:Township marker mungrisdale.jpg|thumb|Township boundary marker at Mungrisdale, Cumbria. The marker has been restored for historical purposes.]]
In England, the term township is no longer in official use, but the term still has some meaning.

In England, townships referred to subdivisions of large [[Parish (administrative division)|parishes]] for administrative purposes.<ref>{{citation|last=Winchester|first=A.|year=2000|title=Discovering parish boundaries|publisher=Shire Publications|location=Princes Risborough, UK.|isbn=0-7478-0470-2|pages=21–29}}</ref> This use became obsolete at the end of the 19th century, when local government reform converted many townships that had been subdivisions of ancient parishes into the newer [[civil parishes]] in their own right. This formally separated the connection between the ecclesiastical functions of ancient parishes and the civil administrative functions that had been started in the 16th century. Recently, some councils, normally in the north of England, have revived the term.

===Scotland===
{{Main article|Township (Scotland)}}
In Scotland, the term is still used for some rural settlements. In parts of the [[Highlands and Islands area|Highlands and Islands]], a [[township (Scotland)|township]] is a [[crofting]] settlement. In the Highlands generally the term may describe a very small [[agrarian community]].

===Wales===
For townships in Wales, which were created by an Act of Parliament in 1539 see: [[Townships in Montgomeryshire]].

==United States==
{{Main article|Township (United States)}}
It is a subdivision of a county and is usually 36 square miles (about 93 square kilometres) in area.<ref>Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2012, September 28). township. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/township</ref> There are two types of townships in the [[United States]]; a [[U.S. state|state]] may have one or both types. In states that have both, the boundaries often coincide in many counties.

* A [[civil township]] is a widely used unit of [[local government]] in the [[United States]], subordinate to a [[county (United States)|county]]. Specific responsibilities and the degree of [[Wiktionary:autonomy|autonomy]] vary based on each [[U.S. state|state]]. In many states, townships are organized and operate under the authority of state statutes, similar to counties. In others, townships operate as municipal corporations—chartered entities with a degree of home rule.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} There are exceptions, the most notable being [[Township (New Jersey)|New Jersey]] and [[Township (Pennsylvania)|Pennsylvania]], where townships are a class of incorporation with fixed boundaries and equal standing to a village, town, borough, or city, analogous to a [[New England town]] or [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|towns in New York]].

* A [[survey township]] is a unit of land measure defined by the [[Public Land Survey System]], which in many states has no governmental function at all.

===Puerto Rico===
When after the Treaty of Paris, the U.S. did its first census of Puerto Rico the documents called them "barrios" as they had been called when Puerto Rico was under Spanish rule.<ref name="OfficeSanger1900">{{cite book|author1=Joseph Prentiss Sanger|author2=Henry Gannett|author3=Walter Francis Willcox|title=Informe sobre el censo de Puerto Rico, 1899, United States. War Dept. Porto Rico Census Office|url=https://archive.org/details/informesobreelc00joangoog|year=1900|publisher=Imprenta del gobierno|page=[https://archive.org/details/informesobreelc00joangoog/page/n253 162]| language=es}}</ref> The townships or ''[[Barrios of Puerto Rico|barrios]]'' as they are called in P.R. and on U.S. Census documents are subdivisions of [[municipalities of Puerto Rico]].<ref name= "2010 Census">{{cite book|title=Puerto Rico:2010:population and housing unit counts.pdf | url = https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo35934/cph-2-53.pdf|year=2010|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{Cite GNIS|2415755|Parguera Barrio}}</ref>

==Vietnam==
In [[Vietnam]], a [[Commune-level town (Vietnam)|commune-level town]] (''thị trấn'') is very similar to a township; it is a subdivision of a rural district (''huyện'') and is the lowest administration subdivision in the country.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

==Zimbabwe==
In [[Zimbabwe]], the term township was used for segregated parts of suburban areas. During colonial years in [[Rhodesia]], the term township referred to a residential area reserved for black citizens within the boundaries of a city or town and is still commonly used colloquially. This reflected the [[Township (South Africa)|South African]] usage.

In modern Zimbabwe, the term is also used to refer to a residential area within close proximity of a rural growth point.<ref>{{cite web|title=Reporting from Zimbabwe: a visit to Harare's biggest township|url=http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/reporting-from-zimbabwe-a-visit-to-harares-biggest-township|website=University of Cambridge|access-date=27 September 2017|language=en|date=17 August 2013}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Croft (Scotland)]]
* [[Market town]]
* [[Shtetl]]
* [[Town]]
* [[Townland]]
* [[Urban-type settlement]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities}}

[[Category:Townships| ]]
[[Category:Types of administrative division]]

Township - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article