Slagelse Municipality

Slagelse Municipality is a municipality (Danish: "kommune") in Region Zealand on the west coast of the island of Zealand (Danish: "Sjælland") in Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 571 km². The municipality borders Kalundborg Municipality to the north, Sorø Municipality to the north-east, Næstved Municipality to the south-east and connects to Nyborg Municipality via the Great Belt Bridge.
The main city and the site of the municipal council is the city of Slagelse. The mayor has since 2017 been John Dyrby Paulsen, a member of the Social Democratic political party.
The municipality include the inhabited islands of Omø, Agersø and Glænø, as well as the uninhabited islands of Sprogø, Østerfed, Stenfed, Ormø, Fuglehøj, Sandholm, Kidholm and Fugleholm.
On 1 January 2007 the former Slagelse municipality was, as the result of "Kommunalreformen" ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), merged with Hashøj, Korsør, and Skælskør municipalities to form an enlarged Slagelse municipality.
History.
Slagelse has existed since the 1000s, and coins have been minted there since Cnut the Great's time. It was granted the status of market town by Eric V in 1288. Skælskør was given market town status in 1414. Korsør was granted the same status in 1425. While Slagelse and Skælskør were already important locations before becoming a market town, with the ring castle of Trelleborg located next to Slagelse, Korsør was a more insignificant town before becoming a market town. Korsør's location quickly made it an important town for ferry services to Nyborg on Funen. The three towns became competitors for the land and resources. Korsør's importance as a way to get to Funen allowed Korsør to be favoritized over Slagelse until the 1600s. The town remained small, but fared better than Slagelse, who was struggling. This was also linked to Korsør's access to the sea, giving them a variety of opportunities and privileges, including being able to ship out the grain from many farm areas on western Zealand, leaving them in conflict with the neighboring towns. Slagelse's economy was meanwhile mainly based on artisanry and tobacco. Skælskør was a lesser part of the conflict on western Zealand.
Through the middle ages the three towns remained market towns, with the remaining territory of the current municipality going under the administrative hundreds of Slagelse Hundred and Vester Flakkebjerg Hundred. These belonged to the syssel of Vestersyssel. In 1660 the syssel was changed and split up into two counties (Danish: "amter"). These were Antvorskov County and Korsør County, and they approximately made up the current borders of Slagelse Municipality. In 1798 these counties were merged with Sorø County. In the 1970 Danish Municipal Reform the administrative division of the region was changed again. Market towns were dissolved, and Slagelse instead became the seat of the new Slagelse Municipality. Korsør became the seat of Korsør Municipality, Skælskør of Skælskør Municipality and Dalmose of Hashøj Municipality. All four municipalities were in the new West Zealand County. In the Municipal Reform of 2007 these four municipalities were merged to form the current municipality, which became a municipality in the new Region Zealand.
Mayors.
Since the 2007 municipal reform, the mayors of Slagelse Municipality have been:
Towns.
Below are all settlements in the municipality with populations of at least 200 people (populations as of 2020).
Slagelse.
Slagelse is the largest city in the municipality, and is the seat of the municipal council. It is the 21st largest city in Denmark. The city's largest attractions include the sizable shopping center West Zealand Center (Danish: "Vestsjællandscenteret"), the ruins of Antvorskov and the nearby ring castle of Trelleborg.
Slagelse is located around 15 km east of Korsør and 17 km north-east of Skælskør. 13 km east of Slagelse is Sorø, 33 km north is Kalundborg and 32 km south-east is Næstved. Slagelse borders a large forest area to the south-east, with the closest parts of the forest known as "Slagelse Lystskov". Antvorskov barracks and the village of Harrested is located to the south, while the rest of the city borders fields.
Antvorskov and the ruins of the Antvorskov Monastery is located in the southern part of the town, where a school and a large supermarket is also located. The police department of the municipality is also located in the southern part of the town, as is Antvorskov Church. The south-western part of the city consist of residential areas and a number of large shops. The western side of the town is mainly residential with a small industrial area. Also to the west, though closer to the center of the city, is Slagelse Gymnasium and the surrounding educations and schools, including a large vocational school. The hiking trail and former railway "Fodsporet" cut through the south and western parts of Slagelse. The northern parts of Slagelse have large residential and industrial areas, and is also the location of the Danish Welfarehistorical Museum, several schools and a vocational school. To the east is Skovsø, which is a village that has mostly grown together with Slagelse and is home to many industries. A golf course is also located in Skovsø. Next to Skovsø, at the south-east of Slagelse, are mostly residential areas, and further towards the town center is Slagelse Hospital. The center of Slagelse is the home to a large number of shops, restaurants, cafés and services. Slagelse Library, Slagelse Museum, Slagelse Train Station, the town hall and two churches are located around the center of the city. The West Zealand Center (Danish: "Vestsjællandscenteret") is a shopping center originating from 1969 and is also located at the center of the town.
Korsør.
Korsør is located on the south-western tip of Zealand, connecting to Nyborg through the Great Belt Bridge. The city is split in two by the "Korsør Nor" fjord. The northern half of the city is known as Halsskov, and is home to Korsør Train Station, located in the outskirts of Halsskov, near the village of Stibjerg Huse. Halsskov is home to a small industrial area, a harbour, Halsskov Church, a sizable camping and vacation center and a number of cultural facilities, including a library. The southern half of Korsør is known by the city's name, and is home to a naval base, a harbour, St Povls Church and a small industrial area. The Danish Maritime Authority has its headquarter in Korsør. Also located in the city is Korsør Fortification (Danish: "Korsør Fæstning"), where a castle from the 1200s used to be located. It was torn down in the start of the 1800s, but the fortifications remain.
Skælskør.
Skælskør is located south-east of Korsør and south-west of Slagelse. It borders the fjord of "Noret", which goes through the town and split it in two. Skælskør Church is located in the western part of the town. In the eastern part is a sizable industrial area. Denmark Bus Museum is located in Skælskør. The village and beach of Kobæk Strand is located 1 km west of Skælskør.
Forlev-Vemmelev.
Forlev-Vemmelev (also known under the individual names Forlev and Vemmelev) are two towns that have grown together. The merged town is referred to under all three names. The Statistics Denmark refer to the town as Forlev while Slagelse Municipality refer to it as Vemmelev. The E20 motorway cut through the town, with the former Forlev located north of the motorway and Vemmelev south of it. A bridge connects the two sides of the town. Vemmelev Church is located in Vemmelev.
Villages.
The large size and population of the municipality mean that there are many small villages and settlements in the municipality.
Slots Bjergby is a village located ca. 2 km south of Slagelse. The village, which has also had the names of "Bjergby" and "Munke Bjergby", is home to the highest located church on Zealand, 77.5 meters above sea level.
Fladholte is a small village located 12 km south-east of Slagelse. The village is located on the border to Næstved Municipality. In the village is the largest private collection of military vehicles in the Nordic Countries, in a museum called PanzerMuseum East. The museum display various types of military vehicles, two helicopters and a Bac 1-11 passenger plane is also displayed in the museum.
Årslev is located 6 km north of Slagelse. Outside the village, to the east, is a permanent circus and amusement park called Arena Cirkusland, home to Cirkus Arena.
Omø By is the main settlement on the island of Omø, with the other settlement on the island called Kirkehavn (or Omø Kirkehavn). Omø Church is located in Omø By.
The main settlement on the island of Agersø is called Agersø By. Agersø Church and Agersø Mill are located here.
The island of Glænø is inhabited, though there are no named settlements on the island.
In addition to these villages, there are a number of smaller settlements in the municipality. These are all the settlements with populations of less than 200 people:
Nature.
Most of the land in the municipality are used for agriculture, leaving little territory for nature. The municipality does have a long coastline with many important spots for especially birds, and there are also a series of forests located around in the municipality.
The Slagelse Forests (Danish: "Slagelseskovene") is a number of forests that are more or less grown together and form one of the largests forests in Denmark. These forests are "Slagelse Lystskov", "Charlottedal Skov", "Nykobbel", "Valbygård Skov", "Treskelskov", "Sønder Overdrev" and "Falkensten Skov". The trees in the forests are mainly broad-leaved trees dominated by beech. There are also areas dominated by Pinales. Several dolmens can be found in the forest. Common birds found in the forest include common buzzard, Eurasian sparrowhawk, common raven, Eurasian woodcock, black woodpecker and tawny owl.
Tude Å is a river spanning from Trelleborg near Slagelse and out to the coast between Frølunde Fed and Næsby Strand. 208 acres around the river have been protected since 1991. This area is known as Tude Ådal. The river's significance in terms of flora and fauna is limited, but it is a historically important place due to its close ties to Trelleborg and the vikings.
100 acres around the hill of Tårnbjerg were protected in 1993. The hill borders Korsør Nor and is located east of Korsør, west of Tårnby and south-east of Svenstrup and Frølunde.
In the south-west of Slagelse Municipality, bordering Skælskør to the south, is the peninsula of Stignæs. 1,215 acres are protected. The protection was carried out over two stages, first in 1978 and then in 1987. The areas covered in the protection are Stigsnæs, Borreby and Basnæs Nor. The nature of the peninsula include forests, bogs and beach meadows. "Doronicum pardalianches" is a rare plant in Denmark that can be found on the peninsula. The peninsula is used by many migrating birds, and there are high populations of birds of prey, mainly common buzzard and European honey buzzard. The peninsula is the only breeding spot for the black-tailed godwit on Zealand.
Glænø and the fjords.
Glænø is located between the fjords of Holsteinborg Nor and Basnæs Nor, with the smaller fjord of Øksenæs Nor located further west. Not all territory in the three fjords are protected, but they are all bird sanctuaries with strict rules in regards to hunting in the area. Parts of Øksenæs Nor is protected under the Stignæs protection, while 276 acres in and around Holsteinborg Nor have been protected since 1936. The Holsteinborg Nor protection also covers the small islands of Ormø and Fuglehøj.
An old-growth forest is located on Ormø, where a large great cormorant colony also breeds. Around 5% of the breeding great cormorants in Denmark breed on Ormø. Other birds that breed in Holsteinborg Nor include grey heron, common eider, European herring gull, common gull, black-headed gull, Arctic tern, mute swan, common coot and white-tailed eagle.
Basnæs Nor and Øksenæs Nor belong to the same bird sanctuary called Basnæs Nor Sanctuary (Danish: "Basnæs Nor Vildtreservat"). It is the oldest sanctuary in the country, being established in 1919. Birds that breed in the fjord include common eider, European herring gull, common gull, black-headed gull, Arctic tern and mute swan.
The land of Glænø are mainly cultivated, though also with beach meadows and a sizable forest of 60 acres. Glænø is under the Holsteinborg Nor sanctuary.
Agersø.
Agersø is located 3 km off the coast of Zealand, with ferry departures to Agersø By leaving from Stignæs Harbour. It is located between the Great Belt and Smålandsfarvandet. The island has a total area of 684, which includes former island of Egholm north of Agersø, which has now grown together with Agersø. Most of Agersø is cultivated, though there are sizable beach meadows on the southern parts of the island. Several amphibians rare in Denmark are found on Agersø. These include European fire-bellied toad, natterjack toad and European green toad. Breeding birds on the island include great black-backed gull, common gull, European herring gull, common eider, mallard, northern shoveler, northern pintail and gadwall.
Omø.
Omø is located south of Agersø, 6 km off the coast of Zealand. The island has an area of 4.5 km². South of the village of Kirkehavn is a lake, Omø Lake (Danish: "Omø Sø"), and further west is a bog simply known as the Bog (Danish: "Mosen"), with the lake of Mosebækken. The greylag goose and Eurasian bittern breed in the area around Omø Lake.
Sprogø.
Sprogø is 154 acres, and is located centrally in the Great Belt. It connects the two halves of the Great Belt Bridge, and the large amount of traffic caused by that limits the amount of wildlife found on the island. Despite that, the island is a popular breeding spot for many species of gulls and terns. The three Danish species of swallows thrive on the island, making home in the buildings and the lighthouse on the island. The sandwich tern, rare in Denmark, live on the island.
Politics.
In the Municipal Reform of 2007 the former Slagelse Municipality merged with the neighboring municipalities of Hashøj, Korsør and Skælskør to form the current Slagelse Municipality.
Municipal council.
Slagelse's municipal council consists of 31 members, elected every four years.
Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.
Economy.
The largest industry in the private sector is retail and shops, employing around a quarter of the population hired in the private sector. Other large industries are services such as accounting, counseling, real estate and cleaning.
Companies with their headquarters in Slagelse Municipality include printing company Nilpeter. Harboe's Brewery is set in Skælskør. Harboe's Brewery is a brewery and factory that produce beer, soda and energi drinks. The company has been situated in Skælskør since it was founded in 1883.
Arla has a dairy factory in Slagelse. Orkla ASA has a factory in Skælskør.
Demographics.
There are 79,073 people living in Slagelse Municipality (2020). 49.79% are men and 50.21 are women.
Below is the age distribution of the municipality.
Education.
There are 18 ground schools, 2 efterskoler and 8 independent schools in the municipality, as well as 1 youth school and 5 special schools. There are also 1 gymnasium, 1 vocational school and 1 music school.
There are three schools for higher education in the municipality: University College Absalon, Zealand Institute of Business and Technology and University of Southern Denmark.
There are 5 libraries in the municipality, with the main library set in Slagelse. The other libraries are located in Skælskør, Korsør, Agersø and Omø. There are also minor library services in Dalmose and Forlev-Vemmelev.
Sights.
With several larger towns in the municipality, the sights are spread out all across the municipality. The large number of villages also mean that there are many churches, and a number of manor houses are also found across the municipality.
Museums.
There are a number of museum in the municipality.
Trelleborg.
Trelleborg is a museum and ring castle located west of Slagelse, between the villages of Hejninge, Gammel Forlev and Næsby ved Stranden. The ring castle was built around year 980 by Harald Bluetooth. The museum exhibits items and discoveries from the ring castle, and educates about the vikings and the Viking Age. The remnants of the ring castle are associated with the museum, and viking battle reenactment occasionally take place around the ring castle. A yearly viking-themed market takes place in Trelleborg's grounds, and also includes a large viking battle reenactment.
Slagelse Municipality and the Danish National Museum are funding a project to rebuild part of the ring castle. The project is expected to be finished in 2022.
PanzerMuseum East.
PanzerMuseum East is a museum for military vehicles located 12 km south-east of Slagelse in the small village of Fladholte. The museum holds the largest private collection of military vehicles in the Nordic Countries. The owner of the museum is Allan Pedersen, who opened the museum in 2014. Most of the vehicles and exhibited items in the museum have been restored by Pedersen, who opened the museum after having privately owned and restored the collection for years. The museum span 4,500 km², and include a large park area with 3 shelter groups. In the park are also nordmann fir available during christmas for christmas trees. The museum hosts a yearly market known as History and Lifestyle (Danish: "Historie og Livsstil"), which takes place in the park surrounding the museum.
The museum focuses primarily on military vehicles, though also display military uniforms and a variety of military memorabilia. Vehicles in the museum include T-72, BMP-1, OT-90, UAZ-469, ZIL-130, LuAZ-967 and more.
There are three aircraft in the museum, two helicopters and a passenger plane. The helicopters are a Mi-24P Hind helicopter and a Hip Mi-8 helicopter. The passenger plane is a Bac 1-11.
Castles and manors.
The important central location of the municipality, in terms of agriculture and crossing of the Great Belt, has made it an ideal location for manor houses. Today there are still many manors scattered around the municipality.
Holsteinborg.
Holsteinborg is a manor and castle located south of Rude, north-west of Bisserup and north-east of Glænø. Holsteinborg has existed since at least the early 1300s, though a castle has likely been located at Holsteinborg's location since the 1100s, where it would have been a defensive castle. In the 1300s Holsteinborg was named Braade. It was owned by the church until 1536 where it was taken by the crown. In 1562 it was sold off to Niels Trolle, brother of Herluf Trolle. Niels Trolle died in 1565 in the Seven Years' War, and Braade was inherited by his widow and children. One of his children, Børge Trolle, bought out the other heirs and renamed the manor to Trolholm. It remained under the Trolle family until 1707, where it was sold to Ulrich Adolph Holstein, who renamed the manor to Holsteinborg. He also owned the manors of Snedinge and Fyrendal. Both of these came under Holsteinborg in 1708. It has since then remained under ownership of the Holstein-Holsteinborg family.
The total area of Holsteinborg's land amount to 1,386 acres. Of these are 800 used for agriculture and 546 for forests.
Churches.
See List of churches in Slagelse Municipality
Events.
Slagelse Celebration Week (Danish: "Slagelse Festuge") is a yearly week-long event, which takes place in Slagelse. Through the week there are live music and entertainment, as well as a running race through the city.
Sørby Market (Danish: "Sørby Marked") is a yearly kræmmermarked - a type of flea market. It takes place in Sørbymagle. Along with the various booths through the market, there are also live music, food and entertainment.
Skælskør Ceramics Festival (Danish: "Skælskør Keramikfestival") is a yearly arrangement focused around ceramics. The arrangement includes a market and many displays of ceramics by various artists.
A yearly viking-themed market takes place on Trelleborg's grounds, and also includes a large viking battle reenactment, as well as various types of entertainment and education.
PanzerMuseum East hosts a yearly market known as History and Lifestyle (Danish: "Historie og Livsstil"), which takes place in the park surrounding the museum. It's a market
with focus on lifestyle, with history-focussed entertainment and education.
Parishes.
There are 41 parishes in Slagelse Municipality. Shown in the table below are the populations of each parish, as well as the percentage of that population that are members of the Church of Denmark. All numbers are from 1 January 2020.
Symbols.
The coat of arms of Slagelse Municipality shows the Great Belt Bridge in green on white background, with blue wavy lines under the bridge to represent the Great Belt. The bridge represents cooperation and balance with the surrounding nature. It also shows the municipality as a forward-looking municipality with high ambitions, with people and technological progress in focus. It is also meant to be a clearly distinguishable feature. It was adopted in 2009.
The coat of arms doesn't resemble any previous coat of arms from the area and is a unique design from 2009. Below are all coats of arms of the cities of the municipality.


