In terminology derived from the Danelaw, the Ridings are the three parts into which Yorkshire in England was divided. The word is a corruption of the Old Norse thriding meaning a third part. The Yorkshire Ridings were East, North and West. In 1974, the official status of this division was abolished (see Yorkshire).
Under the Kingdom Of York, the Ridings themselves were sub-divided into wapentakes.
In semiofficial jargon of Canadian politics, a riding is a constituency or electoral district. The term is derived from the English local government term. There are 301 federal ridings in the current parliament. This will be increased to 308 in the next general election. Each riding elects a member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons. Each province and territory is also divided into ridings that elect members to their legislature. Ontario uses the federal ridings in its elections for the provincial legislature. Other provinces can have completely different federal and provincial ridings.
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