Oblast facts for kids

An Oblast is a type of administrative division in many Slavic countries. You can think of it as a large area or province within a country. The word "oblast" is used in English, but it often means "area," "zone," "province," or "region." Sometimes, this can be a bit confusing because a smaller part of an oblast is called a "raion," which can also mean "region" or "district."

Oblasts are used as administrative divisions in countries like Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine. They were also used in the Soviet Union, which no longer exists. In some countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union, they use similar words. For example, Belarus calls its provinces voblast, and Kazakhstan uses oblys.

Oblasts in Bulgaria

Since 1997, Bulgaria has been divided into 28 oblasti. These are usually called provinces in English. Before 1997, Bulgaria had nine larger units, which were also called oblast.

Oblasts in Ukraine

Ukraine is divided into 24 oblasts. Each oblast is a major administrative area within the country.

Oblasts in the Russian Empire

In the old Russian Empire, oblasts were administrative units. They were part of larger areas called Governorates General or krais. Most of these oblasts were located on the edges of the country or in areas where Cossacks lived.

Oblasts in the Soviet Union

In the former Soviet Union, oblasts were one of the main types of administrative divisions within the union republics. Like other administrative units of this size, oblasts were made up of smaller areas called districts (raions) and cities that were directly controlled by the oblast.

The names of these oblasts usually did not match the names of historical regions. This is because they were created purely for administrative purposes. Most Soviet oblasts were named after their main administrative city or center.

How Oblasts Are Called in Other Countries

After the Soviet Union broke up, many countries that were once part of it continued to use similar terms for their administrative divisions. Here are some of them:

• Armenia: marz
• Belarus: voblast (vobłaść)
• Georgia: mkhare
• Kazakhstan: oblys
• Kyrgyzstan: oblast
• Tajikistan: viloyat
• Turkmenistan: welayat
• Uzbekistan: viloyat

The words viloyat and welayat come from the Arabic language term wilāya.

Oblasts in Russia

According to the Constitution of Russia, oblasts are considered "subjects of the Federation." This means they have a higher status than they did in the Soviet Union. This special status gives oblasts some autonomy, meaning they have a degree of self-governance. It also allows them to have representatives in the Federation Council, which is part of Russia's government.

Oblasts in Yugoslavia

Oblasts were administrative units in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes between 1922 and 1929. During this time, the country was divided into 33 oblasts. In 1929, these oblasts were replaced by larger administrative units called banovinas.

Later, during the conflicts that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia, some Serbian Autonomous Oblasts were formed in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. These oblasts later joined to form the Republic of Serbian Krajina and the Republika Srpska.

See also

In Spanish: Óblast para niños