Oblast (Belarusian: во́бласьць; Bosnian: oblast; Bulgarian: о́бласт; Czech: oblast; Russian: о́бласть; Serbian: област/oblast; Slovak: oblasť; Ukrainian: о́бласть) refers to a type of administrative division in Slavic countries and in some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, 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 country subdivision of Bulgaria, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, and the now-defunct Soviet Union. Official terms in successor states of the Soviet Union differ, but some still use a cognate of the Russian term, e.g. voblast (voblasts, voblasts' ) is used for provinces of Belarus, and oblys (plural: oblystar) for provinces of Kazakhstan.

Oblasts 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.

See also:

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 krais. 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

In the now-dissolved Soviet Union, oblasts were one of the types of administrative divisions of the union republics. As any administrative units of this level, oblasts were composed of districts (raions) and cities/towns directly under oblasts' jurisdiction. Some oblasts also included autonomous entities called autonomous okrugs.

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

According to the Constitution of Russia, oblasts are considered to be 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.

See also:

Oblasts of Ukraine

Main article: 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 banovinas.

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.

See also

• Autonomous oblast
• Guberniya, an administrative unit of the Russian Empire, early Russian SFSR, and the Soviet Union

•  • [ e] Slavic terms for country subdivisions
gmina krai kraj krajina pokrajina opština općina obec oblast oblast' oblasti oblys okręg okres okrug powiat raion voivodeship vojvodina župa županija Historical terms guberniya obshchina volost pogost polk selsoviet silrada uyezd srez kotar

•  • [ e] Types of country subdivision

Administrative division   Political division   Census division   Electoral division Contemporary Amt Arrondissement Bailiwick Bakhsh Baladiyah Banner Autonomous banner Barangay Bairro Barrio Bezirk / Regierungsbezirk Block Borough County borough Metropolitan borough Capital Federal capital Canton Census division Census geographic unit Census metropolitan area Census subdivision Circle Circuit City Autonomous city Independent city Co-Principality Colony Comarca Commonwealth Commune Comune Community Autonomous community Residential community Condominium Constituency County Administrative county Autonomous county Metropolitan county Council Croft Department Dependent territory Federal dependency District Autonomous district Capital district City district Federal district Metropolitan district Municipal district Division Dara Duchy Eldership Frazione Freguesia Governorate Hamlet Insular area Judeţ Local administrative unit Local government area Liwa Localit Municipality District municipality Regional municipality Regional county municipality Rural municipality Neighbourhood Oblast Okrug Ostān Parish Civil parish Periphery Prefecture Autonomous prefecture Principality Protectorate Province Autonomous province Quarter Regency Region Autonomous region Capital region Special administrative region Republic Autonomous republic Ranchera Reservation Indian reserve Shabiyah Shahr Shahrestān Shire State Subdistrict Subprefecture Suzerainty Taluka Tehsil Territory Autonomous territorial unit Capital territory Union territory National territory Town Townland Township Civil township Urban (urbanized) area Village Vingtaine Voivodeship Wilayah Ward Historical Agency Barony Burgh Cantref City-State Commote Free Imperial City Hundred Imperial Circle Imperial province March Pargana Presidency Residency Riding Rural district Sanitary district (rural urban) Urban district Viscounty Viscountcy Boldface indicates a type used by ten or more countries; loanwords in italics.