There are 390 regular municipalities (
gemeenten) and 3
public bodies (
openbare lichamen), also referred to as special municipalities (
bijzondere gemeenten), in the
Netherlands. Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in the Netherlands and are subdivisions of their respective
provinces. Their duties are delegated to them by the
central government and they are ruled by a municipal council that is elected every four years. Municipal
mergers have reduced the total number of municipalities by two-thirds since the first official boundaries were created in the mid 19th century. Municipalities themselves are informally subdivided into districts and neighbourhoods for administrative and statistical purposes.