Administrative divisions of Ukraine
Encyclopedia
Ukraine
is subdivided into 24 oblast
s (regions), one autonomous republic
, and two "cities with special status".
(as stated in the country's constitution
) with unified legal and administrative
regime for each unit. In the post-World War II
period in the country as a tradition has established 25 regions (locally oblast
s) and two cities with a special status. The system of oblasts however was established in 1932, except for the West Ukraine where existed the Polish form of administrative division. Prior to that the Soviet Ukraine Ukraine from 1925 to 1932 was divided into 40 okruha
s, replacing the Russian Imperial administrative division of guberniya
s.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Crimea has obtained the status of autonomous republic with its own government instead of a regional state administration. Each region has at least one city with a special status as well; always the region's administrative center. Also each region is divided into various districts (locally raion
s) and may contain additional cities with a special status.
For an understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic differences within the country, a knowledge of the Ukrainian historical regions is crucial in studying the administrative structure. For example the West Ukraine has some influence of the countries from Central Europe
, while the East Ukraine
is heavily influenced by the Russian Federation.
The administrative division in Ukraine was directly inherited from the local republican administration of the Soviet Union
, the Ukrainian SSR
, and has not changed majorly since the middle of 20th century. It is somewhat complex as beside having couple of levels of a territorial subdivision, it also has its own classification for various settlements.
(region), raion
(district), and settlements: city, urban and rural settlements.
Regions, cities, districts are governed by a state administration, a chief of which is appointed by the president. Crimea has its own incomplete cabinet of ministers, however the state administration is represented by the office of the Presidential Representative of Ukraine. A basic and the lowest level of administrative division is a settlement that is governed by a local council (rada). Cities as a settlement always carry a special status within a region and have their own form of self-administration (municipality - vykonkom) and some may consist of their own city's districts (raions). City municipalities are governed by a mayor.
Cities
Cities may carry various status, some may be of national importance, another - of regional (oblast) importance, and the rest - of a district (raion) importance. For example, the cities of Kiev and of Sevastopol have the special status of a national importance (significance) and each is officially classified as a city with a special status, which administratively is equivalent to an oblast
(region). Mayors of those cities, in general, as governors of oblasts are being appointed by the President of Ukraine
. However, the status of the Mayor of Kiev city, in particular, is somewhat more complex, and for further information see Legal status and local government of Kiev
. The status of the Sevastopol city is also unique.
At the oblast level almost each have at least one city of regional subordination (importance) which is the administrative center (capital) of that oblast. However, some other big cities within the oblast may have such status as well. The cities of oblast subordination have the same importance of a whole raion and often are the administrative centers of such. Note that beside the regular raions there are several cities in Ukraine usually of national (mentioned earlier) or oblast status that are subdivided into several city raions of their own. Those raions may sometimes include other cities, towns, and/or villages. In 2010 there were 23 such cities that have city raions.
A lot of raions also have city municipalities of its level of subordination (importance). Those are usually the administrative centers (capitals). Notice that not all raions (districts) have a city as their administrative center, however all the raion (district) centers are at least urban-like (urbanized). All administrative centers have their own form of self-administration. The municipalities of a raion subordination may administer several other adjacent to them local councils (municipalities), usually rural. If raion has several cities of raion (district) level, they may share an administrative power for the raion.
Other municipalities
As it was mentioned above, beside city municipalities there are urban-like municipalities. The lowest form of self-administration are rural municipalities and villages. A rural municipality may consist of a single village, usually big, or combination of other rural villages or localities. Note that some villages also have some additional very small settlements. Those settlements together with the home village combine a local (rural) municipality (silrada). For simplicity sake, silrada (rural municipality) is usually referred to as a village and is the lowest level of administrative division. The status to any settlement is granted through the Verkhovna Rada
.
