Kyiv Oblast

Template:Infobox Ukrainian oblast Kyiv Oblast (Template:Lang-uk, translit. Kyivs’ka oblast’; also referred to as Kyivshchyna – Template:Lang-uk) is an oblast (province) in central Ukraine.

The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv (Template:Lang-uk, Kyiv), also being the capital of Ukraine. Despite being located in the center of the Kyiv Oblast, and hosting the governing bodies of the oblast, Kyiv itself is a self-governing city with special status and not under oblast jurisdiction.

The largest city in oblast itself is Bila Tserkva.

Geography

Kyiv Oblast has a total area of 28,100 km² (10,849 sq mi) (approximately 35 times the area of Kyiv city) and is located in north-central Ukraine. On the west it borders the Zhytomyr Oblast, on the Southwest – Vinnytsia Oblast, on the South – Cherkasy Oblast, on the Southeast – Poltava Oblast, on the East and Northeast – Chernihiv Oblast, and on the North – Homyel Voblasts of Belarus.

The oblast is equally split between the both banks of Dnieper River (Dnipro) north and south of Kyiv. Other significant rivers in the oblast are the Dnieper's tributaries: Pripyat (Prypiat) (R), Desna (L), Teteriv (R), Irpin' (R), Ros' (R) and Trubizh (L).

The length of the Dnipro River within the boundaries of the oblast totals 246 km (153 mi). The oblast has a total number of 177 rivers intersecting the region; 13 reservoirs (the most notable ones being Kiev Reservoir and the Kaniv Reservoir), over 2000 ponds, and approximately 750 small lakes.

Climate

The climate of Kyiv Oblast is characteristic of the Polesia area and other neighboring forested areas. The oblast has a moderately continental climate with relatively mild winters and warm summers. The temperatures range from −6.1 °C (21.0 °F) in January to 19.2 °C (66.6 °F) degrees in July.

View of the historical landscape park "Alexandria" in the city of Bila Tserkva.

Vegetation

Kyiv Oblast has small mountains and slopes on the right bank of the Dnieper River. This entire area is surrounded by a continuous belt by greenery and forests. The oblast's "green area" covers 436 km² (168 sq mi), characterized by 250 different sorts of trees and bushes.

History

Kiev Oblast was officially created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on February 27, 1932.

The current borders of the oblast were last set following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Administrative oversight of the new city of Slavutych, which was constructed as part of the Chernihiv Oblast, was then transferred to the Kyiv Oblast (see Chernobyl zone below).

Earlier historical administrative units that later became the territory of the oblast include the Kiev Voivodeship under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kiev Governorate under the Russian Empire. The northern part of the oblast belongs to the historical region of Polesia (Polissia).

Points of interest

The following historic-cultural sites were nominated for the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.

• Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi museum of folk architecture
• Liutych platzdarm
• Ivan Kozlovsky villa
• Dobranychivka settlement
• Saint Pokrov Church (Parkhomivka)
• Museum-villa of Ekaterina Bilokur
• Landscape garden Oleksandria

Administrative divisions

The oblast is subdivided into 25 raions (administrative districts). It consists of 26 cities, 30 towns, and more than 1,000 villages.

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

• Administrative Center – 1 (Kyiv)
• Raions – 25;
• Settlements – 1183, including:
  • Villages – 1127;
  • Cities/Towns – 56, including:
    • Urban-type settlement – 30;
    • Cities – 25, including:
      • Cities of oblast' subordinance – 12;
      • Cities of raion subordinance – 14;
• Selsovets – 605.

File:Map of Kyivska Oblast.gif

Detailed map of Kyiv Oblast, with raions and administrative centers.

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

The "exclaves"

The municipality of Slavutych is located within the borders of the neighboring Chernihiv Oblast on the eastern bank of the Dnieper river and the municipality has no common border with the Kyiv Oblast. Still, Slavutych is administrated by the Kyiv Oblast authorities (being a kind of administrative exclave).

Similarly, the town of Kotsiubynske, which is located within the borders of Kyiv city (which is itself surrounded by the Kyiv Oblast), is administrated by the Irpin city council.

Chernobyl zone

Main Article: Zone of alienation

The north-western end of the oblast is a part of the zone of alienation due to the radioactive contamination caused by the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. The largest cities within zone are Chernobyl and Prypiat, which are now abandoned (see ghost towns). The city of Slavutych was built outside of the zone to host evacuated residents of Prypyat and personnel of the zone installations.

Important cities and towns

Important cities and towns of Kyiv Oblast include:

Bila Tserkva – important industrial center, historical city Brovary – important industrial center Boryspil – houses country's main international airport, industrial center Fastiv – important railway knode, industrial center Irpin-Bucha-Vorzel[a]

Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi – historic tourist attraction Slavutych – Ukraine's youngest city, houses personnel of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Vasylkiv – industrial center, houses a major air base Vyshhorod – houses the Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant

Biggest settlements (population in thousands)

• Bila Tserkva – 200.1
• Brovary – 86.8
• Boryspil – 54.0 (not counting two subordinated villages)
• Fastiv – 52.0
• Irpin – 40.6 (not counting four subordinated towns)

Governors

• Vira Ulianchenko
• Viktor Vakarsh (acting) May 2009 – ?
• Anatoliy Prysyazhnyuk

Demographics

Kyiv Oblast's largest nationality group are Ukrainians (1,684,800 people, or 92.5%), followed by Russians, Jews, Belarusians, Poles, and others. The current estimated population (excluding Kyiv) is around 1.8 million (as of 2006). The population density is 63.01/km².

