Odessa Oblast

Odessa Oblast Одеська область Odes’ka oblast’
Oblast
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname:  Одещина (Odeshchyna)
Location of Odessa Oblast (red) within Ukraine (blue)
Country	Ukraine
Admin. center	Odessa
Government
• Governor	Volodymyr Nemyrovsky (Batkivshchyna)
• Oblast council	120 seats
• Chairperson	Mykola Leonidovych Skoryk (Party of Regions)
Area
• Total	33,310 km2 (12,860 sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 1st

Odessa Oblast (Ukrainian: Одеська область|, Odes’ka oblast’; also Odeshchyna (Одещина)) is an oblast or province of southwestern Ukraine located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative center is the city of Odessa.

History

The evidence of the earliest inhabitants in this area comes from the settlements and burial grounds of the Neolithic Gumelniţa, Cucuteni-Trypillian and Usatovo cultures, as well as tumuli and hoards of the Bronze Age Proto-Indo-Europeans. In the 1st millennium B.C. the Milesian Greeks built colonies along the North Black Sea Coast, including the towns of Olbia, Tyras, Niconium, Panticapaeum, and Chersonesus. The Greeks left behind painted vessels, ceramics, sculptures, inscriptions, arts and crafts that indicate the prosperity of their ancient civilisation.

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 1st millennium A.D. the Sarmatians displaced the Scythians. In the 3rd–4th 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 9th century they were united into a state with Kiev as a centre. The Khazars, Polovtsy, Pechenegs were the Slavs' neighbours during the different times. The period of the 9th–14th centuries is reflected by the materials from the settlements and cities of Kievan Rus', Belgorod, Caffa-Theodosia, Berezan Island.

Since the modern history period it was known as the Dnieper Provice (Ozu Eyalet) ruled by the Ottoman Empire and was unofficially known as the Khanate of Ukraine. In Russian historiography it was referred to as the Ochakov Oblast. The territory of the Odessa oblast was passed to Russia during the Russian southern expansion towards the Black Sea at the end of 18th century. Since then Russians heavily colonized the area establishing new cities and ports. In less than a hundred years the city of Odessa grew from a small fortress to the biggest metropolis of the New Russia.

After the World War I and February Revolution the area became part of the Ukrainian People's Republic, but soon it was lost first to the Russian Volunteer Army and then the Russian Red Army. By 1920 the territory of Odessa Oblast was secured by the Soviet authorities and became part of the Ukrainian SSR. The oblast was created on 27 February 1932 from five districts: Odessa Okruha, Pervomaisk Okruha, Kirovohrad Okruha, Mykolaiv Okruha, and Kherson Okruha. Before the World War II in 1937 eastern portions of the Odessa Oblast were split to create the Mykolaiv Oblast. During the World War II it was occupied by Romania as the Transnistria Province. After the war it was reestablished with its pre-war borders. Odessa Oblast was expanded in 1954 by absorbing Izmail Oblast (formerly known as Budjak region of Bessarabia).

Geography

The country's largest oblast by area, it occupies an area of around 33,300 square kilometres (12,900 sq mi). 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.

Points of interest

• Odessa Opera
• Akkerman fortress
• Potemkin Stairs

Economy

Rapeseed Field in Odessa Oblast.

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 Odessa.

Demographics

The oblast's population (as of 2004) is 2.4 million people, nearly 40% of whom live in the city of Odessa.

Significant Bulgarian (6.1%) and Romanian (5.0%) minorities reside in the province. It has the highest proportion of Jews of any oblast in Ukraine (although smaller than the Autonomous City of Kiev) and there is a small Greek community in the city of Odessa.

Bulgarians and Moldovans / Romanians represent 21% and 13% respectively, of the population in the region of Budjak, within Odessa oblast.

Year	Fertility	Birth	Year	Fertility	Birth	Year	Fertility	Birth
1990	1,8	33 166	2000	1,1	20 042	2010	1,6	28 690
1991	1,7	32 119	2001	1,1	20 423	2011	1,6	29 225
1992	1,6	30 155	2002	1,2	21 227	2012	1,7	30 384
1993	1,5	28 185	2003	1,2	22 326
1994	1,4	26 197	2004	1,3	23 343
1995	1,4	24 993	2005	1,3	23 915
1996	1,3	23 666	2006	1,4	25 113
1997	1,2	22 491	2007	1,5	26 759
1998	1,2	21 273	2008	1,6	28 780
1999	1,1	19 969	2009	1,6	28 986

Age structure

0-14 years: 15.5% (male 188,937/female 179,536)

15-64 years: 70.7% (male 812,411/female 867,706)

65 years and over: 14.0% (male 116,702/female 218,808) (2013 official)

Median age

total: 38.4 years

male: 35.4 years

female: 41.5 years (2013 official)

Subdivisions

Detailed map of Odessa Oblast.