Other administrations
There are also some former military installation-settlements (viiskove mistechko). Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the secrecy of such settlements was "unveiled", however, those towns being subordinated directly to the Ministry of Defense and do not have their own civil administration. Such military installations are like ghost towns that are not even identified on a map. One of them is on the border of the Kiev
and Zhytomyr Oblast
s called Makarov-1. Also there is a special territory which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Emergencies. It is the territory which suffered the most from the Chernobyl Catastrophe, known as the Zone of alienation
. Some restricted territories belong to the Ministry of Ecology (former Nature Environment) and are considered nature sanctuaries (preserves).
Currently there are three enclaves. The city of Slavutych
is administratively subordinated directly to the Kiev region
, while being completely surrounded by Belarus
and Chernihiv region
. Another enclave is a settlement Bile which is located on the Snake island
and is fully surrounded by the Black Sea
. Bile is part of the Vylkove
city of Odessa region
. Also a town of Kotsyubynske (Irpin
municipality) which is part of the Kiev region is completely surrounded by the city of Kiev.
Other nomenclatures for local settlements that are now abandoned include khutir, workers' settlement etc.
The following table is based on the 2001 Ukrainian Census.
There are two types of settlements: rural and urban.
Rural
Rural populated areas (сільський населений пункт) can be either a village (село, selo) or a rural settlement (селище).
Urban
Urban populated areas (міський населений пункт) can be either a city (містo) or an urbanized settlement (селище міського типу). Urbanized settlements for a brevity sake often are classified as towns in the English language
.
The changes to a settlement status can be done only by the Verkhovna Rada
. Please, note that the size of a settlement does not ultimately define its status although is a major factor. For example, the city of Prypiat in Ukraine still retains its status, while having a population of zero (0) residents due to its infrastructure: buildings, roads, utility networks, etc.
City vs. town in Ukraine
The typical Ukrainian misto ought to be considered a city
, not a town
(compare to City status in the United Kingdom
). However, the city's subordination to either oblast or raion also should be taken into account, especially in the political sense. Some of urbanized settlements may be cities of raion subordination, although it could seem confusing, a type of settlement should be considered first as its status is given for administrative purposes.
Notes
(regions) are named after their administrative centers (all cities). Each region generally consists of about one to two million of people and has about 20 districts (raions).
Nomenclature grammatical aspect
The name of each oblast is a relative
adjective
, formed by adding a feminine suffix
to the name of respective center city. E.g. Poltava is a center of Poltavs'ka oblast (Poltava Oblast). Most of them are also sometimes referred to in a feminine noun form, following the convention of traditional regional place names, ending with the suffix "-shchyna". E.g. Poltava Oblast is also called Poltavshchyna.
Exceptions to this rule include:
) and Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia
), whose respective capitals are Lutsk
and Uzhhorod
.
An oblast center in Ukraine
is usually the largest and most developed city in given region.
Oblasts sometimes referred to as provinces, however historically provinces were part of administrative division of the Russian Empire
, territories of which today often are different. For example, the former Volhynian province encompasses the Rivne Oblast
, the Volyn Oblast
, and also includes some territories in the Ternopil Oblast
. See also List of etymologies of country subdivision names: "Ukraine".
, is geographically the main part of Crimean peninsula in the south of Ukraine
. Its capital is Simferopol
.
are small territorial units of subdivision of Ukraine. There are 490 raions in 24 oblasts and Crimea
autonomous republic of Ukraine. An average area of Ukrainian raion is 1200 km² (463 sq mi), an average population
of raions is 52,000 people.
s).
Other minor metro areas are:
These conurbation areas are not officially recognized and remain to be administered according to official oblast
-raion
system of subdivision.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
is subdivided into 24 oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
s (regions), one autonomous republic
Autonomous republic
An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Many of these republics were established during the Soviet...
, and two "cities with special status".
Overview
The system of Ukrainian subdivisions reflects country's status as a unitary stateUnitary state
A unitary state is a state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that their central government chooses to delegate...
