The term census refers to the official process of counting a population of a given jurisdiction, such as a that of a country, city, or town and collecting information about them.

References

• Merriam Webster Inc. n.d. "[Census](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/census)". Merriam-Webster.com. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Inc. [*First Accessed*: 22 October 2013].