Oblast of Odesa
Template:Infobox Ukrainian oblast
Odesa Oblast, also written as Odesa Oblast (Template:Lang-uk, translit. Odes’ka oblast’; also referred to as Odeshchyna—Template:Lang-uk), (Greek: Οδησσός) is an oblast (province) of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odesa.
History
The evidence of the earliest inhabitants in the modern territory of the oblast come from settlements and burial grounds of Gumelnitsa, Tripolie and Usatovo culture including barrows and hoards of the Bronze Age. In the first millennium B.C. ancient Greek colonies, such as Olbia, Tyras, Niconium, Panticapaeum, Chersonesus, were founded on the North Black Sea Coast. Painted vessels, terracottas, sculptures, inscriptions, articles of craft art, represented in a museum, testify about prosperity of the antique civilization.
The culture of Scythian tribes inhabiting the Black Sea littoral steppes is represented by finds from settlements and burial grounds. There are weapon items, bronze cauldrons, other utensils, adornments. By the beginning of the first millennium A.D. the Sarmatians displaced the Scythians. In the IIIrd–IVth centuries A.D. the tribal alliance, represented by the items of Chernyakhov culture, was created. Since the middle of the first millennium the formation of Slavic people began. In the IXth century they were united into a state with Kyiv as a centre. The Khazars, Polovtsy, Pechenegs were the Slavs' neighbours during the different times. The period of the IXth–XIVth centuries is reflected by the materials from the settlements and cities of Kyiv Rus, Belgorod, Caffa-Theodosia, Berezan Island.
Formerly ruled by the Ottoman Empire, the territory of the Odesa oblast passed into Russian and Soviet hands in various stages between the eighteenth century and 20th century. The Russian Empire's expansion along the Black Sea coast led to the creation of the territory of Novorossiya, which was colonised by a variety of peoples, of whom the Russians were dominant. The Odesa oblast corresponds to the most westerly portion of "New Russia".
The oblast was created on February 27, 1932 as part of the Ukrainian SSR. It was expanded further in 1954 by absorbing Izmail Oblast (formerly known as Budjak region of Bessarabia).
Geography
The oblast occupies an area of around 33,300 square kilometres (12,850 square miles). It is characterised by largely flat steppes divided by the estuary of the Dniester river. Its Black Sea coast comprises numerous sandy beaches, estuaries and lagoons. The region's soils are renowned for their fertility, and intensive agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy. The southwest possesses many orchards and vineyards, while arable crops are grown throughout the region.
Snake Island is part of the oblast.
Points of Interest
Economy
Significant branches of the oblast's economy are:
- oil refining & chemicals processing
- transportation (important sea and river ports, oil pipelines and railway);
- viticulture and other forms of agriculture, notably the growing of wheat, maize, barley, sunflowers and sugar beets.
The region's industrial capability is principally concentrated in and around Odesa.
Demographics
The oblast's population (as of 2004) is 2.4 million people, nearly 40% of whom live in the city of Odesa.
Significant Bulgarian (6.1%) and Moldovan (5%) minorities reside in the province.[1] There is a small Greek community in the city of Odesa.
Bulgarians and Moldovans represent 21% and 13% respectively, of the population in the region of Budjak, within Odesa oblast.
Subdivisions
The Odesa Oblast is administratively subdivided into 26 raions (districts), as well as 7 cities (municipalities) which are directly subordinate to the oblast government: Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Illichivsk, Izmail, Kotovsk, Teplodar, Yuzhne, and the administrative center of the oblast, Odesa.
| In English | In Ukrainian | Administrative Center | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ananyivskyi Raion | Ананьївський район Anan'yivs'kyi raion |
Ananyiv (City) | |
| Artsyzkyi Raion | Арцизький район Artsyz'kyi raion |
Artsyz (City) | |
| Baltskyi Raion | Балтський район Balts'kyi raion |
Balta (City) | |
| Berezivskyi Raion | Березівський район Berezivs'kyi raion |
Berezivka (City) | |
| Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion | Білгород-Дністровський район Bilhorod-Dnistrovs'kyi raion |
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (City) | |
| Biliayivskyi Raion | Біляївський район Biliayivs'kyi raion |
Biliayivka (City) | |
| Bolhradskyi Raion | Болградський район Bolhrads'kyi raion |
Bolhrad (City) | |
| Frunzivskyi Raion | Фрунзівський район Frunzivs'kyi raion |
Frunzivka (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Ivanivskyi Raion | Іванівський район Ivanivs'kyi raion |
Ivanivka (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Izmailsky Raion | Ізмаїльський район Izmails'kyi raion |
Izmail (City) | |
| Kiliyskyi Raion | Кілійський район Kiliys'kyi raion |
Kilia (City) | |
| Kodymskyi Raion | Кодимський район Kodyms'kyi raion |
Kodyma (City) | |
| Kominternivskyi Raion | Комінтернівський район Kominternivs'kyi raion |
Kominternivske (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Kotovskyi Raion | Котовський район Kotovs'kyi raion |
Kotovsk (City) | |
| Krasnooknianskyi Raion | Красноокнянський район Krasno-oknians'kyi raion |
Krasni Okny (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Liubashivskyi Raion | Любашівський район Liubashivs'kyi raion |
Liubashivka (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Mykolaivskyi Raion | Миколаївський район Mykolayivs'kyi raion |
Mykolaivka (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Ovidiopolskyi Raion | Овідіопольський район Ovidiopols'kyi raion |
Ovidiopol (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Reniyskyi Raion | Ренійський район Reniys'kyi raion |
Reni (City) | |
| Rozdilnianskyi Raion | Роздільнянський район Rozdil'nians'kyi raion |
Rozdilna (City) | |
| Saratskyi Raion | Саратський район Sarats'kyi raion |
Sarata (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Savranskyi Raion | Савранський район Savrans'kyi raion |
Savran (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Shyriayivskyi Raion | Ширяївський район Shyriayivs'kyi raion |
Shyriaieve (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Tarutynskyi Raion | Тарутинський район Tarutyns'kyi raion |
Tarutyne (Urban-type settlement) | |
| Tatarbunarskyi Raion | Татарбунарський район Tatarbunars'kyi raion |
Tatarbunary (City) | |
| Velykomykhailivskyi Raion | Великомихайлівський район Velykomykhailivs'kyi raion |
Velyka Mykhailivka (Urban-type settlement) |
Nomenclature
Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers" (Template:Lang-uk, translit. oblasnyi tsentr). The name of each oblast is a relative adjective, formed by adding a feminine suffix to the name of respective center city: Odesa is the center of the Odes’ka oblast’ (Odesa 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 Odesa Oblast, Odeshchyna.