In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state (or federal territory), usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs.[1] Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S. Federal Government, as are certain independent cities which are not parts of counties. There are currently 3,143 counties and county-equivalents in the United States; 3,141 according to Wolfram|Alpha knowledgebase, 2011.
The powers of counties arise from state law and vary widely.[2] In some states including Connecticut and Rhode Island,[3][4] counties are geographic entities, but not governmental jurisdictions. At the other extreme, Maryland counties and the county-equivalent City of Baltimore handle
Subject: County (United State 
Thu 24 Nov 2011 - 14:24
