Characteristics
Several districts form a "Region" (Slovak "kraj"). One district, on the other hand, consists of several "municipalities" (Slovak "obec"), which in turn consist of "cadastral areas" (Slovak "katastrálne územie").
While both Regions and municipalities are currently both units of state administration and self-governing entities, the districts are little more than statistical units. In the late 20th century, the situation was different in that each district had its own District Office (Okresný úrad), representing the state in the district, but as from January 1, 2004 these offices were abolished and replaced by Circuit Offices (Obvodný úrad), which are usually responsible for several districts (except for the Nové Zámky District, which is one district with two Circuit Offices) and have little responsibilities.
Slovakia has currently 79 districts, the capital of Bratislava being divided into 5 districts and the city of Košice in 4 districts. The districts are named after the biggest town in the district (formerly known as the "district towns").
For history see: Okres
Read more about this topic: Districts Of Slovakia