Chernihiv Oblast

Chernihiv Oblast Чернігівська область Chernihivs’ka oblast’
—  Oblast  —
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Чернігівщина (Chernihivshchyna)
Location of Chernihiv Oblast (red) within Ukraine (blue)
Country	Ukraine
Established	October 15, 1932
Admin. center	Chernihiv
Largest cities	Chernihiv, Nizhyn, Pryluky
Government
- Governor	Volodymyr Homenko[1]
- Oblast council	90 seats
- Chairperson	Nataliya Romanova (SDP)
Area
- Total	31,865 km2 (12,303.1 sq mi)
Area rank	Ranked 3rd
Population (2006)
- Total	1,156,609
- Rank	Ranked 21st
- Density	36.3/km2 (94/sq mi)
Demographics
- Official language(s)	Ukrainian
- Average salary	UAH 767 (2006)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	14-17xxx
Area code	+380 46
ISO 3166 code	UA-74
Vehicle registration	СВ
Raions	22
Cities of oblast subordinance	3
Cities (total)	44
Towns	34
Villages	1494
FIPS 10-4	UP02
Website	www.chernigivstat.gov.ua www.rada.gov.ua

Chernihiv Oblast (Ukrainian: Чернігівська область, translit. Chernihivs’ka oblast’; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna - Ukrainian: Чернігівщина) is an oblast (province) 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.

The oblast is bordered on the west by the Kiev Reservoir of the Dnieper River and Kiev Oblast, by the Sumy Oblast to the east, and the Poltava Oblast to the south. The northern border of the oblast is part of Ukraine's international border abutting Belarus's Homyel Voblast in the north-west and the Russian Bryansk Oblast in the north-east, respectively.

The oblast is bisected into northern and southern sections by the Desna River, which enters the Dnieper just north of the Kiev city limits.

History

The Chernihiv Oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on October 15, 1932.

The capital city of Chernihiv has known human settlement for over 2,000 years, according to archaeological excavations. The Chernihiv Oblast comprises a very important historical region, notable as early as the Kievan Rus' period, when the cities of Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siverskyi were frequently mentioned. The city of Chernihiv was the second most important Ukrainian city during the Rus' period of Ukrainian history, often serving as a major regional capital. Danylo of Chernihiv wrote of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem during this era. The numerous architectural monuments of the city bear witness to the invasions suffered, including those by the Tatars/Mongols, Lithuanians, Poles, Russians, and Nazis. On the territory of the region took place numerous tragic events such as Battle of Kruty, Tragedy of Kryukivka, and many others.

The oblast is located in the historic region of Polesia (Ukrainian: Полісся, translit. Polissia).

Administrative Subdivisions

The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of the Chernihiv Oblast:

• Administrative Center - 1 (Chernihiv)
• Raions — 22;
• City raions — 3 (including the Oblast's administrative center);
• Settlements — 1534, including:
  • Villages — 1489;
  • Cities/Towns — 45, including:
    • Urban-type settlement — 30;
    • Cities — 15, including:
      • Cities of oblast' subordinance — 3;
      • Cities of raion subordinance — 12;
• Selsovets — 525.

The local administration of the oblast' is controlled by the Chernihiv Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast' is the Chernihiv Oblast Rada speaker, appointed by the President of Ukraine.

Detailed map of Chernihiv Oblast.

Important cities

Important cities and historical settlements of the Chernihiv Oblast include:

• Bakhmach
• Borzna (historical city)
• Chernihiv (capital city)
• Kozelets (historical city)
• Liubech (historical city)
• Nizhyn (important cultural and industrial center)
• Novhorod-Siversky (historical city)
• Pryluky (important industrial center and major Air Force base)

Raions

The raions (districts) of the Chernihiv Oblast include:

Bakhmatsky Raion Bobrovytsky Raion Borzniansky Raion Chernihiv City Chernihivsky Raion

Horodniansky Raion Ichniansky Raion Koriukivsky Raion Koropsky Raion Kozeletsky Raion

Kulykivsky Raion Mensky Raion Nizhyn City Nizhynsky Raion Nosivsky Raion

Novhorod-Siversky Raion Pryluky City Prylutsky Raion Ripkynsky Raion Semenivsky Raion

Shchorsky Raion Sosnytsky Raion Sribniansky Raion Talalayivsky Raion Varvynsky Raion

The Slavutych municipality is located in Chernihiv Oblast on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, but officially belongs to Kiev Oblast (being an administrative exclave).

Demographics

The current estimated population of the oblast is around 1,156,609 (as of 2006).

The population of the oblast is predominantly Ukrainian, with minority Belarusian and Russian populations concentrated in the northern districts.

The province has experienced long-term population decline. The population has fallen 23% from the 1959 figure of 1,554,000, the steepest decline of any Ukrainian oblast. It has the lowest population density in the country.

Economy

Industry

The economy of the Chernihiv Oblast mostly deals with petroleum and natural gas extraction, transport, machinery, tobacco and textile industry. A major tobacco factory is situated in Pryluky. Cities of Bakhmach and Nizhyn are the important railway junctions on the route from Russia and Belarus to South-Eastern Europe. There are notable machinery and electronics industries in Chernihiv. Chernihiv also has a beer brewery producing beer under the name "Chernihivske".

Religion

Main article: History of Christianity in Ukraine

The religion among believers in the oblast is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox. A substantial percentage of the population is atheist. Small minorities of Ukrainian Catholics, Roman Catholics (including the descendants of earlier Polish colonists), and recent converts to Protestantism are also present.

Culture and tourist attractions

There are few outstanding historical Orthodox churches and buildings in Chernihiv, Novhorod-Siverskyi, Liubech, Nizhyn (Nezhyn) and Koselets' (an city of Ancient Rus', older than Kiev). Nizhyn is a historical Kozak city and home to a university.

• Antoniyev caverns
• Saviour's Transfiguration Cathedral
• Hustynskyi monastery
• Knyazhyi hrad

Nomenclature

Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers" (Ukrainian: обласний центр, translit. oblasnyi tsentr). The name of each oblast is a relative adjective, formed by adding a feminine suffix to the name of respective center city: Chernihiv is the center of the Chernihivs’ka oblast’ (Chernihiv Oblast). Most oblasts are also sometimes referred to in a feminine noun form, following the convention of traditional regional place names, ending with the suffix "-shchyna", as is the case with the Chernihiv Oblast, Chernihivshchyna.

See also: Romanization of Ukrainian

See also

• Subdivisions of Ukraine
• Chernigov Governorate

References

1. ^ Khomenko reappointed as Chernihiv regional governor, Kyiv Post (April 20, 2010)

• Kardash, Peter. Ukraine and Ukrainians. Ed. Peter Lockwood. Melbourne: Fortuna Publishers, 1988.
• (1972) Icтopia мicт i ciл Укpaїнcькoї CCP - Чернiгiвськa область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Chernihiv Oblast), Kiev. (Ukrainian)
• Information Card of the Region - Official site of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

External links

• Very detailed map of Chernigov Guberniya as in 1910 Latinised placenames
• Chernihiv Oblast State Administration (Ukrainian)
• Invest in Chernihiv Oblast!
• patent.net.ua - Symbols of Chernihiv Oblast