Khmelnytskyi Oblast ( uk, Хмельни́цька о́бласть, translit=Khmelnytska oblast; also referred to as Khmelnychchyna — uk, Хмельни́ччина) is an

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdo ...

(province) of western

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

covering portions of the historical regions of western

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-centra ...

and southern Volhynia. The

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the oblast is the city of Khmelnytskyi. The current estimated population is around . Created in 1937 out of border okrugs of

Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast ( uk, Ві́нницька о́бласть, translit=Vinnytska oblast; ; also referred to as Vinnychchyna — uk, Ві́нниччина) is an oblast of western and southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsi ...

, in 1941–44 it was under

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

occupation and part of the

Reichskommissariat Ukraine During World War II, (abbreviated as RKU) was the civilian occupation regime () of much of Nazi German-occupied Ukraine (which included adjacent areas of modern-day Belarus and pre-war Second Polish Republic). It was governed by the Reic ...

(Wolhynien und Podolien general district). Following the

Kamenets-Podolsky pocket Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

in spring of 1944 as part of the Proskurov-Chernovtsy operation, Soviet troops removed the German occupation in the region. Until 4 February 1954 it was called Kamianets-Podilsky Oblast () and was centered in

Kamianets-Podilsky Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

until 1941. The region rebranding took place after the official renaming of the region's administrative center to Khmelnytskyi.

Geography

Khmelnytskyi Oblast has a total area of (3.4% of the total area of Ukraine) and is located between 48°27' and 50°37' north latitude and between 26°09' and 27°56' east longitude. It is long when measured from north to south, and is in length when measured from east to west. It is associated with a historical region of

, yet in reality its territory is split almost in half, the northern in Volhynia, and the southern in

. Its Volhynian region contains smaller cities like

Izyaslav Iziaslav ( uk, Ізя́слав, ) or Zaslav ( uk, Заслав, links=no, ; pl, Zasław) is one of the oldest cities in Volhynia. Situated on the Horyn river ( uk, Горинь, links=no) in western Ukraine, the city dates back to the 11th ce ...

, Starokostiantyniv,

Shepetivka Shepetivka ( uk, Шепеті́вка; pl, Szepetówka) is a city located on the Huska River in Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) in western Ukraine. Shepetivka is the administrative center of Shepetivka Raion (district). It hosts the administra ...

, while its Podolian portion more developed cities of Khmelnytskyi and

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

. The oblast borders the Rivne Oblast to the northwest, the

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

to the northeast, the

to the east, the Chernivtsi Oblast to the south, and the

Ternopil Oblast Ternopil Oblast ( uk, Тернопі́льська о́бласть, translit=Ternopilska oblast; also referred to as Ternopilshchyna, uk, Терно́пільщина, label=none, or Ternopillia, uk, Тернопілля, label=none) is an obl ...

to the west.

Elevations

The Podolian Upland (270–370 meters above sea-level) occupies the central area of the Khmelnytska oblast. The northwestern areas of the oblast are part of the Volyn highland (highest point — 329 m above sea-level), while to the north, the oblast claims a part of the historic region of

Polissia Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...

(highest point — 200–250 m above sea-level). The southwestern territory of the Khmelnytska oblast is crossed by the

Tovtry range Tovtry ( uk, Товтри; ro, Tăuteni) is a commune (selsoviet) in Chernivtsi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine. It belongs to Vikno rural hromada, one of the hromada A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territo ...

( uk, Товтровий кряж, translit. ''Tovtryi kryazh''), which includes Mount Velyka Buhaikha ( uk, Велика Бугаїха), the highest point of the oblast at 409 m above sea-level. The extreme south of the oblast has a surface with canyon-like river valleys. The Dneister Reservoir located there is the lowest point of the oblast (121 m above sea-level) .

Rivers and Lakes

There are 120 rivers with a length of or more in the Khmelnytska oblast. The largest of these are the

Dniester The Dniester, ; rus, Дне́стр, links=1, Dnéstr, ˈdⁿʲestr; ro, Nistru; grc, Τύρᾱς, Tyrās, ; la, Tyrās, la, Danaster, label=none, ) ( ,) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and t ...

River (which flows for within the oblast), as well as its

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drain ...

: Smotrych, Ushytsia, and the

Zbruch The Zbruch ( uk, Збруч, pl, Zbrucz) is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.Збруч< ...

— and the

Southern Buh , ''Pivdennyi Buh'' , name_etymology = , image = Sunset S Bug Vinnitsa 2007 G1.jpg , image_size = 270 , image_caption = Southern Bug River in the vicinity of Vinnytsia, Ukraine , map = PietinisBug ...

River (which flows for within the oblast), as well as its tributaries: Buzhok,

Ikva The Ikva ( uk, Іква) is a river in Ukraine and a right tributary of the Styr River that flows through Lviv Oblast, Ternopil Oblast and Rivne Oblast in the Volhynian Upland.Zabokrytska, M. Ikva (І́КВА)'. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine. ...