Mid-East Region, Ireland

The Mid-East Region (coded IE062) is a NUTS Level III statistical region of Ireland. It consists of the territory of the counties of Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow. The Mid-East Region spans 6,891 km2, 9.8% of the total area of the state (roughly 7% of the Island) and according to the 2016 census had a population of 688,857, roughly 14.5% of the national population
Prior to 2014, the region was governed by the Mid-East Regional Assembly. Statutory instrument No. 573/2014 abolished that assembly. Since that date, the association between Regional Assemblies and NUTS regions has ceased. The NUTS regions are used for statistical reporting to Eurostat, while the Regional Assemblies are responsible for planning at a local government level.
The Mid-East has experienced continuous population growth since 1961. This growth is primarily influenced by the regions close proximity to the Dublin Region. The region has large urban areas and contains almost 20 towns with a population of over 5,000. But the region mostly has a rural landscape and the total area of viable agricultural land in the Mid-East is 69%. The manufacturing industry employs a significant number of people in the region and it is the location of high tech industries in areas such as Leixlip and Bray.
The region contains notable tourist attractions such as Trim Castle, Kildare Cathedral, Brú na Bóinne and Glendalough. Prominent geographical features include the River Liffey, the Wicklow Mountains and the Curragh of Kildare which is a major centre of stud farming.
Regional Authority.
Former Regional Authority.
The Mid-East Region was administered by the Mid-East Regional Authority, which consisted of 21 elected representatives including the region's representative on the EU Committee of the Regions. These representatives met once a month and were nominated from the regions three administrative councils:
The Regional Authorities were dissolved in 2014 and were replaced by Regional Assemblies.
Current Regional Authority.
Under Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2066, which took effect in 2018, County Louth was transferred from the Border Region to the Mid-East Region, increasing the number of Mid-East counties from 3 to 4. Due to its position along the Dublin–Belfast corridor and strong economic ties with the Greater Dublin Area, Louth was removed from the Border Region despite sharing a border with Northern Ireland. These changes had a number of implications. Although the least populous county in the Mid-East, the region's two largest towns are now Dundalk and Drogheda, which are both in County Louth, and are Ireland's 6th and 8th largest towns respectively. With the addition of Louth, the Mid-East Region now also shares a border with Northern Ireland.
The local authorities in the border region are as follows:
Since the 2014 reforms, NUTS Level III regions have had no administrative role. The elected representatives of these councils instead convene at the Northern and Western Regional Assembly for planning and local government purposes.
Demographics.
The Mid-East is the second fastest growing region in Ireland after Dublin. All four counties in the Mid-East have population growth rates well above the national average of 3.7%. The Greater Dublin Area refers to Dublin and its three surrounding counties, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, and contains 40% of the population of the state. Since the 2018 boundary changes, the population of Dublin and the Mid-East combined now stands at over 2 million.
According to the 2016 census, the Mid-East region had a population of 688,857, which constitutes 14.5% of the national population. Its population density was 100 persons per km, the second highest in the country. Kildare is the largest county in the Mid-East by population, and Meath is the largest by land area. Louth is the region's smallest county by both population and area.
The Mid-East contains Leinster's only Gaeltacht areas, both located in County Meath, at Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib. They were founded by emigrants from Galway in 1935 and 1937 respectively. With just 1,771 native Irish speakers between them, spread over a total area of 44km2, they are the two smallest Gaeltachts in Ireland. According to the 2016 Census, the percentage of Irish speakers by county in the Mid-East is: Kildare (40.2%), Meath (38.6%), Wicklow (36.6%) and Louth (34.1%). Louth has the lowest percentage of Irish speakers of any county in Ireland.
The region has many large urban areas and contains 24 towns with a population of over 5,000; 14 of which have a population of over 10,000. 10 of these are located in Kildare, 7 in Meath, 5 in Wicklow and 2 in Louth.
Major settlements.
A list of the ten largest settlements in the mid-east.
County capitals are included and are shown in bold.
Economy.
According to Eurostat figures for 2012, the region has GDP of €13,316 bn and a GDP per capita of €24,700. Figures released in February 2017, suggest that the unemployment rate in the region was 5.3% during 2016 - the lowest among other regions of the country.


Pazardzhik Province

Pazardzhik Province ( "Oblast Pazardzhik", former name Pazardzhik okrug) is a province in Southern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the city of Pazardzhik. The territory is that is divided into 12 municipalities with a total population of 275,548 inhabitants, as of February 2011.
History.
The territory of the Pazardzhik Province has been inhabited since very early times. There are more than 50 discovered Stone Age and Bronze Age settlements. The earliest civilization to inhabit the region were the Thracians. The remains of the Thracian town Besapara are located in the hills near the provincial capital Pazardzhik. The Panagyurishte Treasure unearthed near the northern town of the same name is known as one of the finest examples of Thracian art. The 6.164 kg of 23-karat gold treasure which consists of nine vessels has been dated back to the 4th and 3rd century BC. In the 1st century BC the region became a Roman province and remained in the Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome.
Most of the region became part of the Bulgarian Empire in the beginning of the 9th century and remained in Bulgarian hands until the fall of the First Empire. With the rise of the Second Bulgarian Empire the region once again became part of the country until it was overran by the Ottomans in the late 14th century. Some of medieval fortresses are Tsepina near the village of Dorkovo and Krasen in the vicinities of Bata.
The April Uprising of 1876 against the Ottoman rule was widely supported within the region and the town of Panagyurishte became the center of the uprising. The Bulgarian population also rebelled to the south where the Ottoman atrocities culminated in the Batak massacre. According to the Treaty of Berlin after the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 the region was included in the autonomous region Eastern Rumelia which united with the Principality of Bulgaria on 6 September 1885.
Geography.
The Pazardzhik Province is situated in central part of southern Bulgaria and borders the provinces of Plovdiv, Smolyan, Blagoevgrad and Sofia. The total area of the region is 4,458 km2 which is 4% of the national territory. Forests account for more than half of the area (57.1%); the arable land is 35.6%, urban territory is 3.3%, rivers and lakes occupy 2.6%, road infrastructure - 0.6% and quarries and mines - 0,4%.
The northern parts of the region include the middle ridges of the Sredna Gora mountain, to the south the relief flattens and forms the westernmost parts of the Upper Thracian Plain and to the south are located the Rhodope Mountains where most of the forests are situated. The highest point of the region is Savov Vrah at an altitude of 2,306 m while the lowest altitude is around 200 m in the plains of the central area. The climate is transcontinental with milder winter than northern Bulgaria in the lowlands but with very low temperatures and high snowfall in the mountain areas. The average annual temperature is 11.3 °C.
The province is abundant in water resources, its main waterway is the river Maritsa and its catchment basin includes the Topolnitsa River and Luda Yana River from the north and Stara Reka from the south. There are three main reservoirs all situated in the Rhodope Mountains within the municipal limits of Batak - Batak Reservoir, Golyam Beglik and Shiroka Polyana. A fourth large dam lake, the Dospat Reservoir is only partially in the region. In Sredna Gora to the north is Topolnitsa Reservoir shared with the Sofia Province and a dam near Panagyurishte which is in initial stages of construction.
Municipalities.
The Pazardzik province (област, "oblast") contains 12 municipalities ( - plural: , ). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village (towns are shown in bold), and the population of each as of December 2009.
Population.
The Pazardzhik province had a population of 310,741 (310,723 also given) according to a 2001 census, of which were male and were female.
As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 290,614 of which are inhabitants aged over 60 years.
Total population (2011 census): 275,548
The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II:
Ethnic groups.
Total population (2011 census): 275,548

Ethnic groups (2011 census):
Identified themselves: 246,002 persons:
A further 30,000 persons in Pazardzhik Province did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.
Ethnic groups in the province according to 2001 census:
261,260 Bulgarians (),
 23,970 Romani (),
20,448 Turks () and 5,045 others and unspecified ().
Languages.
Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:
260,817 Bulgarian (),
 24,204 Romani (),
21,902 Turkish () and 3800 others and unspecified ().
Religion.
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:
Economy.
The backbone of the economy in the region is industry. The "Batashki Vodnosilov Pat" is an important hydrocomplex consisting of three hydro power plants- "Batak", "Peshtera" and "Aleko" with combined capacity of around 250 MW. Copper extracting industry is of national and European importance with major mines located around Panagyurishte (Asarel and Medet), Elshitsa, Tsar Asen and Mina Radka. Machine building industry is developed in Pazardzhik (lead acid batteries), Panagyurishte (optical), Velingrad. There is flourishing pharmaceutical industry in Peshtera with more than 1 000 employees in the plant. Paper industry is developed in Belovo. Timber industry is very important in the southern part of the region (the Rhodopes)- Batak, Peshtera, Rakitovo and Velingrad. The manufacturing of textiles is well developed in Pazardzhik, Panagyurishte and Velingrad. There is a huge footwear plant in Peshtera. Food processing industry is developed in most of the towns.
Agriculture is also important, especially in the fertile central parts of the region. The most important crops are orchards (apples, plums and strawberries), grapes, wheat, barley, rye and rice. Livestock breeding is relatively well developed in the mountainous areas.
Tourism.
The province has considerable opportunities to develop mountain and rural tourism, especially in the southern parts where the Rhodope mountains are located. The slopes are covered with dense deciduous and higher up, coniferous forests, dotted with numerous artificial lakes. The largest one is the Batak Dam, on whose shores are built two resorts: "Tsigov Chark" and "Saint Konstantin" as well as many villas and shrines. Fish is abundant in the dams, including carp, rudd, roach barbel, perch, zander and many others; the mountain streams are rich in trout. There are spa resorts in Velingrad, Strelcha, Banya, Varvara. The most famous landmarks are located in Panagyurishte, Pazardzhik, Batak, Velingrad.
Impressive ruins of an ancient basilica (the Belovo Basilica) rise in the hilly country, close to the town of Belovo. Numerous ruined fortresses are scattered around the province, the most famous of these are Tsepina, and the ramparts near Bata and Strelcha. The medieval Church of St Demetrius in the village of Patalenitsa has frescoes dating to the 12th–13th century.
Transportation and communications.
The road network is not dense. The Trakiya motorway runs through the middle of the region. The main railway between Sofia and Plovdiv also runs through it. There are two other railways: to Panagyurishte and to Peshtera. There are several military airports.
As everywhere in Bulgaria, every town and village in the region is provided with electricity, drinking water and telephone network. Each town and some villages are provided with Internet connection, and the cellular phone coverage is almost 100%, as most people own GSMs.
Some of the interconnecting roads, especially higher up the mountain, are currently in a very bad state following heavy downpours in 2005 and 2006.


Regional council (France)

A regional council () is the elected assembly of a region of France.
History.
Regional councils were created by law on 5 July 1972. Originally they were simply consultative bodies consisting of the region's parliamentary representatives plus an equal number of members nominated by the departments and municipalities.
The decentralisation programme of 1982-1983 provided for direct election which began in 1986 and increased the powers of the councils.
Operation.
The Assemblies elect their own Presidents who preside over the meetings and head the Regional Executive.
Electoral system.
Before 2004.
Between 1986 and 2004, regional councils were elected by closed list proportional representation. The Front National was frequently left with the balance of power as a result and this led to a change in the electoral law.
Since 2004.
Since 2004 three quarters of the seats continue to be elected by proportional representation with each list having an equal number of male and female candidates. The other quarter are given to the list that received the most votes. In order to gain these top up seats, a list must have gained an absolute majority of the votes in the first round. If this has not been achieved a second round is held with each party that gained at least ten percent of the votes competing. The party that wins a plurality in this round gains the bonus seats. It is common in this round for lower ranking parties to withdraw in favour of parties they have entered into an alliance with.
This can however potentially mean that a list that gained fewer votes in the first round and thus fewer proportional seats can end up the overall winner.


