Ternopil Oblast (), also referred to as Ternopilshchyna () or Ternopillia (), is an oblast (province) of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Its

administrative center An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...

, through which flows the Seret, a tributary of the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

. Population: One of the natural wonders of the region are its

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

complexes.Tell about Ukraine. Ternopil Oblast
. 24 Kanal (youtube). Although Ternopil Oblast is among the smallest regions in Ukraine, over 100 caves have been discovered there. Scientists believe these are only 20% of all possible caves in the region. The biggest cave is

Optymistychna Cave The Optymistychna (, also known as Peshchera Optimistitscheskaya) is a gypsum cave located near the Ukrainian village of Korolivka, Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast. Approximately of passageways have been mapped within. As a result, it is the ...

. Measuring in total length, it is the longest cave in

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

and the fifth-longest in the world. Twenty percent of the land in the region is

chernozem Chernozem ( ),; also called black soil, regur soil or black cotton soil, is a black-colored soil containing a high percentage of humus (4% to 16%) and high percentages of phosphorus and ammonia compounds. Chernozem is very fertile soil and can ...

soil. Among its attractions, Ternopil Oblast has 34 castles. By at least one account, the most prominent is the

Zbarazh Castle Zbarazh Castle (; ) is a fortified defense stronghold in Zbarazh, built during the times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It dominates the crests of the Zamkova Hills of Ternopil Oblast in Western Ukraine next to the city's central plaza ...

with fortifications that expand over and was the center of a 17th-century standoff between troops of

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Zynoviy Bohdan Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky of the Abdank coat of arms (Ruthenian language, Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern , Polish language, Polish: ; 15956 August 1657) was a Ruthenian nobility, Ruthenian noble ...

and the army of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

. The

Dniester Canyon The Dniester Canyon is a canyon formed by the Dniester River, located inside the Dniester River Valley in parts of Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, and Khmelnytskyi Oblasts in southwestern Ukraine. On February 3, 2010, the regional landsc ...

passes through the oblast; it is considered one of the wonders of Ukraine, stretching for .

Geography

The oblast is located in

Western Ukraine Western Ukraine or West Ukraine (, ) refers to the western territories of Ukraine. There is no universally accepted definition of the territory's boundaries, but the contemporary Ukrainian administrative regions ( oblasts) of Chernivtsi, I ...

and has an area of . It is situated at the western part of the Podilian Upland, which is known for its rocky terrain. Among noticeable mountains there are the Kremenets Mountains. The oblast is also famous for its caves. One of the major rivers in the country

forms southern and southwestern borders of Ternopil Oblast with the adjacent

Chernivtsi Oblast Chernivtsi Oblast (), also referred to as Chernivechchyna (), is an oblast (province) in western Ukraine, consisting of the northern parts of the historical regions of Bukovina and Bessarabia. It has an international border with Romania and Moldo ...

and

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna () or simply Frankivshchyna, is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (region) in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. It has a pop ...

. Its tributaries that flow through the oblast include

Zbruch The Zbruch (; ) is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.Збруч

Seret, and

Strypa The Strypa (; ) is a river in Ternopil Oblast, Western Ukraine. It is a left-bank tributary of the Dniester that flows southward for 147 km through Ternopil oblast and drains a basin area of (12% territory of Ternopil Oblast). The river is genera ...

among just a few of them. The

Seret River The Seret ( Ukrainian: Серéт) is the left tributary of the Dniester that flows through the Ternopil Oblast of Ukraine. It is long and its basin area is . The towns of Ternopil, Terebovlia and Chortkiv sit along the river's banks. Some of ...

(not to be confused with

Siret Siret (; ; ; ; ) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...

nor Seret) is a left tributary of the Dniester flowing through the oblast administrative center, i.e.

