Oblast
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'''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 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]]