(as stated in the country's constitution
Constitution of Ukraine
The Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
) with unified legal and administrative
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
regime for each unit. In the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period in the country as a tradition has established 25 regions (locally oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
s) and two cities with a special status. The system of oblasts however was established in 1932, except for the West Ukraine where existed the Polish form of administrative division. Prior to that the Soviet Ukraine Ukraine from 1925 to 1932 was divided into 40 okruha
Okrug
Okrug is an administrative division of some Slavic states. The word "okrug" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "district", or "region"....
s, replacing the Russian Imperial administrative division of guberniya
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
s.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Crimea has obtained the status of autonomous republic with its own government instead of a regional state administration. Each region has at least one city with a special status as well; always the region's administrative center. Also each region is divided into various districts (locally raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
s) and may contain additional cities with a special status.
For an understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic differences within the country, a knowledge of the Ukrainian historical regions is crucial in studying the administrative structure. For example the West Ukraine has some influence of the countries from Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, while the East Ukraine
East Ukraine
Eastern Ukraine is a geographical term and generally includes territories of Ukraine east of Dnieper river, particularly Sloboda Ukraine, Donets basin, Left-bank Ukraine, the continental part of a historical land of Taurida.-See also:*Novorossiya...
is heavily influenced by the Russian Federation.
| Region | Area (sq mi) | Population (2010) | Density | Centre city | Raions/Districts | Important cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Crimea |
10,038.0 | 1,965,031 | 195.76 | Simferopol Simferopol -Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the... |
14 | 11 |
 Cherkasy Oblast |
8,069.5 | 1,291,135 | 160.00 | Cherkasy Cherkasy Cherkasy or Cherkassy , is a city in central Ukraine. It is the capital of the Cherkasy Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Cherkasky Raion within the oblast... |
20 | 6 |
 Chernihiv Oblast |
12,303.1 | 1,104,241 | 89.75 | Chernihiv Chernihiv Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast... |
22 | 3 |
 Chernivtsi Oblast |
3,126.3 | 903,782 | 289.09 | Chernivtsi Chernivtsi Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine... |
11 | 2 |
 Dnipropetrovsk Oblast |
12,322.1 | 3,344,073 | 271.39 | Dnipropetrovsk Dnipropetrovsk Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country... |
22 | 13 |
 Donetsk Oblast |
10,238.3 | 4,448,031 | 434.45 | Donetsk Donetsk Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region... |
18 | 28 |
 Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast |
5,366.8 | 1,380,770 | 257.28 | Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality.... |
14 | 5 |
 Kharkiv Oblast |
12,129.4 | 2,755,177 | 227.15 | Kharkiv Kharkiv Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was... |
27 | 7 |
 Kherson Oblast |
10,988.9 | 1,091,151 | 99.30 | Kherson Kherson Kherson is a city in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast. Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and Dnieper River, and the home of a major ship-building industry... |
18 | 3 |
 Khmelnytskyi Oblast |
7,971.1 | 1,331,534 | 167.05 | Khmelnytskyi Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine Khmelnytskyi is a city in Ukraine in the region of Podillia. It is located on the Southern Buh River and about from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The town's original name was Płoskirów, later Proskurov, but in 1954 was renamed Khmelnytskyi. It is the center of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western... |
20 | 6 |
 Kiev Oblast |
10,861.4 | 1,719,602 | 158.32 | Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... |
25 | 13 |
 Kirovohrad Oblast |
9,493.5 | 1,014,809 | 106.90 | Kirovohrad Kirovohrad Kirovohrad , formerly Yelisavetgrad, is a city in central Ukraine. It is located on the Inhul River. It is a motorway junction. Pop. 239,400 .... |
21 | 4 |
 Luhansk Oblast |