. Ternopil Oblast is one of two oblasts in

West Ukraine Western Ukraine or West Ukraine (, ) refers to the western territories of Ukraine. There is no universally accepted definition of the territory's boundaries, but the contemporary Ukrainian administrative regions ( oblasts) of Chernivtsi, I ...

that do not have an international border. It is surrounded by five other

oblasts of Ukraine An oblast (, ; ), sometimes translated as region or province, is the main type of first-level administrative divisions of Ukraine, administrative division of Ukraine. The country's territory is divided into 24 oblasts, as well as one Autonomous ...

– to the south,

– to the southwest,

Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast in western Ukraine. The capital city, capital of the oblast is the city of Lviv. The current population is History Name The region is named ...

– to the northwest,

Rivne Oblast Rivne Oblast (), also referred to as Rivnenshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The surface area of the region is . Its population is: Before its annexation by the ...

– to the north, and

Khmelnytskyi Oblast Khmelnytskyi Oblast (), also known as Khmelnychchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in western Ukraine covering portions of the historical regions of western Podolia and southern Volhynia. The Capital (political) ...

– to the east.

History

Historic administrative affiliation of the area: *1199–1253:

Principality of Galicia-Volhynia A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...

*1253–1434: Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia *1434–1569:

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

: /

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

: *1566–1569: Kingdom of Poland: / Grand Duchy of Lithuania: *1569–1672: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, *1672–1699: Poland-Lithuania, /

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

: *1699–1772: Poland-Lithuania, *1772–1795:

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

: ('' Austrian Partition'') / Poland-Lithuania, *1795–1804: Habsburg Monarchy: (''Austrian Partition'') /

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

: (''

Russian Partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

'') *1804–1809:

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

: (''Austrian Partition'') / Russian Empire: (''Russian Partition'') *1809–1815: Austrian Empire: (''Austrian Partition'') / Russian Empire: *1815–1867: Austrian Empire: (''Austrian Partition'') / Russian Empire: (''Russian Partition'') *1867–November 1918:

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

: (''Austrian Partition'') / Russian Empire: (''Russian Partition'') *November 1918–July 1919 -

West Ukrainian People's Republic The West Ukrainian People's Republic (; West Ukrainian People's Republic#Name, see other names) was a short-lived state that controlled most of Eastern Galicia from November 1918 to July 1919. It included major cities of Lviv, Ternopil, Kolom ...

('' de facto'') *1919 (''de facto''; 1923 ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'')–1945:

Rzeczpospolita Polska Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

: *1944 (''de facto''; 1945 ''de jure'')–1991:

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

: *since 1991:

: From the 12th century the area belonged to Galicia–Volhynia until Galicia–Volhynia was incorporated into the

and

in the 14th century. In 1569 Poland and Lithuania united into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. From the

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

in 1772 until the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the area which would become Ternopil Oblast was mostly part of the

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia in Eastern Europe. The Cr ...

, a possession of the

Habsburg Monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

and finally

. In Ukraine today, there are three oblasts (provinces) that largely formed the eastern part of Galicia and Lodomeria until 1918.

was entirely contained in the kingdom, as was the vast majority of

(only a few small areas and villages near

Sokal Sokal (, ) is a city located on the Bug River in Sheptytskyi Raion, Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Sokal urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population is approximately History The first written ...

were not). The southern and central parts of Ternopil Oblast were within the kingdom while the northern parts (pre-2020 raions:

Kremenets Kremenets (, ; ; ) is a city in Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kremenets Raion, and lies north-east of the Pochaiv Lavra. The city is situated in the historic region of Volhynia and features the 12th-c ...

Shumsk Shumsk (, ; ; ) is a city in Kremenets Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Shumsk urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population is Until 18 July 2020, Shumsk was the administrative center of Shumsk Raion ...

Lanivtsi Lanivtsi (, ; ; ; ) is a city in Kremenets Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Lanivtsi urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 8,680 (2001). History Lanivtsi received a town charter in 1545 from th ...

and the northern half of

Zbarazh Zbarazh (, ; ; ) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the historic region of Galicia (Central Europe), Galicia. Zbarazh hosts the administration of Zbarazh urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukr ...

