Oblast 185396 224141673 2008-07-07T14:37:32Z Ezhiki 48143 +citation; minor tweaks '''Oblast''' ({{lang-be|во́бласць}}; {{lang-bs|oblast}}; {{lang-bg|о́бласт}}; {{lang-cs|oblast}}; {{lang-ru|о́бласть}}; {{lang-sr|област/''oblast''}}; {{lang-sk|oblasť}}; {{lang-mk|област}}; {{lang-ua|о́бласть}}) refers to a type of [[administrative division]] in [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] countries and in some countries of the former [[Soviet Union]]. The word "oblast" is a [[loanword]] in English,<ref>Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oblast Entry on "oblast"]</ref> but it is 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 state]]s of the Soviet Union differ, but some still use a [[cognate]] of the Russian term, e.g. '''voblast''' ('''voblasts''', '''voblasts' ''', {{IPA2|'vobɫasʲtsʲ}}) is used for [[provinces of Belarus]], and '''oblys''' (plural: oblystar) for [[provinces of Kazakhstan]]. ==Oblasts of Bulgaria== {{Main|Provinces 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 [[krai]]s. 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== <!--[[Subdivisions of the Soviet Union]] links here--> In the now-dissolved [[Soviet Union]], oblasts were one of the types of administrative divisions of the [[republics of the Soviet Union|union republics]]. As any administrative units of this level, oblasts were composed of districts (''[[raion]]s'') and cities/towns directly under oblasts' jurisdiction. Some oblasts also included [[autonomous entity|autonomous entities]] called [[autonomous okrug]]s. The names of oblasts did not 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: *[[Armenia]]: ''marz'' (see [[provinces of Armenia]]) *[[Belarus]]: ''voblast'' (see [[provinces of Belarus]]) *[[Kazakhstan]]: ''oblys'' (see [[provinces of Kazakhstan]]) *[[Kyrgyzstan]]: ''oblast'' (see [[provinces of Kyrgyzstan]]) *[[Tajikistan]]: ''viloyat'' (see [[provinces of Tajikistan]]) *[[Turkmenistan]]: ''welayat'' (see [[provinces of Turkmenistan]]) *[[Uzbekistan]]: ''viloyat'' (see [[provinces of Uzbekistan]]) ''Viloyat'' and ''welayat'' are derived from the [[Arabic language]] term ''[[wilayah]]''. ==Oblasts of Russia== {{Main|Oblasts of Russia}} According to the [[Constitution of Russia]], oblasts are considered to be [[federal subjects of Russia|subjects of the Federation]], which is a higher status than that of administrative units they had 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 of Russia|Federation Council]]. ==Oblasts of Ukraine== {{Main|Administrative divisions 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&nbsp;oblasts. In 1929, oblasts were replaced with larger administrative units known as [[banovina]]s. 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]]. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==See also== *[[Autonomous oblast]] *[[Guberniya]], an administrative unit of the [[Russian Empire]], early [[Russian SFSR]], and the Soviet Union. {{Template group |list= {{Slavic terms for country subdivisions}} {{Types of administrative country subdivision}} }} [[Category:Administrative divisions]] [[Category:Russian words and phrases]] [[Category:Russian loanwords]] [[af:Oblast]] [[be:Вобласць, геаграфія]] [[be-x-old:Вобласьць]] [[bg:Област (България)]] [[ca:Óblast]] [[cs:Oblast]] [[da:Oblast]] [[de:Oblast]] [[eo:Oblasto]] [[es:Óblast]] [[et:Oblast]] [[eu:Oblast]] [[fi:Oblasti]] [[fr:Oblast]] [[he:אובלסט]] [[id:Oblast]] [[it:Oblast']] [[ja:オーブラスチ]] [[jv:Oblast]] [[ku:Oblast]] [[nl:Oblast]] [[no:Oblast]] [[pt:Óblast]] [[ro:Oblast]] [[ru:Область (география)]] [[sv:Oblast]] [[tr:Oblast]] [[uk:Область]] [[vi:Oblast]]