10,302.7 | 2,300,412 | 223.28 | Luhansk Luhansk Luhansk also known as Lugansk is a city in southeastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Luhansk Oblast . The city itself is also designated as its own separate municipality within the oblast... |
18 | 4 |
 Lviv Oblast |
8,429.8 | 2,545,634 | 301.98 | Lviv Lviv Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following... |
20 | 9 |
 Mykolaiv Oblast |
9,497.3 | 1,186,452 | 124.93 | Mykolaiv Mykolaiv Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:... |
19 | 5 |
 Odessa Oblast |
12,861.1 | 2,387,636 | 185.65 | Odessa Odessa Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,... |
26 | 7 |
 Poltava Oblast |
11,099.7 | 1,493,668 | 134.57 | Poltava Poltava Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 .... |
25 | 5 |
 Rivne Oblast |
7,740.2 | 1,152,576 | 148.91 | Rivne Rivne Rivne or Rovno is a historic city in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Rivne Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivne Raion within the oblast... |
16 | 4 |
 Sumy Oblast |
9,202.4 | 1,166,765 | 126.79 | Sumy Sumy * 1897 - 70.53% Ukrainians, 24.1% Russians, 2.6% Jewish, 2.67% others* 1926 - 80.7% Ukrainians, 11.8% Russians, 5.5% Jewish, 2% others* 1959 - 79% Ukrainians, 20% Russians, 1% others... |
18 | 7 |
 Ternopil Oblast |
5,337.1 | 1,086,694 | 203.61 | Ternopil Ternopil Ternopil , is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical region of Galicia... |
17 | 1 |
 Vinnytsia Oblast |
10,236.7 | 1,646,250 | 160.82 | Vinnytsia Vinnytsia Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:... |
27 | 6 |
 Volyn Oblast |
7,777.6 | 1,038,223 | 133.49 | Lutsk Lutsk Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast... |
16 | 4 |
 Zakarpattia Oblast |
4,933.2 | 1,246,323 | 252.64 | Uzhhorod Uzhhorod Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast... |
13 | 5 |
 Zaporizhia Oblast |
10,494.3 | 1,805,431 | 172.04 | Zaporizhia Zaporizhia Zaporizhia or Zaporozhye [formerly Alexandrovsk ] is a city in southeastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative center of the Zaporizhia Oblast... |
20 | 5 |
 Zhytomyr Oblast |
11,518.2 | 1,283,201 | 111.41 | Zhytomyr Zhytomyr Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion... |
23 | 5 |
 Kiev (Kyiv) |
323.9 | 2,782,016 | 8589.12 | Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... |
10 | 1 |
 Sevastopol |
416.6 | 380,301 | 912.87 | Sevastopol Sevastopol Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa.... |
4 | 2 |
General scope of administrative division
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, and has not changed majorly since the middle of 20th century. It is somewhat complex as beside having couple of levels of a territorial subdivision, it also has its own classification for various settlements.
Structure
There are three major administrative subdivisions: oblastOblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
(region), raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
(district), and settlements: city, urban and rural settlements.
Regions, cities, districts are governed by a state administration, a chief of which is appointed by the president. Crimea has its own incomplete cabinet of ministers, however the state administration is represented by the office of the Presidential Representative of Ukraine. A basic and the lowest level of administrative division is a settlement that is governed by a local council (rada). Cities as a settlement always carry a special status within a region and have their own form of self-administration (municipality - vykonkom) and some may consist of their own city's districts (raions). City municipalities are governed by a mayor.
Cities
Cities may carry various status, some may be of national importance, another - of regional (oblast) importance, and the rest - of a district (raion) importance. For example, the cities of Kiev and of Sevastopol have the special status of a national importance (significance) and each is officially classified as a city with a special status, which administratively is equivalent to an oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
(region). Mayors of those cities, in general, as governors of oblasts are being appointed by the President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
. However, the status of the Mayor of Kiev city, in particular, is somewhat more complex, and for further information see Legal status and local government of Kiev
Legal status and local government of Kiev
The City of Kiev has a unique legal status compared to the other administrative subdivisions of Ukraine. The most significant difference is that the city is functionally independent of the oblast in which it sits. That is, it is subordinated directly to the national-level branches of the...
. The status of the Sevastopol city is also unique.
