Szczecinek 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 Szczecinek

Szczecinek

Szczecinek [] is a city in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland with some 39,777 inhabitants . Previously in Koszalin Voivodeship , it has been the capital of Szczecinek County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...

, which lies 143 kilometres (89 mi) 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 county contains three other towns: Borne Sulinowo

Borne Sulinowo

Borne Sulinowo is a town in Poland's Western Pomeranian Voivodship, in the Powiat of Szczecinek. It is a capital of a separate gmina and home to 4149 inhabitants...

, 19 km (12 mi) south-west of Szczecinek, Barwice

Barwice

Barwice is a town in Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodship, in Szczecinek County.-Geographics:The town is located on the Baltic Uplands in Farther Pomerania at an altitude of about 150 to 180 meters above sea level within the upper region of the river Persante. 20 kilometers further south the...

, 23 km (14 mi) west of Szczecinek, and Biały Bór, 23 km (14 mi) north-east of Szczecinek.

The county covers an area of 1765.22 square kilometres (681.6 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 77,232, out of which the population of Szczecinek is 38,756, that of Borne Sulinowo is 4,224, that of Barwice is 3,838, that of Biały Bór is 2,127, and the rural population is 28,287.

Neighbouring counties

Szczecinek County is bordered by Koszalin County

Koszalin County

Koszalin County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland, on the Baltic coast. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998...

 to the north, Bytów County

Bytów County

Bytów County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern 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 Bytów, which lies west of...

 to the north-east, Człuchów County to the east, Złotów County to the south, 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 Świdwin County

Swidwin County

Świdwin 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 Świdwin, which...

 to the west, and Białogard County to the north-west.

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, three urban-rural and two rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

Gmina	Type	Area (km²)	Population (2006)	Seat
Szczecinek Szczecinek Szczecinek [] is a city in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland with some 39,777 inhabitants . Previously in Koszalin Voivodeship , it has been the capital of Szczecinek County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...	urban	37.2	38,756
Gmina Szczecinek Gmina Szczecinek Gmina Szczecinek is a rural gmina in Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Szczecinek, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina....	rural	510.2	10,171	Szczecinek Szczecinek Szczecinek [] is a city in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland with some 39,777 inhabitants . Previously in Koszalin Voivodeship , it has been the capital of Szczecinek County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...  *
Gmina Borne Sulinowo Gmina Borne Sulinowo Gmina Borne Sulinowo is an urban-rural gmina in Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland...	urban-rural	484.2	9,230	Borne Sulinowo Borne Sulinowo Borne Sulinowo is a town in Poland's Western Pomeranian Voivodship, in the Powiat of Szczecinek. It is a capital of a separate gmina and home to 4149 inhabitants...
Gmina Barwice Gmina Barwice Gmina Barwice is an urban-rural gmina in Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Barwice, which lies approximately west of Szczecinek and east of the regional capital Szczecin....	urban-rural	258.9	8,897	Barwice Barwice Barwice is a town in Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodship, in Szczecinek County.-Geographics:The town is located on the Baltic Uplands in Farther Pomerania at an altitude of about 150 to 180 meters above sea level within the upper region of the river Persante. 20 kilometers further south the...
Gmina Biały Bór	urban-rural	270.2	5,166	Biały Bór
Gmina Grzmiąca Gmina Grzmiaca Gmina Grzmiąca is a rural gmina in Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Grzmiąca, which lies approximately north-west of Szczecinek and east of the regional capital Szczecin.The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2006 its total...	rural	204.5	5,012	Grzmiąca Grzmiąca, West Pomeranian Voivodeship Grzmiąca is a village in Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Grzmiąca. It lies approximately north-west of Szczecinek and east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
* seat not part of the gmina