paragraph_text: Charleston is the oldest and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston -- North Charleston -- Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline and is located on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper rivers. Charleston had an estimated population of 134,385 in 2016. The estimated population of the Charleston metropolitan area, comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, was 761,155 residents in 2016, the third - largest in the state and the 78th - largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale is set in the Republic of Gilead, a theonomic military dictatorship formed within the borders of what was formerly the United States of America.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale is an American web television series created by Bruce Miller, based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. It was ordered by streaming service Hulu with a straight - to - series order of 10 episodes, with the production beginning in late 2016. The plot follows a dystopian future following a Second American Civil War where women, called ``Handmaids '', are forced into sexual and child - bearing servitude.

paragraph_text: Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality that is the largest city by area in Colorado as well as the county seat and the most populous municipality of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in the east central portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located 60 miles (97 km) south of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale is an American television series created by Bruce Miller based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. It was ordered by streaming service Hulu with a straight - to - series order of 10 episodes, with the production beginning in late 2016.

paragraph_text: The states of New England have a combined area of 71,991.8 square miles (186,458 km), making the region slightly larger than the state of Washington and larger than England. Maine alone constitutes nearly one - half of the total area of New England, yet is only the 39th - largest state, slightly smaller than Indiana. The remaining states are among the smallest in the U.S., including the smallest state -- Rhode Island.

paragraph_text: Greenville County is a county located in the state of South Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 451,225, making it the most populous county in the state. In 2017, the estimated population of the county was 506,837. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to the Greenville County School District, the largest school system in South Carolina. County government is headquartered at Greenville County Square.

paragraph_text: This is a list of the sixteen counties in the U.S. state of Maine. Before statehood, Maine was officially part of the state of Massachusetts and was called the District of Maine. Maine was granted statehood on March 15, 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise. Nine of the sixteen counties had their borders defined while Maine was still part of Massachusetts, and hence are older than the state itself. Even after 1820, the exact location of the northern border of Maine was disputed with Britain, until the question was settled and the northern counties signed their final official form, the Webster - Ashburton Treaty, signed in 1842. Almost all of Aroostook County was disputed land until the treaty was signed.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale Genre Drama Dystopian fiction Created by Bruce Miller Based on The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Starring Elisabeth Moss Joseph Fiennes Yvonne Strahovski Alexis Bledel Madeline Brewer Ann Dowd O.T. Fagbenle Max Minghella Samira Wiley Composer (s) Adam Taylor Country of origin United States Original language (s) English No. of seasons No. of episodes 10 (list of episodes) Production Executive producer (s) Bruce Miller Warren Littlefield Reed Morano Daniel Wilson Fran Sears Ilene Chaiken Producer (s) Margaret Atwood Elisabeth Moss Location (s) Toronto, Ontario Hamilton, Ontario Cambridge, Ontario Running time 47 -- 60 minutes Production company (s) MGM Television White Oak Pictures The Littlefield Company Daniel Wilson Productions, Inc. Release Original network Hulu Original release April 26, 2017 (2017 - 04 - 26) -- present External links Website www.hulu.com/the-handmaids-tale

paragraph_text: Hephzibah High School is a high school located in south Richmond County in the town of Hephzibah, Georgia, United States. It is the largest high school, by attendance, in the Richmond County School System. It is located in a rural area and its students generally live in a rural or suburban setting.

paragraph_text: In the near future, fertility rates collapse as a result of sexually transmitted diseases and environmental pollution. With this chaos in place, the totalitarian, Christian theonomic government of ``Gilead ''establishes rule in the former United States in the aftermath of a civil war. Society is organized by power - hungry leaders along a new, militarized, hierarchical regime of fanaticism and newly created social classes, in which women are brutally subjugated, and by law are not allowed to work, own property, handle money, or read. Worldwide infertility has resulted in the conscription of the few remaining fertile women in Gilead, called handmaids, according to an`` extremist interpretation'' of a Biblical account. They are assigned to the homes of the ruling elite, where they must submit to ritualized rape with their male masters in order to become pregnant and bear children for those men and their wives.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The book was originally published in 1985. Set in a near - future New England, in a totalitarian, Christian theonomy that has overthrown the United States government. The novel focuses on the journey of the handmaid Offred. Her name derives from the possessive form ``of Fred ''; handmaids are forbidden to use their birth names and must echo the male, or master, for whom they serve.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale is a 1985 dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Set in a near - future New England, in a totalitarian, Christian theonomy that has overthrown the United States government, the novel explores themes of women in subjugation and the various means by which they gain individualism and independence. The novel's title echoes the component parts of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, which is a series of connected stories (``The Merchant's Tale '',`` The Parson's Tale'', etc.).