At the oblast level almost each have at least one city of regional subordination (importance) which is the administrative center (capital) of that oblast. However, some other big cities within the oblast may have such status as well. The cities of oblast subordination have the same importance of a whole raion and often are the administrative centers of such. Note that beside the regular raions there are several cities in Ukraine usually of national (mentioned earlier) or oblast status that are subdivided into several city raions of their own. Those raions may sometimes include other cities, towns, and/or villages. In 2010 there were 23 such cities that have city raions.
A lot of raions also have city municipalities of its level of subordination (importance). Those are usually the administrative centers (capitals). Notice that not all raions (districts) have a city as their administrative center, however all the raion (district) centers are at least urban-like (urbanized). All administrative centers have their own form of self-administration. The municipalities of a raion subordination may administer several other adjacent to them local councils (municipalities), usually rural. If raion has several cities of raion (district) level, they may share an administrative power for the raion.
Other municipalities
As it was mentioned above, beside city municipalities there are urban-like municipalities. The lowest form of self-administration are rural municipalities and villages. A rural municipality may consist of a single village, usually big, or combination of other rural villages or localities. Note that some villages also have some additional very small settlements. Those settlements together with the home village combine a local (rural) municipality (silrada). For simplicity sake, silrada (rural municipality) is usually referred to as a village and is the lowest level of administrative division. The status to any settlement is granted through the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
.
Other administrations
There are also some former military installation-settlements (viiskove mistechko). Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the secrecy of such settlements was "unveiled", however, those towns being subordinated directly to the Ministry of Defense and do not have their own civil administration. Such military installations are like ghost towns that are not even identified on a map. One of them is on the border of the Kiev
Kiev Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
and Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on September 22, 1937....
s called Makarov-1. Also there is a special territory which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Emergencies. It is the territory which suffered the most from the Chernobyl Catastrophe, known as the Zone of alienation
Zone of alienation
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of Alienation, or simply The Zone The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of...
. Some restricted territories belong to the Ministry of Ecology (former Nature Environment) and are considered nature sanctuaries (preserves).
Currently there are three enclaves. The city of Slavutych
Slavutych
Slavutych is a new city in northern Ukraine, named after the Old Slavic name of the nearby Dnieper River. As of 2007, its population was 24,549.-Geography:...
is administratively subordinated directly to the Kiev region
Kiev Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
, while being completely surrounded by Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
and Chernihiv region
Chernihiv Oblast
Chernihiv Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv.-Geography:The total area of the province is around 31,900 km²....
. Another enclave is a settlement Bile which is located on the Snake island
Snake Island (Black Sea)
Snake Island, also known as Serpent Island, , is a Ukrainian island located in the Black Sea near the Danube Delta.The island is populated. A rural settlement of Bile was established in February 2007, which is part of the Vylkove city, Kiliya Raion, Odessa Oblast...
and is fully surrounded by the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. Bile is part of the Vylkove
Vylkove
Vylkove is a small city located in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta, at utmost South-West of Ukraine, on the border with Romania. Administratively it is part of the Kiliyskyi Raion of the Odessa Oblast .- Geography :...
city of Odessa region
Odessa Oblast
Odesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:...
. Also a town of Kotsyubynske (Irpin
Irpin
Irpin , or Irpen is a city located on the Irpin River in Kiev Oblast of northern Ukraine. The city's population is 40,275 ....
municipality) which is part of the Kiev region is completely surrounded by the city of Kiev.
Other nomenclatures for local settlements that are now abandoned include khutir, workers' settlement etc.