Province of Prato

The province of Prato () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Prato. It was formed from part of the province of Florence in 1992.
The province has an area of and a total population of about 250,000. There are seven comunes (municipalities) in the province.


Pasvalys District Municipality

Pasvalys District Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania.
Structure.
District structure:
Population of largest elderships of Pasvalys District Municipality (2001):


Municipalities of Germany

Municipalities (, singular ) are the lowest level of official territorial division in Germany. This is most commonly the third level of territorial division, ranking after the "Land" (state) and "Kreis" (district). A "Gemeinde" is one level lower in those states which also include "Regierungsbezirke" (singular: "Regierungsbezirk") as an intermediate territorial division. The "Gemeinde" is one level higher if it is not part of a "Samtgemeinde". Only 10 municipalities in Germany have fifth level administrative subdivisions and all of them are in Bavaria. The highest degree of autonomy may be found in the "Gemeinden" which are not part of a "Kreis". These "Gemeinden" are referred to as "Kreisfreie Städte" or "Stadtkreise", sometimes translated as having "city status". This can be the case even for small municipalities. However, many smaller municipalities have lost this city status in various administrative reforms in the last 40 years when they were incorporated into a "Kreis". In some states they retained a higher measure of autonomy than the other municipalities of the "Kreis" (e.g. "Große Kreisstadt"). Municipalities titled "Stadt" (town or city) are urban municipalities while those titled "Gemeinde" are classified as rural municipalities.
Overview.
With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the most populated municipality of Germany is the city of Berlin; and the least populated is Gröde in Schleswig-Holstein. The cities of Aachen and Saarbrücken have a special status, which is why the numbers in the respective states North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland appear in brackets in the table.
Municipalities per federal state.
"List updated on August 1, 2009.


Paphos District

Paphos District (, ) is one of the six districts of Cyprus and it is situated in the western part of Cyprus. Its main town and capital is Paphos. The entire district is controlled by the internationally recognized government of Cyprus. There are four municipalities in Paphos District: Paphos, Yeroskipou, Peyia, and Polis Chrysochous.
The area of the district is 1,396 km², which constitutes the 15.1% of the total area of the island, and the population in 2011 was 90,295. Its coastal area is characterized by gulfs and coves, capes and points, beaches and tiny isles. The district can be divided into three morphological regions: the coastal plain, lying mainly below 200 metres, the hilly area extending from plain up to the igneous rocks of Paphos forest and the mountainous region, lying mainly on the igneous rocks of the Paphos forest. North-west of the District is the Akamas peninsula which contains a national park where the green sea turtle is a protected animal.
Settlements.
According to "Statistical Codes of Municipalities, Communities and Quarters of Cyprus" per the Statistical Service of Cyprus (2015), Paphos District has 4 municipalities and 121 communities. Municipalities are written with bold.


Lasithi

Lasithi () is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete, to the east of Heraklion. Its capital is Agios Nikolaos, the other major towns being Ierapetra, Sitia and Neapoli. The mountains include the Dikti in the west and the Thrypti in the east. The Sea of Crete lies to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south.
To the east of the village of Elounda lies the island of Spinalonga, formerly a Venetian fortress and a leper colony. On the foot of Mount Dikti lies the Lasithi Plateau, famous for its windmills. Vai is well known for its datepalm forest.
Thanks to its beaches and its mild climate year-long, Lasithi attracts many tourists. Mass tourism is served by places like Vai, Agios Nikolaos and the island of Chrissi. More off-beat tourism can be found in villages on the south coast like Myrtos, Makrys Gialos or Makrigialos, Xerokambos and Koutsouras.
Lasithi is home to a number of ancient remains. Vasiliki, Fournou Korifi, Pyrgos, Zakros and Gournia are ruins of Minoan date, Lato and Itanos were Doric towns.
History.
The history of Lasithi can be traced over at least three millennia. The region has considerable ancient history antecedents, including the Dorian era settlement of Olous and Lato.
Etymology.
It has been speculated that "ra-su-to", found in Linear B, corresponds to an unattested ancient "Lasynthos". There is also a Lyttian tribal name "Lasynthioi", presumably reflecting the same name.
Earlier proposals that it is derived from a Venetian 'la' preposed to derivatives of "Lyttos" ("Lyttus" > "Tselyttus" > "Tselethe" > "Xeethe" > "La Xeethi" > "Lasithi") or "Sitia" ("Sitia" > "La Sitia" > "Lasithi") are unlikely, as the name Lasithi was attested as early as 1211, whereas the Venetians only first arrived in Crete in 1205. Another unlikely etymology derives it from "lakkos" 'hole or basin' ("Lakkos" > "Lakkidion" > "Latsidi" > "Lasidi" > "Lasithi").
Administration.
The regional unit Lasithi is subdivided into four municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):
Prefecture.
As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Lasithi was created out of the former prefecture of Lasithi (), which was created while Crete was still an autonomous state and was retained after the island joined Greece in 1913. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit, except Viannos area that belonged to Lasithi but was annexed to Heraklion prefecture in 1932. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
Provinces.
Before 2006, Lasithi was divided into 4 provinces:


Province of Lecce

The Province of Lecce (; Salentino: ) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy whose capital is the city of Lecce. The province is called the "Heel of Italy". Located on the Salento peninsula, it is the second most-populous province in Apulia and the 21st most-populous province in Italy.
The province occupies an area of and has a total population of 802,807 (2016). There are 97 comunes (Italian: "comuni") in the province. It is surrounded by the provinces Taranto and Brindisi in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the west, and the Adriatic Sea in the east. This location has established it as a popular tourist destination. It has been ruled by the Romans, Byzantine Greeks, Carolingians, Lombards, and Normans. The important towns are Lecce, Gallipoli, Nardò, Maglie, and Otranto. Its important agricultural products are wheat and corn.
History.
The province of Lecce has its origins in the medieval Giustizierato, known then as the Province of Terra d'Otranto. Since the eleventh century the Terra d'Otranto included the territories of the provinces of Lecce, Taranto and Brindisi, with the exception of Fasano and Cisternino. During this time Lecce was severely affected by poverty despite the production of olive oil. People from Lecce migrated to the Province of Bari, where they worked in the wine industry. Up to 1663, the Province of Terra d'Otranto also included the territory of Matera (Basilicata). Its first capital was Otranto but in the Norman period (twelfth century), Lecce city was made the capital. After the unification of Italy, the name Terra d'Otranto was changed to Province of Lecce and its territory was divided into the four districts; Lecce, Gallipoli, Brindisi and Taranto. Its break-up began in 1923 when the district of Taranto was transformed into the new province of the Ionian.
After the first world war economic conditions worsened and unemployment peaked. These factors, coupled with the negligence of the weak government, prompted farm workers to revolt against their employers. Farm owners were captured and paraded in public places. During the medieval era, Muslim slaves were transported from the province's ports and the practice of keeping slaves was common. Lecce stone extracted from the province has been used to decorate several historical monuments and is widely used for interior decoration.
Tourism.
The is located in the province. It is a protected area that was set up in 1977 along the Adriatic coast near Leccce. The Reserve is home to a large number of animals such as foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, weasels, reptiles and birds. A variety of Mediterranean plants species is also found here. Lakes Alimini Grande and Alimini Piccolo are also located in the province. Lake Alimini Grande is surrounded by a rocky area covered with pine woods and Mediterranean vegetation; also, its depth does not exceed four meters, and the water is rich with shellfish. Lake Alimini Piccolo is found further inland and consists of freshwater; this water comes from the groundwater channel of the Rio Grande. Alimini Piccolo's depth does not exceed half a meter.
Another tourist destination is the Ciolo, which is a canyon and includes also many caves. It is a natural habitat for many species of vagile meiofauna and ferns.
Communes.
Lecce has several ethnic and linguistic minority groups. A Griko community of around 40,000 lives in the Grecia Salentina region in the central area of the province, and there is an Arbëreshe community in Soleto.


