Everything about Oblast totally explained
Oblast (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) refers to a type of
administrative division in
Slavic countries and in some countries of the former
Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a
loanword in English, but it's nevertheless often translated as "
area", "
zone", "
province", or "
region". The last translation may lead to confusion, because the subdivision of "oblast" is called "
raion" which is translated as "region" or "
district", depending on the context.
Oblasts are a type of administrative division of
Belarus,
Bulgaria,
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan,
Russia,
Ukraine, and the now-defunct
Soviet Union. Official terms in
successor states of the Soviet Union differ, but some still use a
cognate of the Russian term, for example
voblast (
voblasts,
voblasts' , ) is used for
provinces of Belarus, and
oblys (plural: oblystar) for
provinces of Kazakhstan.
Oblasts of Bulgaria
Since 1997,
Bulgaria has been divided into 28
oblasti, usually translated as
provinces. Before, the country was divided into nine bigger units, also called
oblast.
Oblasts of the Russian Empire
In the
Russian Empire, oblasts were considered to be administrative units and were included as parts of Governorates General or
krais. The majority of then-existing oblasts were located on the periphery of the country or covered the areas where
Cossacks lived.
Oblasts of the Soviet Union
In the now-dissolved
Soviet Union, oblasts were one of the types of administrative divisions of the
union republics. As any administrative units of this level, oblasts were composed of districts (
raions) and cities/towns directly under oblasts' jurisdiction. Some oblasts also included
autonomous entities called
autonomous okrugs.
The names of oblasts didn't usually correspond to the names of the respective historical regions, as they were created as purely administrative units. With a few exceptions, Soviet oblasts were named after their administrative centers.
Terms used to describe oblasts in post-Soviet countries
The oblasts in other post-Soviet countries are officially called:
Oblasts of Russia
According to the
Constitution of Russia, oblasts are considered to be
subjects of the Federation, which is a higher status than that of administrative units they'd within the
Russian SFSR before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The federal subject status gives the oblasts some degree of autonomy and gives them representation in the
Federation Council.
Oblasts of Ukraine
Oblasts of Yugoslavia
Oblasts were administrative units of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1922 and 1929. During that period, the country was divided into 33 oblasts. In 1929, oblasts were replaced with larger administrative units known as
banovinas.
During the
Yugoslav Wars, several Serbian Autonomous Oblasts were formed in
Croatia and
Bosnia and Herzegovina. These oblasts were later merged into the
Republic of Serbian Krajina and the
Republika Srpska.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Oblast'.
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