paragraph_text: June Osborne, renamed Offred (Elisabeth Moss), is the Handmaid assigned to the home of the Gileadan Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski). Offred is subject to strict rules and constant scrutiny; an improper word or deed on her part can lead to brutal punishment. Offred, who is named after her male master like all Handmaids, can remember the ``time before '', when she was married and had a daughter, a job, a bank account, and her own name and identity, but all she can safely do now is follow the rules of Gilead in hopes that she can someday live free again and be reunited with her daughter. The Waterfords, key players in the rise of Gilead, have their own conflicts with the realities of the society they have helped create.

paragraph_text: Blooming Grove is an unincorporated community in northeastern North Bloomfield Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States. The community is located at the junction of State Route 97 and Morrow County Road 20. The nearest city is Galion, Ohio, located to the northwest. Mount Gilead, the county seat of Morrow County, is located southwest of Blooming Grove on State Route 61.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale Genre Drama Dystopian fiction Created by Bruce Miller Based on The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Starring Elisabeth Moss Joseph Fiennes Yvonne Strahovski Alexis Bledel Madeline Brewer Ann Dowd O.T. Fagbenle Max Minghella Samira Wiley Amanda Brugel Composer (s) Adam Taylor Country of origin United States Original language (s) English No. of seasons No. of episodes 23 (list of episodes) Production Executive producer (s) Bruce Miller Warren Littlefield Reed Morano Daniel Wilson Fran Sears Ilene Chaiken Producer (s) Margaret Atwood Elisabeth Moss Production location (s) Toronto, Ontario Hamilton, Ontario Cambridge, Ontario Vaughan, Ontario Running time 47 -- 63 minutes Production company (s) Daniel Wilson Productions, Inc. The Littlefield Company White Oak Pictures MGM Television Release Original network Hulu Original release April 26, 2017 (2017 - 04 - 26) -- present (present) External links Website

paragraph_text: Blue Springs is a city located in the U.S. state of Missouri and within Jackson County. Blue Springs is located 19 miles (31 km) east of downtown Kansas City, Missouri and is the eighth largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census the population was 52,575, tying it for 10th largest city in the state of Missouri with St. Peters. In 2010, CNN / Money Magazine ranked Blue Springs 49th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.

paragraph_text: Mecklenburg County is a county located on the border in the southwestern part of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,628. It increased to 1,034,070 as of the 2015 estimate, making it the most populous county in North Carolina and the first county in the Carolinas to surpass 1 million in population. Its county seat and largest city is Charlotte.

paragraph_text: The Handmaid's Tale Genre Drama Dystopian fiction Created by Bruce Miller Based on The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Starring Elisabeth Moss Joseph Fiennes Yvonne Strahovski Alexis Bledel Madeline Brewer Ann Dowd O.T. Fagbenle Max Minghella Samira Wiley Composer (s) Adam Taylor Country of origin United States Original language (s) English No. of seasons No. of episodes 10 (list of episodes) Production Executive producer (s) Bruce Miller Warren Littlefield Reed Morano Daniel Wilson Fran Sears Ilene Chaiken Producer (s) Margaret Atwood Elisabeth Moss Location (s) Toronto, Ontario Hamilton, Ontario Cambridge, Ontario Running time 47 -- 60 minutes Production company (s) Daniel Wilson Productions, Inc. The Littlefield Company White Oak Pictures MGM Television Hulu Originals Release Original network Hulu Original release April 26, 2017 (2017 - 04 - 26) -- present External links Website www.hulu.com/the-handmaids-tale

paragraph_text: Black Lake is located in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties in northern Michigan, United States. With a surface area of , it is the seventh largest inland lake in Michigan. The largest body of water in the Black River watershed, it drains through the Lower Black and Cheboygan rivers into Lake Huron. Black Lake is a summer destination for many families from the suburban Detroit area and from other nearby states as well as residents of the neighboring town of Onaway.

Question: How many counties does the largest state in the region where the fictional Gilead in the Handmaid's Tale takes place have?
Answer: sixteen