The following table is based on the 2001 Ukrainian Census.
| Degree of division | Territorial | Number | Cities/other settlements | Number | Total settlements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crimea Crimea Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name... |
1 | - | - | - |
| region/oblast | 24 | special status city | 2 | 459 | |
| 2 | district/raion | 490 | region level city | 178 | |
| - | - | city district | 118 | ||
| 3 | - | - | district level city | 279 | |
| municipality, town/urban-type | 783 | other town/urban-type settlement | 102 | 885 | |
| 4 | municipality, rural | 10278 | village | 27190 | 28456 |
| 5 | - | - | rural settlement/selyshche | 1266 |
Types of settlements
| Status http://gska2.rada.gov.ua:7777/pls/z7502/a002 | Status (in Ukrainian Ukrainian language Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet.... ) |
Total Number (as of 2006) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| misto / city City A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S... |
місто | 457 | |
| municipality | місто зі спеціальним статусом | 2 | |
| misto оblastnoho znachennia | місто областного значення | 176 | |
| misto raionnoho znachennia | місто районного значення | 279 | |
| selyshche miskoho typu / town Urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union... |
селище міського типу | 886 | |
| selo / village Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New... |
сільський населений пункт | 28,552 | |
| selysche | селище | 1,364 | |
| selo | село | 27,188 | |
There are two types of settlements: rural and urban.
Rural
Rural populated areas (сільський населений пункт) can be either a village (село, selo) or a rural settlement (селище).
Urban
Urban populated areas (міський населений пункт) can be either a city (містo) or an urbanized settlement (селище міського типу). Urbanized settlements for a brevity sake often are classified as towns in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
The changes to a settlement status can be done only by the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
. Please, note that the size of a settlement does not ultimately define its status although is a major factor. For example, the city of Prypiat in Ukraine still retains its status, while having a population of zero (0) residents due to its infrastructure: buildings, roads, utility networks, etc.
City vs. town in Ukraine
The typical Ukrainian misto ought to be considered a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, not a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
(compare to City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
). However, the city's subordination to either oblast or raion also should be taken into account, especially in the political sense. Some of urbanized settlements may be cities of raion subordination, although it could seem confusing, a type of settlement should be considered first as its status is given for administrative purposes.
Naming
| Ukrainian | Romanized¹ | English widespread | English recommended (formal use) | English recommended (informal use) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| автономна республіка | avtonomna respublika | (autonomous) republic | autonomous republic | autonomy |
| область | oblast' | region², province | oblast | province |
| район | raion | district, region³, area, county | raion | district |
| містo | misto | city, municipality | misto | city, municipality5 |
| містo зі спеціальним статусом | misto zi spetsial'nym statusom | special-status municipality, special-charter municipality4 | municipality | municipality, city |
| містo областного значення | misto оblastnoho znachennia | city of oblast subordinance | misto оblastnoho znachennia | city of oblast subordinance |
| містo районного значення | misto raionnoho znachennia | city of raion subordinance | misto raionnoho znachennia | city of raion subordinance |
| селище міського типу | selysche mis'koho typu | town, urban-type settlement | selysche mis'koho typu | town, urban-type settlement |
| сільський населений пункт | sil'skyi naselenyi punkt | village, rural-type settlement | selo | village, rural-type settlement |
| селище | selysche | village | selysche | village |
| село | selo | village | selo | village |
Notes
- Romanized using Ukrainian National standard. Details at Romanization of UkrainianRomanization of UkrainianThe romanization or Latinization of Ukrainian is the representation of the Ukrainian language using Latin letters. Ukrainian is natively written in its own Ukrainian alphabet, a variation of Cyrillic....
. - Province is more precise because region may also refer to supranational geographic entity.
- Region is ambiguous since it usually refers to larger national-level units; area is inaccurate.
- 4. Also may be referred as republican status.
- 5. City refers exclusively to the city administration (usually smaller cities), while some cities include other urban and rural administrations such collective administrations form city councils - municipalitiesMunicipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
.
Oblast
Uncommon in English language term oblast in Ukraine is interchangeably used with more common region which is a general term used for oblasts and the Republic of Crimea. Most of Ukraine's oblastOblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
(regions) are named after their administrative centers (all cities). Each region generally consists of about one to two million of people and has about 20 districts (raions).
