The administrative division system of the United States is similar to that of China in some respects, but quite different in others. Today, let us explore how the United States is administratively divided.
Regarding the administrative divisions of the United States, there is an important premise that needs to be clarified in advance:
In China, a city is larger than a county;
In the United States, a county is larger than a city.
Administrative Divisions of the United States
The administrative divisions of the United States are relatively simple, generally divided into three levels: State, County, and City. Each state governs multiple counties, and each county governs multiple cities.
States: As everyone knows, the 50 stars on the Stars and Stripes represent the 50 states of the United States. A state is the first-level administrative division of the United States, similar to provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities directly under the central government in China.
County: The second-level administrative division of the United States. It is similar in size to a county in China, and even the number of them is comparable.
According to Baidu data, there are 2,856 counties in China, while there are approximately 3,100 in the United States.
City: The third-level administrative division of the United States, which is the smallest level of administrative division. A city in the United States does not necessarily imply high-rise buildings or dense crowds.
Most cities have populations ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands; in extreme cases, the population may be less than 10,000, similar to a district within a Chinese city.
Cities vary in size, and so do counties
As mentioned earlier, U.S. counties correspond to counties, autonomous prefectures, or leagues in China in terms of size; this is a general comparison. In fact, there are significant differences between U.S. counties. For example, California has 58 counties. Some counties have very small populations (Alpine County has a total population of only 1,000+), while others have very large populations (Los Angeles County has a population of 10 million+); some counties have very small areas (San Francisco County is 47 square kilometers), while others have very large areas (San Bernardino County is over 50,000 square kilometers).
What exactly is the concept of a Town?
"Town" is an ambiguous word in the United States and does not have a fixed definition. "Town" often refers to a small place, such as a village. This definition is imprecise and has nothing to do with legal administrative divisions. Using "Town" to describe a relatively small place is very common in the United States.
