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THE ''AMT'' IN GERMANY

The ''Amt'' (plural, ''Ämter'') is unique to the German Bundesländer (federal states) of Schleswig-Holstein , Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg . Other German states had this subdivision in the past. Some states have similar administrative units called Samtgemeinde ( Lower Saxony ), ''' Verbandsgemeinde ''' ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) or '''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft''' ( Baden-Württemberg , Bavaria , Saxony , Saxony-Anhalt , Thuringia ).

An ''amt'', as well as the other above-mentioned units, is subordinate to a District , and is subdivided into municipalities. Normally it consists of very small municipalities; larger municipalities do not belong to an ''amt'', and are called "''Amt''-free municipalities" (''amtsfreie Gemeinden'').


THE ''AMT'' IN DENMARK

The ''amt'' (plural, ''amter''; English , "County") used to be an administrative unit in Denmark (and, historically, of Denmark-Norway ), and was comprised of one or more municipalities ((Danish, '' Kommuner ''). See Counties Of Denmark for more information about the Danish usage of the term.

The Danish Municipal Reform of January 1 , 2007 created five administrative Regions to replace the traditional 13 ''amter''. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, cutting the number of municipalities from 270 to 98. The counties were established by royal decree in 1662 .


THE ''AMT'' IN THE NETHERLANDS AND FLANDERS

''Ambacht'' can be seen as Dutch equivalent to ''amt''. ''Ambachten'' existed in Holland , Zeeland and Flanders up to about 1800.


THE ''AMT'' IN NORWAY

From 1662 to 1919 , the Counties Of Norway were called ''amter''. They are now referred to as ''fylker''.