; post-2020: Kremenets Raion and small parts of

Ternopil Raion Ternopil Raion () is a raion in Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil. It has a population of On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Ternopil Oblast was reduced ...

) remained with Poland Lithuania; from 1795 ( Third Partition) they belonged to the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

Volhynian Governorate Volhynia Governorate, also known as Volyn Governorate, was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. It consisted of an area of and a population of 2,989,482 inhabitants. The governorate ...

(specifically the

Kremenetsky Uyezd Kremenetsky Uyezd (''Кременецкий уезд''; ''Кременецький повіт'') was one of the subdivisions of the Volhynian Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southern part of the governorate. Its administra ...

). During the

Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

the area around Ternopil was annexed by Russia in the 1809

Treaty of Schönbrunn The Treaty of Schönbrunn (; ), sometimes known as the Peace of Schönbrunn or the Treaty of Vienna, was signed between France and Austria at Schönbrunn Palace near Vienna on 14 October 1809. The treaty ended the Fifth Coalition during the N ...

becoming the ; it was ceded back to Austria in 1815 (

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

). The Tarnopolsky Krai roughly covered the eastern two-thirds of the post-2022 Ternopil Raion and the Chortkiv Raion up to the

; in pre-2020 terms it corresponded with the cities of Ternopil and Chortkiv and the Borshchiv, Chortkiv, Husiatyn, Pidvolochysk, Terebovlia, Ternopil and Zalishchyky raions, the southern half of Zbarazh raion, the eastern and northern parts of Buchach raion and some eastern parts of Zboriv and Kozova raions. From 1917 the formerly Russian part came under the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

(

Ukrainian State The Ukrainian State (), sometimes also called the Second Cossack Hetmanate, Hetmanate (), was an Anti-communism, anti-Bolshevik government that existed on most of the modern territory of Ukraine (except for Western Ukraine) from 29 April to 14 ...

April–December 1918; also claimed by the

Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets The Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets (; ) was a short-lived (1917–1918) Soviet republic of the Russian SFSR that was created by the declaration of the Kharkiv All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets "About the self-determination of Ukraine" ...

Ukrainian Soviet Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Republic (; ) was a Soviet republic created by the Ukrainian Bolsheviks after the Second All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets declared independence of Soviet Ukraine in March 1918 and merged the Ukrainian People's Republic o ...

December 1917–April 1918 and the

from March 1919); from 1918 the formerly Austrian part was controlled by the

(nominally part of the Ukrainian People's Republic from 22 January 1919) but ultimately the whole area fell to the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

in 1921 following the

Ukrainian War of Independence The Ukrainian War of Independence, also referred to as the Ukrainian–Soviet War in Ukraine, lasted from March 1917 to November 1921 and was part of the wider Russian Civil War. It saw the establishment and development of an independent Ukr ...

Polish–Ukrainian War The Polish–Ukrainian War, from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic). The conflict had its roots in ...

and

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

. The formerly Austrian parts became part of the

Tarnopol Voivodeship Tarnopol Voivodeship (; ) was an administrative region of Second Polish Republic, interwar Poland (1918–1939), created on 23 December 1920, with an area of 16,500 km2 and provincial capital in Tarnopol (now ''Ternopil'', Ukraine). The Voi ...