County Leitrim

County Leitrim ( ; ) is a county in the Republic of Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county, which had a population of 32,044 according to the 2016 census. The county encompasses the historic Gaelic territory of West Breffny ("Bréifne") corresponding to the northern part of the county, and Muintir Eolais or Conmaicne Réin, corresponding to the southern part.
Geography.
Leitrim is the 26th largest of the 32 counties by area and the smallest by population on the island. It is the smallest of Connacht's five counties in both size and population. Leitrim is bordered by the counties of Donegal to the north, Fermanagh to the north-east, Cavan to the east, Longford to the south, Roscommon to the south-west and Sligo to the west. Fermanagh is in Northern Ireland while all the other neighbouring counties are within the Republic of Ireland.
Leitrim has a hilly and mountainous landscape in its north-west and is relatively flat in the south-east, each separated from the other by Lough Allen in the middle of the county. Leitrim has the shortest length of coastline of any Irish county that touches the sea. At Tullaghan, the coastline is only long. The Shannon is linked to the Erne via the Shannon–Erne Waterway. Notable lakes include:
History.
In ancient times Leitrim formed the western half of the Kingdom of Breifne. This region was long influenced by the O'Rourke family of Dromahair, whose heraldic lion occupies the official county shield to this day. Close ties initially existed with the O'Reilly clan in the eastern half of the kingdom, however a split occurred in the 13th century and the kingdom was divided into East Breifne, now County Cavan, and West Breifne, now County Leitrim. The Normans invaded south Leitrim in the 13th century but were defeated at the Battle of Áth an Chip in 1270.
Much of the county was confiscated from its owners in 1620 and given to Villiers and Hamilton. Their initial objective was to plant the county with English settlers. However, this proved unsuccessful. English Deputy Sir John Perrot had ordered the legal establishment of "Leitrim County" a half-century prior, in 1565. Perrott also demarcated the current county borders around 1583.
Long ago Ireland was covered in woodland, and five great forests are traditionally said to have stood in Leitrim, with a 19th-century county survey stating- "a hundred years ago almost the whole country was one continued, undivided forest, so that from Drumshanbo to Drumkeeran, a distance of nine or ten miles, one could travel the whole way from tree to tree by branches". Many of these great forests were denuded for the making of charcoal for iron works around Sliabh an Iarainn. Working of the county's rich deposits of iron ore began in the 15th century and continued until the mid 18th century. Coal mining became prominent in the 19th century to the east of Lough Allen at Sliabh an Iarainn and also to the west in Arigna, on the Roscommon border. The last coal mine closed in July 1990 and there is now a visitor centre. Sandstone was also quarried in the Glenfarne region.
Writing in 1791, the geographer Beaufort suggested the county housing population encompassed 10,026 homes with "upwards of 50,000 inhabitants", the primary agriculture being cattle production, and the growth of flax sustaining the linen industry. Leitrim was first hit by the recession caused by the mechanisation of linen weaving in the 1830s and its 155,000 residents (as of the 1841 census) were ravaged by the Great Famine and the population dropped to 112,000 by 1851. The population subsequently continued to decrease due to emigration. After many years, the wounds of such rapid population decline have finally started to heal. Agriculture improved over the last century. Leitrim now has the fastest growing population in Connacht.
The "Book of Fenagh" is the most famous medieval manuscript originating here. In the 19th century the poet John McDonald (of Dromod) lived in the county, and William Butler Yeats spent the turn of the twentieth century fascinated with Lough Allen and much of Leitrim. Glencar Waterfall, from Manorhamilton, inspired Yeats and is mentioned in his poem The Stolen Child.
Political subdivisions.
Geographically, the county is almost evenly divided along north-south lines by Lough Allen, the River Shannon and Sliabh an Iarainn. Uniquely among Irish counties, there is no way to cross from the north of the county to the south (or vice versa) by road without leaving its boundaries. North Leitrim is slightly larger than the south, comprising 51% of County Leitrim's land area. However, South Leitrim, with towns such as Carrick-on-Shannon, Ballinamore and Drumshambo, is significantly more populous, containing approximately 65% of the county's population as of 2016.
Baronies.
There are five historic baronies in the county. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, where official Irish names of baronies are listed under "Administrative units". They are Carrigallen, Drumahaire, Leitrim, Mohill and Rosclogher.
Largest Towns in County Leitrim.
As of the 2016 census:
Local government and politics.
Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the administrative county. The county is divided into three Local Electoral Areas for the purpose of elections: Ballinamore (6 councillors), Carrick-on-Shannon (6 councillors), and Manorhamilton (6 councillors). The following were elected at the 2019 Leitrim County Council election:
2019 seats summary.
For elections to Dáil Éireann, Leitrim is in the Sligo–Leitrim constituency. This constituency existed from 1948 to 2007, but from 2007 until Sligo–Leitrim was re-created in 2016, County Leitrim was divided between two constituencies: Roscommon–South Leitrim and Sligo–North Leitrim. This proved controversial, and at the 2007 general election there was no TD elected whose domicile was in the county.


Fredericia Municipality

Fredericia municipality is a municipality (Danish, "kommune") on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south-central Denmark. It belongs to Region of Southern Denmark, covers an area of 134.46 km2, and has a total population of 49,463 (2008). The Mayor is Jacob Bjerregaard, representing the Social Democrats political party.
The municipality's main town and the site of its municipal council is the city of Fredericia.
Neighboring municipalities are Vejle to the north, Kolding to the west, and Middelfart to the east, albeit separated from the municipality by the waters of the Lillebælt, the strait, that separates the Jutland mainland from the island of Funen in this area, where the two lie very close to each other, often less than 1.5 km apart. "Snævringen" is an extension of the Kattegat, and begins near the cities of Fredericia and Middelfart.
The municipality is part of Triangle Region and of the East Jutland metropolitan area, which had a total population of 1.378 million in 2016.
History.
The municipality was created as the result of the ("Municipal Reform") in 1970. Fredericia municipality was not merged with other municipalities in the 2007 nationwide "Kommunalreformen" ("Municipal Reform"). Before 2007, the municipality was surrounded by the municipalities of Børkop to the north, Kolding to the west, and Middelfart to the east and belonged to Vejle County.
Municipality population.
As of 1 January:
Locations.
The city of Fredericia.
The city of Fredericia was founded in 1650 by Frederik III, after whom it was named. Fredericia was almost selected as the Danish capital, due to its central location and large port; but the costs from building the necessary government buildings and building a palace for the royal family, grew too big so the plans were scrapped and Copenhagen remained the capital.
The city is one of Denmark's largest traffic hubs, and is home to the army's Signals Regiment ("Telegrafregimentet"), which is located at Ryes Barracks ("Ryes Kaserne") and Bülows Barracks ("Bülows Kaserne").
Twin towns – sister cities.
Fredericia is twinned with:


Dolj County

Dolj County (; originally meant "Dol(no)-Jiu", "lower Jiu", as opposed to "Gorj" ("upper Jiu")) is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova.
Demographics.
In 2011, it had a population of 660,544 and a population density of .
Geography.
This county has a total area of .
The entire area is a plain with the Danube on the south forming a wide valley crossed by the Jiu River in the middle. Other small rivers flow through the county, each one forming a small valley. There are some lakes across the county and many ponds and channels in the Danube valley. 6% of the county's area is a desert.
Economy.
Agriculture is the county's main industry. The county has a land that is ideal for growing cereals, vegetables, and wines. Other industries are mainly located in the city of Craiova, the largest city in southwestern Romania.
The county's main industries:
There are two small ports on the shore of the Danube river – Bechet and Calafat.
Tourism.
Major tourist attractions:
Politics.
The Dolj County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 36 counsellors, with the following party composition:
Administrative divisions.
Dolj County 3 municipalities, 4 towns and 104 communes
Historical county.
Historically, the county was located in the southwestern part of Greater Romania, in the southwest part of the historical region of Oltenia. Its capital was Craiova. The interwar county territory comprised the central and southwestern part of the current Dolj county. It was bordered to the north with by the counties of Gorj and Valcea, to the west by Mehedinți County, to the east by Romanați County, and to the south by the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
Administration.
The county was originally divided into six administrative districts ("plăṣi"):
Subsequently, four districts were created in place of two of the prior districts (Plasa Bârca and Plasa Gângiova):
Population.
According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 485,149 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 96.7% Romanian, 0.5% Jews, 0.3% Germans, 0.3% Hungarians, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 98.4% Eastern Orthodox, 0.7% Roman Catholic, 0.5% Jewish, as well as other minorities.
Urban population.
In 1930, the county's urban population was 91,788 inhabitants, comprising 90.2% Romanians, 2.4% Jews, 2.2% Romanies, 1.7% Germans, 1.3% Hungarians, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 92.7% Eastern Orthodox, 3.1% Roman Catholic, 2.5% Jewish, 0.7% Lutheran, 0.3% Calvinist, 0.3% Greek Catholic, as well as other minorities.


Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. It consists of the five metropolitan boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and the City of Sunderland. The county is bordered to the north by Northumberland, to the south by County Durham and to the east of the county lies the North Sea. It is the smallest county in North East England by area, but by far the largest in terms of population.
Prior to the 1974 reforms, the territory now covered by the county of Tyne and Wear straddled the border between the counties of Northumberland and Durham, the border being marked by the river Tyne; that territory also included five county boroughs.
Tyne and Wear County Council, based at Sandyford House, was abolished in 1986 along with the other metropolitan county councils in England by the Local Government Act 1985, and so its districts (the metropolitan boroughs) have since functioned effectively as unitary authorities. However, the metropolitan county continues to exist in law and as a geographic frame of reference, and as a ceremonial county.
History.
In the late 600s and into the 700s the Venerable Bede (Saint Bede) lived as a monk at the monastery of St. Peter and of St. Paul writing histories of the early of the Early Middle Ages including the Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Roughly 150 years ago, in the village of Marsden in South Shields, Souter Lighthouse was built, the first electric structure of this type.
The Local Government Act 1888 constituted Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland as county boroughs (Newcastle had "county corporate" status as the "County and Town of Newcastle upon Tyne" since 1400). Tynemouth joined them in 1904. Between the county boroughs, various other settlements also formed part of the administrative counties of Durham and of Northumberland.
The need to reform local government on Tyneside was recognised by the government as early as 1935, when a "Royal Commission to Investigate the Conditions of Local Government on Tyneside" was appointed. The three commissioners were to
examine the system of local government in the areas of local government north and south of the river Tyne from the sea to the boundary of the Rural District of Castle Ward and Hexham in the County of Northumberland and to the Western boundary of the County of Durham, to consider what changes, if any, should be made in the existing arrangements with a view to securing greater economy and efficiency, and to make recommendations.
The report of the Royal Commission, published in 1937, recommended the establishment of a Regional Council for Northumberland and Tyneside (to be called the "Northumberland Regional Council") to administer services that needed to be exercised over a wide area, with a second tier of smaller units for other local-government purposes. The second-tier units would form by amalgamating the various existing boroughs and districts. The county boroughs in the area would lose their status. Within this area, a single municipality would be formed covering the four county boroughs of Newcastle, Gateshead, Tynemouth, South Shields and other urban districts and boroughs.
A minority report proposed amalgamation of Newcastle, Gateshead, Wallsend, Jarrow, Felling, Gosforth, Hebburn and Newburn into a single "county borough of Newcastle-on-Tyneside". The 1937 proposals never came into operation: local authorities could not agree on a scheme and the legislation of the time did not allow central government to compel one.
Tyneside (excluding Sunderland) was a Special Review Area under the Local Government Act 1958. The Local Government Commission for England came back with a recommendation to create a new county of Tyneside based on the review area, divided into four separate boroughs. This was not implemented. The Redcliffe-Maud Report proposed a Tyneside unitary authority, again excluding Sunderland, which would have set up a separate East Durham unitary authority.
The White Paper that led to the Local Government Act 1972 proposed as "area 2" a metropolitan county including Newcastle and Sunderland, extending as far south down the coast as Seaham and Easington, and bordering "area 4" (which would become Tees Valley). The Bill as presented in November 1971 pruned back the southern edge of the area, and gave it the name "Tyneside". The name "Tyneside" proved controversial on Wearside, and a government amendment changed the name to "Tyne and Wear" at the request of Sunderland County Borough Council.
Local government.
Although Tyne and Wear County Council was abolished in 1986, several "joint bodies" exist to run certain services on a county-wide basis. Most notable is the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority, which co-ordinates transport policy. Through its passenger transport executive, known as Nexus, it owns and operates the Tyne and Wear Metro light rail system, and the Shields ferry service and the Tyne Tunnel, linking communities on either side of the River Tyne. Also through Nexus, the authority subsidises socially necessary transport services (including taxis) and operates a concessionary fares scheme for the elderly and disabled. Nexus has been an executive body of the North East Joint Transport Committee since November 2018.
Other joint bodies include the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, which was created from the merger of the Tyne and Wear Archives Service and Tyne and Wear Museums. These joint bodies are administered by representatives of all five of the constituent councils. In addition the Northumbria Police force covers Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.
There have been occasional calls for Tyne and Wear to be abolished and the traditional border between Northumberland and County Durham to be restored.
Climate and environment.
Tyne and Wear either has or closely borders two official Met Office stations, neither located in one of the major urban centres. The locations for those are in marine Tynemouth where Tyne meets the North Sea east of Newcastle and inland Durham in County Durham around south-west of Sunderland. There are some clear differences between the stations temperature and precipitation patterns even though both have a cool-summer and mild-winter oceanic climate.
Green belt.
Tyne and Wear contains green belt interspersed throughout the county, mainly on the fringes of the Tyneside/Wearside conurbation. There is also an inter-urban line of belt helping to keep the districts of South Tyneside, Gateshead, and Sunderland separated. It was first drawn up from the 1950s. All the county's districts contain some portion of belt.
Politics.
Tyne and Wear is divided into 12 Parliamentary constituencies. Historically, the area has been a Labour stronghold; South Shields is the only Parliamentary constituency that has never returned a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons since the Reform Act of 1832.
At the level of local government, all of the region's five unitary authorities were controlled by Labour in 2019.
Newcastle and Sunderland are known for declaring their election results early on election night. Therefore, they frequently give the first indication of nationwide trends. An example of this was at the 2016 European Union referendum. Newcastle was the first large city to declare, and 50.6% of voters voted to Remain; this proportion was far lower than predicted by experts. Sunderland declared soon after and gave a 62% vote to Leave, much higher than expected. These two results were seen as an early sign that the United Kingdom had voted to Leave.
Settlements.
"Italics indicate the district centre."
"For a complete list of all villages, towns and cities see the list of places in Tyne and Wear."


