Świdwin County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat

Powiat

A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...

) in West Pomeranian Voivodeship

West Pomeranian Voivodeship

West Pomeranian Voivodeship, , is a voivodeship in northwestern Poland. It borders on Pomeranian Voivodeship to the east, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the southeast, Lubusz Voivodeship to the south, the German federal-state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania to the west, and the Baltic Sea to the north...

, north-western Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Świdwin

Swidwin

Świdwin is a town in West Pomeranian Voivodeship of northwestern Poland. It is the capital of Świdwin County established 1999, previously having been in Koszalin Voivodeship , and the administrative seat - though not part - of the Gmina Świdwin...

, which lies 89 kilometres (55 mi) north-east of the regional capital Szczecin

Szczecin

Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....

. The only other town in the county is Połczyn-Zdrój, lying 23 km (14 mi) east of Świdwin.

The county covers an area of 1093.1 square kilometres (422 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 48,920, out of which the population of Świdwin is 15,637, that of Połczyn-Zdrój is 8,572, and the rural population is 24,711.

Neighbouring counties

Świdwin County is bordered by Kołobrzeg County and Białogard County to the north, Szczecinek County

Szczecinek County

Szczecinek County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Szczecinek,...

 to the east, and Drawsko County

Drawsko County

Drawsko County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the town of Drawsko Pomorskie,...

 and Łobez County to the south.

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into six gmina

Gmina

The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...

s (one urban, one urban-rural and four rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

Gmina	Type	Area (km²)	Population (2006)	Seat
Gmina Połczyn-Zdrój	urban-rural	343.7	16,016	Połczyn-Zdrój
Świdwin Swidwin Świdwin is a town in West Pomeranian Voivodeship of northwestern Poland. It is the capital of Świdwin County established 1999, previously having been in Koszalin Voivodeship , and the administrative seat - though not part - of the Gmina Świdwin...	urban	22.5	15,637
Gmina Świdwin Gmina Swidwin Gmina Świdwin is a rural gmina in Świdwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Świdwin, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina....	rural	247.3	6,202	Świdwin Swidwin Świdwin is a town in West Pomeranian Voivodeship of northwestern Poland. It is the capital of Świdwin County established 1999, previously having been in Koszalin Voivodeship , and the administrative seat - though not part - of the Gmina Świdwin...  *
Gmina Sławoborze	rural	188.7	4,274	Sławoborze Sławoborze Sławoborze is a village in Świdwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Sławoborze. It lies approximately north of Świdwin and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
Gmina Rąbino Gmina Rabino Gmina Rąbino is a rural gmina in Świdwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Rąbino, which lies approximately north-east of Świdwin and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin....	rural	180.0	3,935	Rąbino Rąbino Rąbino is a village in Świdwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Rąbino. It lies approximately north-east of Świdwin and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
Gmina Brzeżno Gmina Brzezno Gmina Brzeżno is a rural gmina in Świdwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Brzeżno, which lies approximately south of Świdwin and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin....	rural	110.8	2,856	Brzeżno Brzeżno Brzeżno is a village in Świdwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Brzeżno. It lies approximately south of Świdwin and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
* seat not part of the gmina