, and Vovk. The rivers of the Dnieper River's basin —

Horyn The Horyn or Haryn ( uk, Горинь ; be, Гарынь ; russian: Горы́нь; pl, Horyń) is a tributary of the Pripyat, which flows through Ukraine and Belarus. The Horyn is long, and has a drainage basin of .Khmora, and Sluch Rivers also run through the oblast. The oblast's lakes are located mostly in basin of the Horyn River. The largest reservoir in the oblast is the Dniester Reservoir. There are 1858 ponds and/or reservoirs in the oblast. The largest of these include Shchedrivske (with a surface area of ), Novostavske (with a surface area of ), and Kuzmynske (with a surface area of ).

History

Historic administrative affiliation of the area: * 1937-1941:

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nati ...

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

* 1944-1991:

* since 1991:

: Khmelnytskyi region Khmelnytskyi Oblast was created on September 22, 1937 as the Kamianets-Podilskyi Oblast ( uk, Кам’янець-Подільськa область, translit., ''Kamyanets-Podil'ska oblast’'') out of border okrugs (Prokuriv and Kamianets-Podilskyi) of the

. In March 1941 the administrative center of the oblast was moved from

to the city of Proskuriv. During the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the territory was part of another administrative division (General District Wolhynien und Podolien, see

), but after liberation from the Nazi Germany, Khmelnytskyi Oblast was reinstated in its original borders. In 1954, Proskuriv was renamed Khmelnytskyi, and soon afterward, the oblast was renamed to Khmelnytskyi Oblast ( uk, Хмельницька область, translit., ''Khmel'nytska oblast’'').

Administrative divisions

The oblast is subdivided into 3

raions A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is com ...

(''administrative districts''). It consists of 6 municipalities, 13 cities, 24 towns, and more than 1,417 villages. The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of Kyiv Oblast: * Administrative Center – 1 ( Khmelnytskyi) *

Raions A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is com ...

— 3; * City raions — 0; * Settlements — 1452, including: ** Villages — 1415; ** Cities/Towns — 37, including: ***

Urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

— 24; *** Cities — 13, including: **** Cities of oblast' subordinance — 6; **** Cities of raion subordinance — 7; * Selsovets — 568. The local administration of the oblast' is controlled by the Khmelnytska oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast' is the Khmelnytska oblast Rada speaker, appointed by the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

Khmelnitsky, Proskurivska St, beginning, 2005 08 10

Demographics

Khmelnytskyi Oblast's population is 1,401,140 as of January 1, 2004. As of 2002, the oblast ranks 13th by population in Ukraine. The population density is 69.5/km². Pensioners make up 453,800 thousand people or 31,7% of population. The

birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

per 1,000 residents is 8.3, and the

death rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of d ...

— per 1000 residents – 16.1.Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine – Khmelnytsky Region
URL accessed on November 26, 2006 The urban population, according to the 2001 Ukrainian Census data, accounted for 729,600 people, or 51%, and the rural population — for 701,200 people, or 49%.Ukrcensus.gov.ua – Khmel'nyts'kyi region region
URL accessed on January 11, 2007 According to the data, the number of men accounted for 659,900 people, or 46.1%, that of women — 770,900 people, or 53.9%.

Age structure

: ''0-14 years:'' 15.1% (male 101,597/female 95,783) : ''15-64 years:'' 68.5% (male 435,464/female 463,058) : ''65 years and over:'' 16.4% (male 69,479/female 145,420) (2013 official)

Median age

: ''total:'' 40.4 years : ''male:'' 37.1 years : ''female:'' 43.6 years (2013 official)

Economy

The economy of the oblast mostly deals with the energy industry, transport and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

. The oblast is situated at a historical crossroad of the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

and

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

routes connecting

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

coast and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

(with the city of

being the most important railway junction). The ''Khmelnyts’ka'' nuclear power plant in the city of

Netishyn Netishyn ( uk, Нетішин, russian: Нетешин, pl, Niecieszyn) is a city in Shepetivka Raion of Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province), in the west of Ukraine. It is located on the Horyn River. Netishyn hosts the administration of Netishyn u ...

is the most important industrial company of the oblast. Notable machinery, armament and chemical industries are also present.

Attractions

* Kamianets National historical-architectural preserve *

Medzhybizh Medzhybizh, previously known as Mezhybozhe, population 1,731, (Census 2001) ( uk, Меджибіж, russian: Меджибож, Translit: ''Medzhibozh'', pl, Międzybóż, german: Medschybisch, yi, מעזשביזש, translit. ''Mezhbizh'') is ...

National historical-cultural preserve * Samchyky State historical-cultural preserve

Nomenclature

Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their

cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers" ( uk, обласний центр, translit. ''oblasnyi tsentr''). The name of each oblast is a relative

adjective In linguistics, an adjective ( abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the ...

, formed by adding a feminine

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...

to the name of respective center city: ''Khmelnytskyi'' is the center of the ''Khmelnyts’ka oblast’'' (Khmelnytska oblast).

References

:Inline
Information Card of the Region
– Official site of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

External links

adm-km.gov.ua
– Official website of Khmelnytska oblast Administration
Khmelnytsky
– Site of Khmelnytskyi {{Authority control Oblasts of Ukraine States and territories established in 1937 1937 establishments in Ukraine