Gmina

The gmina (Polish: [ˈɡmina], pl. gminy [ˈɡminɨ]) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. As of 1 January 2019, there were 2,479 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. 940 gminy include cities and towns, with 322 among them constituting an independent urban gmina (Polish: gmina miejska) consisting solely of a standalone town or one of the 107 cities, the latter governed by a city mayor (prezydent miasta). The gmina has been the basic unit of territorial division in Poland since 1974, when it replaced the smaller gromada. Three or more gminy make up a higher level unit called a powiat, except for those holding the status of a city with powiat rights. Each and every powiat has the seat in a city or town, in the latter case either an urban gmina or a part of an urban-rural one.