Nomenclature grammatical aspect
The name of each oblast is a relative
Relative clause
A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun phrase, most commonly a noun. For example, the phrase "the man who wasn't there" contains the noun man, which is modified by the relative clause who wasn't there...
adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
, formed by adding a feminine suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
to the name of respective center city. E.g. Poltava is a center of Poltavs'ka oblast (Poltava Oblast). Most of them are also sometimes referred to in a feminine noun form, following the convention of traditional regional place names, ending with the suffix "-shchyna". E.g. Poltava Oblast is also called Poltavshchyna.
Exceptions to this rule include:
- Two oblasts, Volyn and Zakarpattia, which retain the names of their respective historical regions,
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
) and Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
), whose respective capitals are Lutsk
Lutsk
Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
and Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast...
.
- Two cities: KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
which is an independently administrated city from the surrounding Kiev OblastKiev OblastKyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
and SevastopolSevastopolSevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
which is, while located on the Crimean peninsula, administratively not part of CrimeaCrimeaCrimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. Kiev is, however, also the administrative center of Kiev Oblast (administrative bodies of the oblast are situated inside the city).
An oblast center in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
is usually the largest and most developed city in given region.
Oblasts sometimes referred to as provinces, however historically provinces were part of administrative division of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, territories of which today often are different. For example, the former Volhynian province encompasses the Rivne Oblast
Rivne Oblast
Rivne Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The area of the region is 20,100 km²; its population is 1.2 million...
, the Volyn Oblast
Volyn Oblast
Volyn Oblast is an oblast in north-western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town and the last station in Ukraine of the rail line running from Kiev to Warsaw.-History:...
, and also includes some territories in the Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast is an oblast' of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.-Geography:...
. See also List of etymologies of country subdivision names: "Ukraine".
Autonomous Republic of Crimea
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea , formerly Crimea Oblast of the Ukrainian SSRUkrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, is geographically the main part of Crimean peninsula in the south of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Its capital is Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
.
Raions
RaionsRaions of Ukraine
Raions of Ukraine are small territorial subdivisions of Ukraine. They are a second level of an administrative division...
are small territorial units of subdivision of Ukraine. There are 490 raions in 24 oblasts and Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
autonomous republic of Ukraine. An average area of Ukrainian raion is 1200 km² (463 sq mi), an average population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of raions is 52,000 people.
Metro Areas
Ukraine has five major agglomerated metropolitan areas (conurbationConurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
s).
- KievKiev metropolitan areaThe Kiev metropolitan area is an agglomeration consisting of the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, its satellite towns and nearest rural areas closely bound to the city by employment and commerce....
includes cities such as IrpinIrpinIrpin , or Irpen is a city located on the Irpin River in Kiev Oblast of northern Ukraine. The city's population is 40,275 ....
, BoryspilBoryspilBoryspil is a city located in the Kiev Oblast in northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Boryspil Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, FastivFastivFastiv is a city located in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Fastivskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
among others - Kharkiv includes cities such as ChuhuivChuhuivChuhuiv is a city in the Kharkiv Oblast of eastern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Chuhuivskyi Raion , the city itself is directly subordinate to the oblast, and is located at around ....
, MerefaMerefaMerefa is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is located in the Kharkivsky Raion of the Kharkiv Oblast .The current estimated population is around 23,679 ....
, and numerous other settlements - Donetsk includes cities such as MakiivkaMakiivkaMakiivka, also spelled Makiyivka is an industrial city located in eastern Ukraine within the Donetsk Oblast , from the capital Donetsk. As of the 2001 Ukrainian Census, the city's population is 389,589 inhabitants, of these 178,475 are men and 211,114 are women. It is an important steel...
, KhartsyzkKhartsyzkKhartsyzk is an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. Population is 64,175 ....