The Odessa Oblast is administratively subdivided into 26 raions (districts), as well as 7 misto / mis'krada (municipalities) which are directly subordinate to the oblast government: Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Illichivsk, Izmail, Kotovsk, Teplodar, Yuzhne, and the administrative center of the oblast, Odessa.

Autonomous Cities of the Odessa Oblast

Raions of the Odessa Oblast

	In English	In Ukrainian	Administrative Centre	Area in km2	Population at Census 2001	Population at Estimate 2012
	Odesa misto	Одеса, місто		139	1,029,049	1,008,162
	Bilhorod-Dnistrovs'kyi mis'krada	Білгород-Дністровськ, Міськрада	Bilhorod-Dnistrovs'kyi	31	58,436	57,206
	Izmaïl misto	Ізмаїлі, місто		53	84,815	73,651
	Illichivs'k mis'krada	Іллічівськ, Міськрада	Illichivs'k	25	63,726	71,691
	Kotovs'k misto	Котовськ, містo		15	40,718	40,700
	Teplodar misto	Теплодар, місто		3	8,830	10,165
	Iuzhne misto	Южне, місто		9	23,977	30,857
	In English	In Ukrainian	Administrative Center
	Ananyiv Rayon	Ананьївський район Anan'yivs'kyi rayon	Ananyiv (City)
	Artsyz Rayon	Арцизький район Artsyz'kyi rayon	Artsyz (City)
	Balta Rayon	Балтський район Balts'kyi rayon	Balta (City)
	Berezivka Rayon	Березівський район Berezivs'kyi rayon	Berezivka (City)
	Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Rayon	Білгород-Дністровський район Bilhorod-Dnistrovs'kyi rayon	Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (City)
	Biliayivka Rayon	Біляївський район Biliayivs'kyi rayon	Biliayivka (City)
	Bolhrad Rayon	Болградський район Bolhrads'kyi rayon	Bolhrad (City)
	Frunzivka Rayon	Фрунзівський район Frunzivs'kyi rayon	Frunzivka (Urban-type settlement)
	Ivanivka Rayon	Іванівський район Ivanivs'kyi rayon	Ivanivka (Urban-type settlement)
	Izmail Rayon	Ізмаїльський район Izmails'kyi rayon	Izmail (City)
	Kiliya Rayon	Кілійський район Kiliys'kyi rayon	Kilia (City)
	Kodyma Rayon	Кодимський район Kodyms'kyi rayon	Kodyma (City)
	Kominternivske Rayon	Комінтернівський район Kominternivs'kyi rayon	Kominternivske (Urban-type settlement)
	Kotovsk Rayon	Котовський район Kotovs'kyi rayon	Kotovsk (City)
	Krasni Okny Rayon	Красноокнянський район Krasno-oknians'kyi rayon	Krasni Okny (Urban-type settlement)
	Liubashivka Rayon	Любашівський район Liubashivs'kyi rayon	Liubashivka (Urban-type settlement)
	Mykolaivka Rayon	Миколаївський район Mykolayivs'kyi rayon	Mykolaivka (Urban-type settlement)
	Ovidiopol Rayon	Овідіопольський район Ovidiopols'kyi rayon	Ovidiopol (Urban-type settlement)
	Reni Raion	Ренійський район Reniys'kyi raion	Reni (City)
	Rozdilna Rayon	Роздільнянський район Rozdil'nians'kyi rayon	Rozdilna (City)
	Sarata Rayon	Саратський район Sarats'kyi rayon	Sarata (Urban-type settlement)
	Savran Rayon	Савранський район Savrans'kyi rayon	Savran (Urban-type settlement)
	Shyriayeve Rayon	Ширяївський район Shyriayivs'kyi rayon	Shyriaieve (Urban-type settlement)
	Tarutyne Rayon	Тарутинський район Tarutyns'kyi rayon	Tarutyne (Urban-type settlement)
	Tatarbunary Rayon	Татарбунарський район Tatarbunars'kyi rayon	Tatarbunary (City)
	Velyka Mykhailivka Rayon	Великомихайлівський район Velykomykhailivs'kyi rayon	Velyka Mykhailivka (Urban-type settlement)

Nomenclature

Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers" (Ukrainian: обласний центр|, 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: Odessa is the center of the Odes’ka oblast’ (Odessa 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 Odessa Oblast, Odeshchyna. In Romanian, it is known as Regiunea Odesa, and in Greek, as η Οδησσός.

See also: Romanization of Ukrainian

See also

• Subdivisions of Ukraine
• Kherson Governorate

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Odessa Oblast

• Odessa regional administration homepage
• Maps of Odessa oblast Cities, Towns and Villages

Template:Odessa Oblast