Karlsruhe (region)

Karlsruhe is one of the four administrative regions (sing. "Regierungsbezirk") of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the north-west of the state. It is subdivided into the three regional associations (sing. "Regionalverband"): "Mittlerer Oberrhein" (Middle Upper Rhine), "Rhein-Neckar" (Rhine-Neckar) and "Nordschwarzwald "(Northern Black Forest).
Economy.
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was €123.3 billion in 2018, accounting for 3.7% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €40,400 or 134% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 109% of the EU average.
Butterflies.
The Regierungspräsidium garants permissions to catch butterflies in Baden-Württemberg. The information are into the system Landesdatenbank Schmetterlinge - Staatlichen Museum für Naturkunde.


Attica Prefecture

Attica Prefecture () was a prefecture of Greece, first established in 1833 and disestablished for the last time in 1987. The prefecture was coextensive with the present-day Attica region.
History.
Attica Prefecture was first established in 1833 as Attica and Boeotia Prefecture. Attica and Boeotia Prefecture was abolished in 1836 and split up into separate Attica and Boeotia prefectures, then reconstituted in 1845, and subsequently split up again into separate Attica and Boeotia prefectures in the 1899 reform; the latter reform was reversed in 1909. Attica and Boeotia Prefecture finally ceased to exist in 1943, when it was again split up into Attica and Boeotia (FEK 223Α/26-7-1943).
After the 1970s, according to the administrative division of 1971 and subsequent changes, Attica Prefecture consisted of the following prefectural-level administrations ("nomarchies"):
It was the only prefecture subdivided like this and in many contexts the sub-units were regarded as prefectures.
Attica Prefecture was administered as part of Central Greece until 1987, when it was established as an administrative region in its own right.
With the 2010 Kallikratis plan, the Attica region's authority were redefined: since 1 January 2011, the region represents the second-level local administration.


Municipalities of Spain

The municipality (, , , , , ) is the basic local administrative division in Spain together with the province.
Organisation.
Each municipality forms part of a province which in turn forms part or the whole of an autonomous community (17 in total plus Ceuta and Melilla): some autonomous communities have additional second level subdivisions, such as "comarcas" (districts) or "mancomunidades" (commonwealths). There are a total of 8,118 municipalities in Spain, including the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. In the Principality of Asturias, municipalities are officially named "concejos" (councils).
The average population of a municipality is about 5,300, but this figure masks a huge range: the most populous Spanish municipality is the city of Madrid, with a population of 3,141,991 , while several rural municipalities have fewer than ten inhabitants (Villarroya, La Rioja, had a population of eight in 2015). The area of the municipal territory (Spanish: "término municipal") usually ranges 2–40 km2, but municipalities such as Tremp (Lleida) cover more than 300 km2.
The organisation of the municipalities is governed by a 2 April 1985 law, completed by the 18 April 1986 royal decree. The Statutes of Autonomy of the various autonomous communities also contain provisions concerning the relations between the municipalities and the autonomous governments. In general, municipalities enjoy a large degree of autonomy in their local affairs: many of the functions of the "comarcas" and provinces are municipal powers pooled together.
The governing body in most municipalities is called "ayuntamiento" (municipal council or corporation), a term often also used to refer to the municipal headquarters (city/town hall). The "ayuntamiento" is composed of the mayor (Spanish: "alcalde"), the deputy mayors (Spanish: "tenientes de alcalde") and the deliberative assembly ("pleno") of councillors ("concejales"). Another form of local government used in small municipalities is the "concejo abierto" (open council), in which the deliberative assembly is formed by all the electors in the municipality.


Herning Municipality

Herning Municipality is a municipality (Danish, "kommune") in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. The municipality covers an area of and has a population of 86,813 (1 April 2014). Its mayor is Lars Krarup, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party.
The main town and the site of its municipal council is the Town of Herning.
History.
On January 1, 2007, as the result of "Kommunalreformen" ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), Herning municipality was merged with former Aulum-Haderup, Trehøje, and Aaskov municipalities to form the new Herning municipality.
Locations.
The city of Herning.
The city of Herning has a population of 44,437 (January 1, 2006). The town has grown rapidly in the 150 years: in 1840 the total population of the village of Herning was just 21.
Politics.
Municipal council.
Herning's municipal council consists of 31 members, elected every four years.
Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.
Twin towns – sister cities.
Herning is twinned with:


Aargau

Aargau ( ; sometimes Latinized as ; see also other names), more formally the Canton of Aargau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau.
Aargau is one of the most northerly cantons of Switzerland. It is situated by the lower course of the Aare River, which is why the canton is called "Aar-gau" (meaning "Aare province"). It is one of the most densely populated regions of Switzerland.
History.
Early history.
The area of Aargau and the surrounding areas were controlled by the Helvetians, a member of the Celts, as far back as 200 BC. It was eventually occupied by the Romans and then by the 6th century, the Franks. The Romans built a major settlement called Vindonissa, near the present location of Brugg.
Medieval Aargau.
The reconstructed Old High German name of Aargau is "Argowe", first unambiguously attested (in the spelling "Argue") in 795. The term described a territory only loosely equivalent to that of the modern canton, including the region between Aare and Reuss rivers, including Pilatus and Napf, i.e. including parts of the modern cantons of Bern (Bernese Aargau, Emmental, parts of the Bernese Oberland), Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft, Lucerne, Obwalden and Nidwalden, but not the parts of the modern canton east of the Reuss (Baden District), which were part of Zürichgau.
Within the Frankish Empire (8th to 10th centuries), the area was a disputed border region between the duchies of Alamannia and Burgundy. A line of the von Wetterau (Conradines) intermittently held the countship of Aargau from 750 until about 1030, when they lost it (having in the meantime taken the name von Tegerfelden). This division became the ill-defined (and sparsely settled) outer border of the early Holy Roman Empire at its formation in the second half of the 10th century. Most of the region came under the control of the ducal house of Zähringen and the comital houses of Habsburg and Kyburg by about 1200.
In the second half of the 13th century, the territory became divided between the territories claimed by the imperial cities of Bern, Lucerne and Solothurn and the Swiss canton of Unterwalden.
The remaining portion, largely corresponding to the modern canton of Aargau, remained under the control of the Habsburgs until the "conquest of Aargau" by the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1415.
Habsburg Castle itself, the original seat of the House of Habsburg, was taken by Bern in April 1415.
The Habsburgs had founded a number of monasteries (with some structures enduring, e.g., in Wettingen and Muri), the closing of which by the government in 1841 was a contributing factor to the outbreak of the Swiss civil war – the "Sonderbund War" – in 1847.
Under the Swiss Confederation.
When Frederick IV of Habsburg sided with Antipope John XXIII at the Council of Constance, Emperor Sigismund placed him under the Imperial ban. In July 1414, the Pope visited Bern and received assurances from them, that they would move against the Habsburgs. A few months later the Swiss Confederation denounced the Treaty of 1412. Shortly thereafter in 1415, Bern and the rest of the Swiss Confederation used the ban as a pretext to invade the Aargau. The Confederation was able to quickly conquer the towns of Aarau, Lenzburg, Brugg and Zofingen along with most of the Habsburg castles. Bern kept the southwest portion (Zofingen, Aarburg, Aarau, Lenzburg, and Brugg), northward to the confluence of the Aare and Reuss. The important city of Baden was taken by a united Swiss army and governed by all 8 members of the Confederation. Some districts, named the "Freie Ämter" ("free bailiwicks") – Mellingen, Muri, Villmergen, and Bremgarten, with the countship of Baden – were governed as "subject lands" by all or some of the Confederates. Shortly after the conquest of the Aargau by the Swiss, Frederick humbled himself to the Pope. The Pope reconciled with him and ordered all of the taken lands to be returned. The Swiss refused and years later after no serious attempts at re-acquisition, the Duke officially relinquished rights to the Swiss.
Unteraargau or Berner Aargau.
Bern's portion of the Aargau came to be known as the Unteraargau, though can also be called the Berner or Bernese Aargau. In 1514 Bern expanded north into the Jura and so came into possession of several strategically important mountain passes into the Austrian Fricktal. This land was added to the Unteraargau and was directly ruled from Bern. It was divided into seven rural bailiwicks and four administrative cities, Aarau, Zofingen, Lenzburg and Brugg. While the Habsburgs were driven out, many of their minor nobles were allowed to keep their lands and offices, though over time they lost power to the Bernese government. The bailiwick administration was based on a very small staff of officials, mostly made up of Bernese citizens, but with a few locals.
When Bern converted during the Protestant Reformation in 1528, the Unteraargau also converted. At the beginning of the 16th century a number of anabaptists migrated into the upper Wynen and Rueder valleys from Zürich. Despite pressure from the Bernese authorities in the 16th and 17th centuries anabaptism never entirely disappeared from the Unteraargau.
Bern used the Aargau bailiwicks mostly as a source of grain for the rest of the city-state. The administrative cities remained economically only of regional importance. However, in the 17th and 18th centuries Bern encouraged industrial development in Unteraargau and by the late 18th century it was the most industrialized region in the city-state. The high industrialization led to high population growth in the 18th century, for example between 1764 and 1798, the population grew by 35%, far more than in other parts of the canton. In 1870 the proportion of farmers in Aarau, Lenzburg, Kulm, and Zofingen districts was 34–40%, while in the other districts it was 46–57%.
Freie Ämter.
The rest of the Freie Ämter were collectively administered as subject territories by the rest of the Confederation. Muri "Amt" was assigned to Zürich, Lucerne, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Zug and Glarus, while the "Ämter" of Meienberg, Richensee and Villmergen were first given to Lucerne alone. The final boundary was set in 1425 by an arbitration tribunal and Lucerne had to give the three "Ämter" to be collectively ruled. The four "Ämter" were then consolidated under a single Confederation bailiff into what was known in the 15th century as the "Waggental" Bailiwick (). In the 16th century, it came to be known as the "Vogtei der Freien Ämter". While the "Freien Ämter" often had independent lower courts, they were forced to accept the Confederation's sovereignty. Finally, in 1532, the canton of Uri became part of the collective administration of the Freien Ämter.
At the time of the Protestant Reformation, the majority of the Ämter converted to the new faith. In 1529, a wave of iconoclasm swept through the area and wiped away much of the old religion. After the defeat of Zürich in the second Battle of Kappel in 1531, the victorious five Catholic cantons marched their troops into the Freie Ämter and reconverted them to Catholicism.
In the First War of Villmergen, in 1656, and the Toggenburg War (or Second War of Villmergen), in 1712, the Freie Ämter became the staging ground for the warring Reformed and Catholic armies. While the peace after the 1656 war did not change the status quo, the fourth Peace of Aarau in 1712 brought about a reorganization of power relations. The victory gave Zürich the opportunity to force the Catholic cantons out of the government in the county of Baden and the adjacent area of the Freie Ämter. The Freie Ämter were then divided in two by a line drawn from the gallows in Fahrwangen to the Oberlunkhofen church steeple. The northern part, the so-called Unteren Freie Ämter (lower Freie Ämter), which included the districts of Boswil (in part) and Hermetschwil and the Niederamt, were ruled by Zürich, Bern and Glarus. The southern part, the Oberen Freie Ämter (upper Freie Ämter), were ruled by the previous seven cantons but Bern was added to make an eighth.
During the Helvetic Republic (1798–1803), the county of Baden, the Freie Ämter and the area known as the Kelleramt were combined into the canton of Baden.
County of Baden.
The County of Baden was a shared condominium of the entire Old Swiss Confederacy. After the Confederacy conquest in 1415, they retained much of the Habsburg legal structure, which caused a number of problems. The local nobility had the right to hold the low court in only about one fifth of the territory. There were over 30 different nobles who had the right to hold courts scattered around the surrounding lands. All these overlapping jurisdictions caused numerous conflicts, but gradually the Confederation was able to acquire these rights in the county. The cities of Baden, Bremgarten and Mellingen became the administrative centers and held the high courts. Together with the courts, the three administrative centers had considerable local autonomy, but were ruled by a governor who was appointed by the "Acht Orte" every two years. After the Protestant victory at the Second Battle of Villmergen, the administration of the County changed slightly. Instead of the "Acht Orte" appointing a bailiff together, Zürich and Bern each appointed the governor for 7 out of 16 years while Glarus appointed him for the remaining two years.
The chaotic legal structure and fragmented land ownership combined with a tradition of dividing the land among all the heirs in an inheritance prevented any large scale reforms. The governor tried in the 18th century to reform and standardize laws and ownership across the county, but with limited success. With an ever-changing administration, the County lacked a coherent long-term economic policy or support for reforms. By the end of the 18th century there were no factories or mills and only a few small cottage industries along the border with Zürich. Road construction first became a priority after 1750, when Zürich and Bern began appointing a governor for seven years.
During the Protestant Reformation, some of the municipalities converted to the new faith. However, starting in 1531, some of the old parishes were converted back to the old faith. The governors were appointed from both Catholic and Protestant cantons and since they changed every two years, neither faith gained a majority in the county.
After the French invasion, on 19 March 1798, the governments of Zürich and Bern agreed to the creation of the short lived canton of Baden in the Helvetic Republic. With the Act of Mediation in 1803, the canton of Baden was dissolved. Portions of the lands of the former County of Baden now became the District of Baden in the newly created canton of Aargau. After World War II, this formerly agrarian region saw striking growth and became the district with the largest and densest population in the canton (110,000 in 1990, 715 persons per km2).
Forming the canton of Aargau.
The contemporary canton of Aargau was formed in 1803, a canton of the Swiss Confederation as a result of the Act of Mediation. It was a combination of three short-lived cantons of the Helvetic Republic: Aargau (1798–1803), Baden (1798–1803) and Fricktal (1802–1803). Its creation is therefore rooted in the Napoleonic era. In the year 2003, the canton of Aargau celebrated its 200th anniversary.
French forces occupied the Aargau from 10 March to 18 April 1798; thereafter the Bernese portion became the canton of Aargau and the remainder formed the canton of Baden. Aborted plans to merge the two halves came in 1801 and 1802, and they were eventually united under the name Aargau, which was then admitted as a full member of the reconstituted Confederation following the Act of Mediation. Some parts of the canton of Baden at this point were transferred to other cantons: the "Amt" of Hitzkirch to Lucerne, whilst Hüttikon, Oetwil an der Limmat, Dietikon and Schlieren went to Zürich. In return, Lucerne's "Amt" of Merenschwand was transferred to Aargau (district of Muri).