, and others - Dnipropetrovsk with DniprodzerzhynskDniprodzerzhynskDniprodzerzhynsk is an industrial city in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine, and a port on the Dnieper River.-History:The first written evidence of settlement in the territory of Dniprodzerzhynsk appeared in 1750. At that time the villages of Romankovo and Kamianske, which make the modern city,...
and NovomoskovskNovomoskovsk, UkraineNovomoskovsk is a city in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine and a center of Novomoskovsk Raion . As of 2001, the city's population is 72,439.... - Odessa with IllichivskIllichivskIllichivsk is a port city in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. The city is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, and is located at around .-Geography:...
and OvidiopolOvidiopolOvidiopol is a coastal town in Odessa Oblast, Ukraine. It is located at around .The town was named after Ovid, the Roman poet, based on the claim of Dimitrie Cantemir in his Descriptio Moldaviae that a local lake near Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was named in Romanian Lacul Ovidului Ovidiopol is a...
Other minor metro areas are:
- Kryvyi RihKryvyi RihKryvyi Rih or Krivoy Rog is a city in central Ukraine. It is situated in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, to the southwest of the oblast's administrative center, Dnipropetrovsk, at the confluence of the Inhulets and Saksahan rivers...
and Zhovti VodyZhovti VodyZhovti Vody is a city in south-central Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast . The city is designated as a separate raion within the oblast, and is located on the Yellow River approximately west of the oblast's administrative center, Dnipropetrovsk.Center for the extraction and processing of uranium... - LvivLvivLviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
with VynnykyVynnykyVynnyky is a city in Lviv Oblast of Ukraine. Population is 13,654 .The city is part of Lviv-city municipality and is part of Lychakiv Raion of Lviv city.-History:...
and PustomytyPustomytyPustomyty is a city in Lviv Oblast of Ukraine. It is administrative center of the Pustomyty Raion. Population is 9,798 .... - HorlivkaHorlivkaHorlivka is a city in the Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine. As of 2001, the city's population was 292,000. It is a coal mining and chemical industry centre...
and Yenakieve - ZaporizhiaZaporizhiaZaporizhia or Zaporozhye [formerly Alexandrovsk ] is a city in southeastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative center of the Zaporizhia Oblast...
with VilnianskVilnianskVilniansk is a city in Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine. Population is 16,522 .... - MykolaivMykolaivMykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
with Voskresenske - LuhanskLuhanskLuhansk also known as Lugansk is a city in southeastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Luhansk Oblast . The city itself is also designated as its own separate municipality within the oblast...
with OleksandrivskOleksandrivskOleksandrivsk is a city in Luhansk Oblast of Ukraine. Population is 7,045 ....
and SchastiaSchastiaSchastia is a city in Luhansk Oblast of Ukraine. Population is 13,770 .North of Schastia, there is Luhanskaya GRES, Russian:Луганская ГРЭС ) a large powerplant built in the 1950s... - MariupolMariupolMariupol , formerly known as Zhdanov , is a port city in southeastern Ukraine. It is located on the coast of the Azov Sea, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Mariupol is the largest city in Priazovye - a geographical region around Azov Sea, divided by Russia and Ukraine - and is also a popular sea...
with Staryi Krym
These conurbation areas are not officially recognized and remain to be administered according to official oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
-raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
system of subdivision.
See also
- Geography of UkraineGeography of UkraineUkraine is the second-largest country in Europe. Its various regions have diverse geographic features ranging from the highlands to the lowlands.-Geographic location:...
- Historical regions of Ukraine
- ISO 3166-2:UAISO 3166-2:UAISO 3166-2:UA is the entry for Ukraine in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Ukraine, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
- Administrative divisions development in UkraineAdministrative divisions development in UkraineAdministrative divisions development in Ukraine reviews the history of changes in the administrative divisions of Ukraine.-1958 - 1991:Before the fall of Soviet Union in 1992 the Ukrainian SSR consisted of 25 oblasts and two cities of republican subordination Kiev and Sevastopol.In 1991 Crimea...
- Administrative divisions of the Ukrainian SSRAdministrative divisions of the Ukrainian SSRDuring its existence from 1919 to 1991, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic consisted of many administrative divisions. Itself part of a highly centralized state, sub-national divisions in the Ukrainian SSR were subordinate to higher executive authorities and devolved their power from them...