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In modern nations, local governments usually have less powers than national governments do. They usually have some power to raise taxes, though these may be limited by central legislation. In some countries local government is partly or wholly funded by subventions from central government taxation. The question of Municipal Autonomy - which powers the local government has, or should have, and why - is a key question of public administration and governance.
The institutions of local government vary greatly between countries, and even where similar arrangements exist, the terminology often varies. Common names for local government entities include state, province, region, department, county, district, city, township, town, boroughA borough is a political division originally used in England. The equivalent, burgh was used in Scotland. Bury often ends towns' names in the South of England, but borough more often in the Midlands. Bury is more common in America's New England — but burg, parishA parish is a subdivision of a diocese or bishopric within the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, and of some other churches. In Roman Catholicism, each parish has the services of a parish pri, and villageA village is a human settlement commonly found in rural areas. It is usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town or city. Villages have been the normal unit of community living in most areas of the world throughout its history, up until the Indus. However all these names are often used informally in countries where they do not describe a legal local government entity.
Main articles on each country will usually contain some information about local government, or links to an article with fuller information. The rest of this article gives information or links for countries where a relatively full description is available.
As a federal country, AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count has a number of States and Territories with wide ranging powers, and a lower tier of Local Governments. These arrangements are described in the articles Australian States and TerritoriesAustralia, having a federal system of government, is divided into states and territories . Each of these has a capital city, as listed below. Internal States and Territories # Australian Capital Territory ( Canberra) # New South Wales ( Sydney) # Victoria and Local Government in AustraliaAustralia has two tiers of subnational government: state (or territory) government and local government . This article deals with local government. See Australian States and Territories for information on state government. Types of local government Local