The Fricktal, ceded in 1802 by Austria via Napoleonic France to the Helvetic Republic, was briefly a separate canton of the Helvetic Republic (the canton of Fricktal) under a "Statthalter" ('Lieutenant'), but on 19 March 1803 (following the Act of Mediation) was incorporated into the canton of Aargau.
The former cantons of Baden and Fricktal can still be identified with the contemporary districts – the canton of Baden is covered by the districts of Zurzach, Baden, Bremgarten, and Muri (albeit with the gains and losses of 1803 detailed above); the canton of Fricktal by the districts of Rheinfelden and Laufenburg (except for Hottwil which was transferred to that district in 2010).
Chief magistracy.
The chief magistracy of Aargau changed its style repeatedly:
Jewish history in Aargau.
In the 17th century, Aargau was the only federal condominium where Jews were tolerated. In 1774, they were restricted to just two towns, Endingen and Lengnau. While the rural upper class pressed incessantly for the expulsion the Jews, the financial interests of the authorities prevented it. They imposed special taxes on peddling and cattle trading, the primary Jewish professions. The Protestant occupiers also enjoyed the discomfort of the local Catholics by the presence of the Jewish community. The Jews were directly subordinate to the governor; from 1696, they were compelled to renew a letter of protection from him every 16 years.
During this period, Jews and Christians were not allowed to live under the same roof, neither were Jews allowed to own land or houses. They were taxed at a much higher rate than others and, in 1712, the Lengnau community was "pillaged." In 1760, they were further restricted regarding marriages and procreation. An exorbitant tax was levied on marriage licenses; oftentimes, they were outright refused. This remained the case until the 19th century. In 1799, the Helvetic republic abolished all special tolls, and, in 1802, removed the poll tax. On 5 May 1809, they were declared citizens and given broad rights regarding trade and farming. They were still restricted to Endingen and Lengnau until 7 May 1846, when their right to move and reside freely within the canton of Aargau was granted. On 24 September 1856, the Swiss Federal Council granted them full political rights within Aargau, as well as broad business rights; however the majority Christian population did not fully abide by these new liberal laws. The time of 1860 saw the canton government voting to grant suffrage in all local rights and to give their communities autonomy. Before the law was enacted, it was however repealed due to vocal opposition led by the Ultramonte Party. Finally, the federal authorities in July 1863, granted all Jews full rights of citizens. However, they did not receive all of the rights in Endingen and Lengnau until a resolution of the Grand Council, on 15 May 1877, granted citizens' rights to the members of the Jewish communities of those places, giving them charters under the names of New Endingen and New Lengnau. The "Swiss Jewish Kulturverein" was instrumental in this fight from its founding in 1862 until it was dissolved 20 years later. During this period of diminished rights, they were not even allowed to bury their dead in Swiss soil and had to bury their dead on an island called "Judenäule" (Jews' Isle) on the Rhine near Waldshut. Beginning in 1603, the deceased Jews of the Surbtal communities were buried on the river island which was leased by the Jewish community. As the island was repeatedly flooded and devastated, in 1750 the Surbtal Jews asked the "Tagsatzung" to establish the Endingen cemetery in the vicinity of their communities.
Geography.
The capital of the canton is Aarau, which is located on its western border, on the Aare. The canton borders Germany (Baden-Württemberg) to the north, the Rhine forming the border. To the west lie the Swiss cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn and Bern; the canton of Lucerne lies south, and Zürich and Zug to the east. Its total area is . Besides the Rhine, it contains two large rivers, the Aare and the Reuss.
The canton of Aargau is one of the least mountainous Swiss cantons, forming part of a great table-land, to the north of the Alps and the east of the Jura, above which rise low hills. The surface of the country is diversified with undulating tracts and well-wooded hills, alternating with fertile valleys watered mainly by the Aare and its tributaries. The valleys alternate with hills, many of which are wooded. Slightly over one-third of the canton is wooded (), while nearly half is used from farming (). or about 2.4% of the canton is considered unproductive, mostly lakes (notably Lake Hallwil) and streams. With a population density of 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi), the canton has a relatively high amount of land used for human development, with or about 15% of the canton developed for housing or transportation.
It contains the hot sulphur springs of Baden and Schinznach-Bad, while at Rheinfelden there are very extensive saline springs. Just below Brugg the Reuss and the Limmat join the Aar, while around Brugg are the ruined castle of Habsburg, the old convent of Königsfelden (with fine painted medieval glass) and the remains of the Roman settlement of "Vindonissa" (Windisch).
Fahr Monastery forms a small exclave of the canton, otherwise surrounded by the canton of Zürich, and since 2008 is part of the Aargau municipality of Würenlos.
Political subdivisions.
Districts.
Aargau is divided into 11 districts:
The most recent change in district boundaries occurred in 2010 when Hottwil transferred from Brugg to Laufenburg, following its merger with other municipalities, all of which were in Laufenburg.
Municipalities.
There are (as of 2014) 213 municipalities in the canton of Aargau. As with most Swiss cantons there has been a trend since the early 2000s for municipalities to merge, though mergers in Aargau have so far been less radical than in other cantons.
Coat of arms.
The blazon of the coat of arms is "Per pale, dexter: sable, a fess wavy argent, charged with two cotises wavy azure; sinister: sky blue, three mullets of five argent."
The flag and arms of the canton of Aargau date to 1803 and are an original design by Samuel Ringier-Seelmatter; the current official design, specifying the stars as five-pointed, dates to 1930.
Demographics.
Aargau has a population () of . , 21.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 11%. Migration accounted for 8.7%, while births and deaths accounted for 2.8%. Most of the population () speaks German (477,093 or 87.1%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (17,847 or 3.3%) and Serbo-Croatian is the third (10,645 or 1.9%). There are 4,151 people who speak French and 618 people who speak Romansh.
Of the population in the canton, 146,421 or about 26.7% were born in Aargau and lived there in 2000. There were 140,768 or 25.7% who were born in the same canton, while 136,865 or 25.0% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 107,396 or 19.6% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.4%.
, there were 227,656 people who were single and never married in the canton. There were 264,939 married individuals, 27,603 widows or widowers and 27,295 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 224,128 private households in the canton, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 69,062 households that consist of only one person and 16,254 households with five or more people. , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.5 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the canton, , was 1.54%.
The majority of the population is centered on one of three areas: the Aare Valley, the side branches of the Aare Valley, or along the Rhine.
Historic population.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Politics.
In the 2011 federal election, the most popular party was the SVP which received 34.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP/PS (18.0%), the FDP (11.5%) and the CVP (10.6%).
The SVP received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the 2007 Federal election (36.2% in 2007 vs 34.7% in 2011). The SPS retained about the same popularity (17.9% in 2007), the FDP retained about the same popularity (13.6% in 2007) and the CVP retained about the same popularity (13.5% in 2007).
Cantonal politics.
The Grand Council of the canton of Aargau is called Grosser Rat. It's the legislature of the canton, has 140 seats, with members elected every four years.
Religion.
From the , 219,800 or 40.1% were Roman Catholic, while 189,606 or 34.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 11,523 members of an Orthodox church (or about 2.10% of the population), there were 3,418 individuals (or about 0.62% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 29,580 individuals (or about 5.40% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 342 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who were Jewish, and 30,072 (or about 5.49% of the population) who were Muslim. There were 1,463 individuals who were Buddhist, 2,089 individuals who were Hindu and 495 individuals who belonged to another church. 57,573 (or about 10.52% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 15,875 individuals (or about 2.90% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education.
In Aargau about 212,069 or (38.7%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 70,896 or (12.9%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a "Fachhochschule"). Of the 70,896 who completed tertiary schooling, 63.6% were Swiss men, 20.9% were Swiss women, 10.4% were non-Swiss men and 5.2% were non-Swiss women.
Economy.
, Aargau had an unemployment rate of 3.6%. , there were 11,436 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3,927 businesses involved in this sector. 95,844 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 6,055 businesses in this sector. 177,782 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 21,530 businesses in this sector.
 the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 238,225. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 7,167, of which 6,731 were in agriculture, 418 were in forestry or lumber production and 18 were in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 90,274 of which 64,089 or (71.0%) were in manufacturing, 366 or (0.4%) were in mining and 21,705 (24.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 140,784. In the tertiary sector; 38,793 or 27.6% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 13,624 or 9.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 8,150 or 5.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 5,164 or 3.7% were in the information industry, 5,946 or 4.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 14,831 or 10.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 10,951 or 7.8% were in education and 21,952 or 15.6% were in health care.
Of the working population, 19.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 55.3% used a private car. Public transportation – bus and train – is provided by Busbetrieb Aarau AG.
The farmland of the canton of Aargau is some of the most fertile in Switzerland. Dairy farming, cereal and fruit farming are among the canton's main economic activities. The canton is also industrially developed, particularly in the fields of electrical engineering, precision instruments, iron, steel, cement and textiles.
Three of Switzerland's five nuclear power plants are in the canton of Aargau (Beznau I + II and Leibstadt). Additionally, the many rivers supply enough water for numerous hydroelectric power plants throughout the canton. The canton of Aargau is often called "the energy canton".
A significant number of people commute into the financial center of the city of Zürich, which is just across the cantonal border. As such the per capita cantonal income (in 2005) is 49,209 CHF.
Tourism is significant, particularly for the hot springs at Baden and Schinznach-Bad, the ancient castles, the landscape, and the many old museums in the canton. Hillwalking is another tourist attraction but is of only limited significance.


