Borough

A borough or burgh is a political division originally used in England and in Scotland. Borough rhymes with burrow; burgh rhymes with burra. The name derives from the Old English word burg, meaning "fortified town". Boroughs had a Royal Charter and returned Members of Parliament.

There is a region in the London Borough of Southwark, just called the Borough.

It is also the name used for the county divisions within New York City. The five boroughs that make up the city are:

• The Bronx (Bronx County)
• Brooklyn (Kings County)
• Manhattan (New York County)
• Queens (Queens County)
• Staten Island (Richmond County)

The U.S. state of Alaska is divided into boroughs, corresponding to the counties of most other States. Each borough has a borough seat which serves a purpose similar to a county seat in other U.S. states.

A self-governing city or town in some U.S. States, such as Pennsylvania, is called a borough, sometimes spelled (in the municipality's name) boro. In some states (although not in Pennsylvania), boroughs may be grouped together under a governing township.

In Quebec, the term borough is used as the English translation of the French arrondissement, meaning an administrative division of a major city.

New Zealand formerly used the term "borough" (pronounced 'burra') to designate self-governing towns of smaller than city size.