Oblast

An oblast (Russian область (feminine), Ukrainian: область, Bulgarian: о́бласт and Belarusian: вобласць, transliterated: vóblast) is a term of Russian origin that refers to an administrative demarcation equivalent to a region. Currently there are administrative units that bear the name of "oblast" in the territorial organization of countries such as Belarus, Bulgaria, Russia and Ukraine. In the Soviet Union ―and the republics that followed it― the oblasts are one level below the national level and are subdivided into districts called raiony or rayony > (Russian: районы). In Belarus a similar word is used (vóblast, voblasts), and in Kazakhstan the variant óblys is used (oblys, plural: oblystar).

Terminology

The word oblast comes from Old Church Slavonic oblastĭ. In the Slavic languages used in the majority of territories where oblasts are used, the word is feminine, however in Spanish the masculine use of this foreign term is more frequent. Regarding its translation, "region" or "province" is often used, although when translated as "region" confusion with the false friend raion should be avoided, whose meaning is closer to "district" or "municipality".

States including oblasts

Oblast of Bulgaria

Since 1999, Bulgaria has been divided into 28 oblasti, often translated as regions. Previously, the country was divided into 9 major units, also called oblasts.

Oblast of Yugoslavia

In 1922, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was divided into 33 administrative divisions called oblasts. In 1929, the oblasts were replaced by larger administrative units known as banovinas. During the Yugoslav wars, several Serb autonomous oblasts were formed in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. These oblasts were later merged into the Serb Republic of Krajina and the Republika Srpska.

Russian Empire Oblast

Oblasts in the Russian Empire were considered the basic administrative units and formed parts of general governorates or krais. Most of the existing oblasts at that time were located on the periphery of the country or covered the areas where the Cossacks and other minorities lived.

Oblast in the Soviet Union and successor states

In the aforementioned post-Soviet republics, the oblast is one level below the national and is further subdivided into districts called rayon (Russian: районы; Ukrainian: райони). A large city can be a constituent part of an oblast (official name in Russian: город областного подчинения; official name in Ukrainian: місто обласного підпорядкування), on the same level as a rayon.

In the extinct Soviet Union, the oblasts were two steps below the national level (above the Soviet Socialist Republic). Some oblasts of the Russian Federative Soviet Socialist Republic (RSFSR) had a complicated structure, composed not only of regions and cities, but also of autonomous entities.

Oblasts in other post-Soviet countries are officially called:

• Voblasts in Belarus
  • in Latin alphabet (Lacinka) vobłasć
• Oblys Kazakhstan
• Óblast Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Russia
• Viloyat Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
• Welayat Turkmenistan

Viloyat and welayat come from the Arabic term wilaya (valiato).