Administrative county facts for kids

An administrative county (pronounced: add-mini-stray'-tive, count-e) was an old way of dividing up land in a country. These areas were used for local government, which is how local services like roads, schools, and libraries are managed.

Administrative counties were first set up in England and Wales in 1888. They also began in Ireland in 1898.

These types of counties do not exist anymore in England, Wales, or most of Ireland. They stopped being used in England and Wales in 1974. In Scotland, they were also used for government reasons, but people didn't usually call their areas by these names. They stopped being used in Scotland in 1975.

Today, the old areas of administrative counties are still used in Northern Ireland. They help define the areas for a Lord Lieutenant, who is a representative of the King or Queen in a county.

Related pages

• List of pages about local government in the United Kingdom

Images for kids

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  England – administrative counties 1890–1965.