A parish is an administrative division used by several countries. To distinguish it from an ecclesiastical parish, the term civil parish is used in some jurisdictions, as noted below.
The table below lists countries which use this administrative division:
Country or territory | Local name | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Andorra | Parròquia | ||
Antigua and Barbuda | Parish | ||
Australia | Parish[1] | Not all states use parishes, with SA and NT using hundreds instead. | |
Barbados | Parish | ||
Bermuda | Parish | ||
Canada | New Brunswick | Parish | |
Prince Edward Island | Parish | ||
Quebec | Parish municipality | ||
China | Macau | Freguesia / 堂區 | |
Dominica | Parish | ||
Ecuador | Parroquia | ||
Estonia | Vald | ||
Georgia | მუნიციპალიტეტი | ||
Grenada | Parish | ||
Guernsey | Parish | ||
Ireland | Civil parish | In the Republic of Ireland, civil parishes continue to exist for statutory purposes only. | |
Jamaica | Parish | ||
Jersey | Parish | ||
Latvia | Pagasts | ||
Isle of Man | Parish | ||
Montserrat | Parish | ||
(Nordic countries) | Municipality | In Nordic countries, a rural administrative parish corresponds to the concept of socken, a predecessor to today’s municipalities of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. | |
Portugal | Freguesia | ||
Russia | Приход | ||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Parish | ||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Parish | ||
Spain | (Asturias, Galicia) | Parroquia | |
Ukraine | Парафія | ||
United Kingdom | England | Civil parish | In all parts of the British Isles except Scotland and Wales, it is known as a civil parish to distinguish it from the ecclesiastical parish.[2] In England, a (civil) parish council may choose to rename itself as a town council or as a community council. In Northern Ireland, civil parishes continue to exist for statutory purposes only. |
Northern Ireland | Civil parish | ||
Scotland (formerly) | Civil parish | ||
Scotland | Community | ||
Wales | Community | ||
United States | Louisiana | Parish | The term “county” is used in 48 US states, while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parishes and boroughs respectively.[3] |
South Carolina (formerly) | Parish | Until the late 19th century, the South Carolina Lowcountry was divided into parishes. Today all of South Carolina is divided into counties.[4] | |
Venezuela | Parroquia |