Districts of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into 26 local government districts, which are unitary authorities. Some of the districts have city status - these are marked in bold.
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The current pattern of local government in Northern Ireland, with 26 unitary districts, was established in 1973 to replace the previous system established by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. The system is based on the recommendations of the Macrory Report, of June 1970, which presupposed the continued existence of the Government of Northern Ireland to act as a regional-level authority.
For local government, Northern Ireland was previously divided into six counties and two county boroughs, with various rural districts and urban districts in the counties. This system, with the abolition of rural districts, remains the model for local government in the Republic of Ireland.