Raion 1051555 218972326 2008-06-13T00:23:27Z Biruitorul 1399437 Romania had them too, in the 1950s {{Otheruses4||the [[Jinn (band)|Jinn]] single|Raion (Jinn)}} {{Distinguish|rayon}} {{Unreferenced|date=November 2007}} A '''raion''' (or '''rayon''') ({{lang-ru/uk|райо́н}}, {{IPA2|ra'jon}}; {{lang-az|rayon}}; {{lang-be|раён}}; {{lang-ka|რაიონი}}, ''raioni''; {{lang-lv|rajons}}; {{lang-lt|rajonas}}; [[Romanian language|Romanian]] and {{lang-mo|raion}}) is one of two kinds of administrative subdivisions in languages of some [[post-Soviet]] states: a [[subnational entity]] and a subdivision of a city. In these senses the term is almost always translated as "[[district]]". Raion is a subnational entity of [[Azerbaijan]], [[Belarus]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Latvia]], [[Moldova]], [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]], and the former [[Soviet Union]]. As an administrative subdivision, the term, of French origin, was introduced by the Soviet administrative reform of 1923–1929 that transformed many former [[volost]]s and [[uyezd]]s of the [[Russian Empire]] into raions. A raion is usually an entity two steps below the national level. It can be a subordinate part: *of a [[oblast|voblasts']] (in Belarus); *of an [[oblast]], a [[krai]], a [[republics of Russia|republic]], an [[autonomous okrugs of Russia|autonomous okrug]], or a big [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] (in [[Russia]]); *of a small [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Soviet republic]] (SSR), oblast, krai, republic, or a big city of a large SSR (in the now-defunct Soviet Union); *of an [[oblast]], a big city, or the [[Autonomous Republic of Crimea]] (in Ukraine). Typically, raions have some degree of self-governance in the form of a popularly elected ''district council'' ([[raysovet]]) and the local head of administration, sometimes elected and sometimes appointed. ==Raions in the Russian Federation== ===Administrative raion=== Subdivision into raions largely remained after the [[collapse of the Soviet Union]]. Raion can be an administrative division of a [[federal subjects of Russia|federal subject]] or of a big [[city]]. In some federal subjects, however, the terminology changed to reflect national specifics: *[[Sakha|Sakha (Yakutia) Republic]]—''[[ulus (term)|ulus]]'' (улус) *[[Tuva|Tuva Republic]]—''[[kozhuun]]'' (кожуун) ===Municipal raion=== A municipal raion (municipal district) ({{lang|ru|муниципа́льный райо́н}}) is a type of [[subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions|municipal formation]] which comprises a group of urban and/or rural settlements, as well as inter-settlement territories, sharing a common territory. Municipal districts are commonly formed within the boundaries of existing administrative districts, although in practice there are some exceptions to this rule—Neryungrinsky Municipal District in the Sakha Republic, for example, is formed around the town of [[Neryungri]], which neither has a status, nor is a part of any administrative district. <!--Please rephrase this passage; it's impossible to make heads or tails of what this is about: Administrative Autonomous Area is the center of town, which is defined taking into account local traditions and the prevailing social infrastructure, which is a representative body of the respective municipality.--> <!--Is the following section supposed to be about "urban okrugs"? How is this section relevant to "raion"s? ===Metropolitan areas=== The notion of "metropolitan area" came after the Federal Law of October 6, 2003 № 131 "''On the general principles of local self-government in the Russian Federation''". Normally, metropolitan areas have been established within the boundaries of "old" areas inherited from the Soviet system of administrative and territorial division. In some instances, former district center did not want to join the municipal area, which led to the fact that in areas remain too small proportion of the population and insufficient tax collection, budgets unprofitable.--> ==See also== *[[Subdivisions of Russia]] *[[Subdivisions of Ukraine]] **[[Subdivisions of Kiev]] *[[Subdivisions of Azerbaijan]] *[[Subdivisions of Belarus]] *[[Districts of Latvia]] *[[Administrative divisions of Moldova]] {{Slavic terms for country subdivisions}} [[Category:Country subdivisions]] [[Category:Russian words and phrases]] [[Category:Russian loanwords]] [[Category:Districts of Russia by federal subject| ]] [[be-x-old:Раён]] [[bg:Район]] [[cv:Район]] [[cs:Rajón]] [[de:Rajon]] [[es:Raion]] [[eu:Raion]] [[fr:Raion]] [[gl:Raion]] [[hr:Rajon]] [[id:Raion]] [[it:Rajon]] [[he:ראיון (מנהל)]] [[hu:Rajon]] [[nl:Rayon (bestuur)]] [[ja:ラヨン]] [[pl:Rejon]] [[crh:Rayon]] [[ro:Raion]] [[ru:Район]] [[sv:Rajon]] [[tr:Rayon (yönetim)]] [[uk:Район]]