The urban population, according to the 2001 Ukrainian Census data, accounted for 1,053,500 people, or 57.6%, and the rural population – for 774,400 people, or 42.4%.

According to the data, the number of men accounted for 845,900 people, or 46.3%, that of women – 982,000 people, or 53.7%.

Economy

Industry

Kyiv Oblast's main industry's include: power production, food, chemical and petrochemical industries, mechanical engineering and metal-working. The national share of tire production for automobiles constitutes – 63%, excavators – 53%, paper and cardboard – 40%, hoisting cranes – 39%. In general, the oblast has a total of 330 licenced industrial enterprises and 742 smaller industrial enterprises. The Boryspil Bus Plant in Prolisky produces 1,700 buses per year of various modifications, and several other auto-industry factories are also located in the oblast'.

Agriculture

In addition to industry, the oblast also has a developed agriculture production. In 1999, the gross grain yield in the region was about 1,118,600 tons, sugar-beets – 1,570,900 tons, sunflower seeds – 18,1 thousand tons, potatoes – 669,200 tons. The region also produced 156,900 tons of meat, 738,500 tons of milk and 855,2 million eggs. At the beginning of 1999, there were 1,130 registered farms within the oblast.

The railway lines at Slavutych station which take employees back to the zone of alienation.

Transportation

Kyiv Oblast has a highly-developed rail transport system. The total length of the oblast's working railroad lines is 88 km (as of 1985). Through the territory of the oblast pass the: Moscow—Kyiv—Lviv, Kyiv—Dnipropetrovsk—Donetsk and other railroad routes. In addition to inter-Ukraine and international rail routes, local Elektrychka lines also pass through the oblast: Kyiv—Fastiv—Koziatyn, Kyiv—Fastiv—Myronivka, Kyiv—Teteriv, Kyiv—Nizhyn, and Kyiv—Yahotyn.

The length of the oblast's automobile roads totals 7,760 km, including 7,489 km of paved roads. The main roads passing thorough the oblast include:

• Saint Petersburg—Kyiv—Odessa (M-01/M-05 route)
• Kyiv-Kovel-Lublin (M-07 route)
• Voronezh—Kharkiv-Kyiv-Lviv-Krakov (E-40, M-06/M03 route)
• Luhansk-Dnipropetrovsk-Kyiv (M-04 route)

The oblast's main airports include two international airports: the Boryspil Airport and the Gostomel (Antonov) Cargo Airport. Ukrainian military airbases are located in the cities of Bila Tserkva and Uzyn.

Strategic gas-pipelines located in the oblast include Urengoy—Pomary—Uzhhorod, and Shebelynka—Poltava—Kyiv.

Education

Kyiv Oblast has 795 state-run schools of general education, 219 (27.5%) of which are situated in urban areas and 576 (72.5%) of which – in rural areas. These schools are attended by 232,260 students, 141,416 (60.6%) which attend urban schools, and 98,944 (39.4%) which attend rural area schools. In addition, there are 12 evening schools with an enrollment of over 6,000 students, 15 private institutions containing about 7,000 students, 23 vocational schools containing over 14,300 students, 22 higher schools with an enrollment of over 34,900 students), and 52 home-school institutions containing over 48,700 children. There are also 756 institutions of pre-school education attended by a total of 44,400 children, 52 home-school institutions, 22 vocational institutions, having an enrollment of with 17,300 students.

Aerial view of Boryspil, home of the Boryspil Airport from an airplane.

Also, educational institutions for orphans, physically and mentally disabled children represent an important component of Kyiv Oblast's educational system.

In addition to general education schools, the oblast has educational institutions specifically for gifted children, including:

• Fastiv Regional Natural and Mathematic School
• Kyiv Regional Lyceum of Physical Education and Sports
• Stritiv Higher Pedagogical School of Kobza Music
• Brovary Higher School of Physical Education (breeding ground for several world- and Olympic champions).

Nomenclature

See also: Kiev or Kyiv

Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers". The name of each oblast is a relative adjective, formed by adding a feminine suffix to the name of respective center city: Kyiv (Kyiv) is the center of the Kyivs’ka oblast' (Kyiv 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 Kyiv Oblast, Kyivshchyna.

Kyiv is the traditional English name for the administrative center of the Kyiv Oblast, but the Ukrainianized versions (transliterated from the Ukrainian language) Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast are sometimes also used.

Notes

a. ^{^} These neighboring settlements are practically merged into a conurbation

See also

• Kiev metropolitan area
• Subdivisions of Ukraine
• Kyiv

References

• Information Card of the Region – Official site of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

External links

• kyiv-obl.gov.ua – Official website of Kyiv Oblast Administration Template:Uk icon/Template:Ru icon/Template:En icon
• patent.net.ua – Symbols of Kyiv Oblast
• Wormwood Forest – a commercial site, however, containing free-access Chernobyl-related maps and photogallery Template:En icon/Template:Uk icon
• catalogue.biz.ua Post codes directory of Kyiv Oblast Template:Uk icon/Template:Ru icon/Template:En icon
• Baryshivka site in the Kyiv Oblast Template:Uk icon
• stroit.kiev.ua — Construction site of Kiev Oblast
• Kyiv Oblast from website Ukraine-CityGuide