A hamlet is a small unincorporated community that lacks its own municipal government and falls under the jurisdiction of a larger surrounding municipality (often a county, municipal district, or regional municipality). Hamlets may have identifiable clusters of homes, small businesses, and community facilities, but their populations are too small to justify separate municipal incorporation. Residents of hamlets pay taxes to and receive services from the larger municipality in which the hamlet is located. Some provinces use "hamlet" as a formal designation with specific criteria, while others use it informally. In the territories, hamlet is an official municipal designation for smaller communities. Hamlets may have local community associations or advisory bodies that provide input to the overarching municipality but don't have independent governing authority. The distinction between hamlet, village, and town varies by province, based on population thresholds and incorporation requirements.