Municipal district (Canada)

Nine of the twelve provinces of the Canadian Republic consist of vast geographical areas which are very sparsely populated; most are part of a district area, which consists of municipal districts and regional districts, both a type of unitary authority.

Unlike in county areas, where incorporated municipalities are subordinate to counties, several municipalities to a county, in district areas municipal districts and regional districts are separate and don't overlap, meaning the two-tiered system of local government present in county areas is a one-tiered system in district areas.

Municipal districts are generally geographically smaller than regional districts, and also consist of a higher population density. Generally speaking, municipal districts consist of large towns or small cities, while regional districts consist of the surrounding nature and farmland as well as clusters of townships and hamlets which surround larger communities. Municipal districts tend to use the mayor-council form of government, while regional districts usually use the council-manager form.