Suwałki Governorate

Infobox Former Subdivision
native_name = Сувалкская губерния
Gubernia suwalska
conventional_long_name = Suwałki Governorate
common_name = Suwałki
subdivision = Governorate
nation = Russian Empire
year_start = 1867
date_start =
year_end = 1914
date_end =
p1 = Augustów Governorate
flag_p1 = Romanov Flag.svg
s1 = Bialystok-Grodno District
flag_s1 = Flag of the German Empire.svg

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image_map_caption = Suwałki Governorate (in yellow)


capital = Suwałki
latd = 54 | latm = 5 | lats = | latNS = N | longd = 22 | longm = 56 | longs = | longEW = E
political_subdiv =

Suwałki Governorate ( _ru. Сувальская Губения _lt. Suvalkų gubernija, _pl. Gubernia suwalska) was an administrative unit (guberniya) of the Congress Poland with seat in Suwałki. It covered the territory of about 12,300 km².

History

In 1867 territories of the Augustów Governorate and the Płock Governorate were divided into a smaller Płock Governorate, Suwałki Governorate (consisting mostly of the Augustów Governorate territories) and a recreated Łomża Governorate.

After World War I the governorate was eventually split between Poland and Lithuania, mostly along ethnic lines (with an exception of Puńsk). The Polish part, known as Suwałki Region, was incorporated into the Białystok Voivodeship. Lithuanian ethnographic region Suvalkija was named after the governorate.

Demographics

According to contemporary Russian Empire statistics from 1889 Governorate was predominately Lithuanian – Lithuanians comprised 57.8% of the population. [ cite journal|title=Tautos budimas ir blaivybės sąjūdis| journal=Istorija| date=1999| first=Ieva| last=Šenavičienė| coauthors=| volume=40| issue=|pages=p.3|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-12-07 ] The Lithuanians formed a majority only in the northern part of this governorate (Counties of Kalvarija, Marijampolė, Naujamiestis, Vilkaviškis and eastern part of Sejny) and the Poles had a majority in the southern part (counties of Suwałki, Augustów and western part of Sejny).Piotr Łossowski, "Konflikt polsko-litewski 1918-1920" (1996) p.10 and p.15]

Administrative Divisions

It was divided into seven counties [lt icon cite encyclopedia | editor=Jonas Zinkus, et. al | encyclopedia=Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija | title=Suvalkų gubernija | year=1988 | publisher=Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija | volume=IV | location=Vilnius, Lithuania | pages=136-137] :

References