Cidade, Comarca and Município: Learn the Differences

Cidade, comarca and município are three words that can be easily confusing. On first blush they may seem like synonyms, but they actually aren’t. Each has its own distinct meaning.

In Portuguese, a geographic area with inhabitants, houses and businesses is a cidade. In English, it most resembles a city. As an example, São Paulo is the most populous cidade in Brazil.

Comarca refers to the territory where a judge exercises jurisdiction. The term is often used in contract clauses, particularly when parties are selecting the venue of potential legal claims. For example, a contract may say that all disputes will be resolved in the comarca of São Paulo.

Lastly, municípios are political territories in which a state is divided. In Brazil, every município has its own legal personality and is responsible for creating local laws. If you owe local taxes or must pay a traffic ticket, you’ll likely be dealing with the município. There’s no perfect English translation, but either county or municipality should do the trick.

Now that you know the meanings, follow us on a few conclusions. (1) A cidade only has an urban population and a município has both urban and rural populations. (2) A comarca is simply a judicial jurisdiction that has nothing to do with urban or rural populations. (3) A município can cover more than one cidade, but a cidade will never cover more than one município. (4) A comarca can cover more than one cidade and more than one município.