Regions of Western Australia

The main currently recognised regions of Western Australia are as follows:

Government
Metropolitan area: Mainland regions with government backing for economic development: Islands:
 * Perth
 * Gascoyne
 * Goldfields-Esperance
 * Great Southern
 * Kimberley
 * Mid West
 * Peel
 * Pilbara
 * South West
 * Wheatbelt
 * Christmas Island
 * Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Local government
There are now about 142 Local Government Areas of Western Australia: cities, towns, and shires. The largest by area is East Pilbara, with 7500 people spread over 379,571 km².

In earlier times local government was by municipalities and road boards.

Land tenure
The state has been divided into six land divisions (covering the whole state).

Most of the state (excluding only the eastern interior) is also divided into 80 land districts, which are further divided into locations and lots for purposes connected with the definition of ownership.

In the south-west, covering Perth and all or part of five of the modern government regions, 26 counties were created from about the year 1829 but were not further subdivided.