Petalax

Petalax () is a former municipality in Ostrobothnia. The municipality was incorporated in Malax municipality in 1973.
Approximately 1,200 people live in Petalax and the main language is Swedish.


Viimsi Parish

Viimsi Parish () is a rural municipality in Northern Estonia, located North-East and neighbouring the capital Tallinn. It occupies an area of with a population of 20 580 (). The municipality contains the Viimsi Peninsula and several islands, including Naissaar, Prangli, and Aksi.
The mayor of Viimsi Parish is Illar Lemetti.
Divisions.
There are two small boroughs () and 20 villages () in Viimsi Parish.
Small boroughs.
Viimsi and Haabneeme.
Villages.
Äigrumäe, Idaotsa, Kelnase, Kelvingi, Laiaküla, Leppneeme, Lõunaküla (Storbyn), Lubja, Lääneotsa, Metsakasti, Miiduranna, Muuga, Pringi, Pärnamäe, Püünsi, Randvere, Rohuneeme, Tagaküla (Bakbyn), Tammneeme, Väikeheinamaa (Lillängin).
International relations.
Twin towns — Sister cities.
Viimsi Parish is twinned with:


Riga District

Riga District () was an administrative division of Latvia, located in Semigallia and Vidzeme regions, in the centre of the country. The district had the two cities of Riga and Jūrmala with the Gulf of Riga to the north. Beginning from the west and counterclockwise to the east, Riga District had Tukums, Jelgava, Bauska, Ogre, Cēsis and Limbaži former districts as neighbours. The area of the district was 3,058 km² with a population of 159,247.
Riga District was one of the largest regions of Latvia, it was strategically important and also had some of the most developed infrastructure in Latvia. It was a cross-point of 10 major motorways and a junction of 6 important railroad lines.
Districts were eliminated during the administrative-territorial reform in 2009.
Nature.
The larger part of the former region lies in the sand-soil plains of Riga that are covered by pinewoods, low links, marshlands and level countryside that is typical for littoral lowlands. In the northern part, there are ridges of links and many lakes have formed in hollows between them. There are 132 lakes in the Riga Region and the biggest of them is the Babīte Lake, Lielais Baltezers, Mazais Baltezers, Dūņu Lake and Lilaste Lake. The former district is also crossed by three major rivers in Latvia – Daugava, Lielupe and Gauja Rivers.
The north-eastern part of former Riga District is covered by the largest deciduous forests in Latvia. The Gauja National Park is part of these forests and has more than 900 kinds of plants, 48 species of mammals and 149 species of birds.
History.
One of the first ancient settlements was situated in this district and dates from the 9th century BC. Across time localities of the Riga District had their resurgence and downturns caused by wars and unrest. This land been occupied by German crusaders and Swedish, Polish–Lithuanian, Saxonian, German and Russian armies. More than 300 monuments of cultural and historical significance that are on the list of cultural heritage protection tell us about the most important events of local history. The reasons for the rapid development of Riga District can be found in its geographic position, human and natural resources, and rich heritage of culture and history. For the same reasons this region is valuable for tourism, recreation and business travel.