, while the formerly Russian parts became part of the Volhynian Voivodeship, specifically the . The southern pre-2020 raions of Ternopil Oblast were partially coterminous with Galicia and Lodomeria's districts/counties and Interwar Poland's counties. Galicia administrative1914

The oblast was created during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when both

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and later the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

invaded An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of co ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Due to the Polish national policy in the area ( Pacification action), many people favored the Soviet invasion of

Eastern Galicia Eastern Galicia (; ; ) is a geographical region in Western Ukraine (present day oblasts of Lviv Oblast, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil Oblast, Ternopil), having also essential historic importance in Poland. Galicia ( ...

at first. However, soon thereafter, the Soviet security agencies started a

witch hunt A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or Incantation, incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the ...

among nationally oriented members of Ukrainian resistance who emigrated to Poland after the Soviet-Ukrainian War as well as other reasons. Many of local population were exiled to

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

regardless of their ethnic background. On December 4, 1939, the voivodeship division in the

was abolished and replaced with the existing Soviet administrative division oblast. Ternopil Oblast (originally Tarnopol Oblast) was established based mostly on the Tarnopol Voivodeship and southern portions of the Volhynian Voivodeship. During the invasion of the Soviet Union by

, Ternopil became an object of fierce fighting between Soviet and German forces because of its importance as a rail transportation hub. During German occupation, the region (except for its Volhynian portion) became part of the

District of Galicia The District of Galicia (, , ) was a World War II administrative unit of the General Government created by Nazi Germany on 1 August 1941 after the start of Operation Barbarossa, based loosely within the borders of the ancient Principality o ...

and transferred to administration by the

General Government The General Government (, ; ; ), formally the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (), was a German zone of occupation established after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovakia and the Soviet ...

. After the war, a destroyed residential section of Ternopil, near the river, was turned into an artificial lake rather than being rebuilt. Additionally, upon annexation to the Soviet Union's

, most ethnic Poles in the region were forcibly relocated to Poland, whose national borders had shifted far to the west. The area of the former Polish voivodeship was expanded by adding territory in the north, though the westernmost parts were transferred to the

Lviv oblast Lviv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast in western Ukraine. The capital city, capital of the oblast is the city of Lviv. The current population is History Name The region is named ...

. After 1945 Soviet authorities also encouraged ethnic Russians to settle in territories newly annexed to the Soviet Union, including the Ternopil oblast, though western Ukraine remained considerably less Russian than eastern Ukraine. As Ukraine achieved independence in the 1990s, western Ukraine remained the heartland of Ukrainian political and cultural nationalism, and the political affiliations of Ternopil voters reflected that viewpoint. In the first elections after independence, the

People's Movement of Ukraine The People's Movement of Ukraine () is a Ukraine, Ukrainian political party and one of the first Opposition (politics), opposition parties in Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Ukraine.The first officially registered opposition politica ...

was the leading party in the oblast. A majority of oblast voters supported the Ukrainian nationalist-oriented Electoral Bloc Yuliya Tymoshenko in the

2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 31 March 2002.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1976 The Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, Our Ukraine bloc emerged as the largest faction in ...

. Over 88% of voters supported

Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...

of the

All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (), referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko Blo ...

in the

2010 Ukrainian presidential election 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to s ...

. By 2005, the population of the oblast had grown to roughly 225,000, consisting primarily of ethnic Ukrainians with a large Russian or Russian-speaking minority. The city of Ternopil has important institutions of higher education, including two teacher's colleges, an international medical school with instruction in English, and one of three economics institutes in Ukraine. PochaevInside

The religion of the majority is

Ukrainian Greek Catholic The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a major archiepiscopal '' sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Catholic Church, it is in full communion with the Holy See. ...

, though there is a notable Orthodox presence and a small Protestant minority. Many churches which were closed or destroyed under Soviet rule have rebuilt since independence. The local Jewish community, which was very large before 1939, disappeared in the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

and was not reestablished after 1945. There are no active synagogues in the oblast and only a few isolated individuals affiliating with the Jewish faith.

Points of interest

The oblast is known for its castles and fortresses. Due to the underfunding of the state program for the preservation of cultural heritage, many of objects of historical significance are in poor condition. The following historic-cultural sites were nominated for the

Seven Wonders of Ukraine The Seven Wonders of Ukraine ( ) are seven historical and cultural monuments of Ukraine, which were chosen in the ''Seven Wonders of Ukraine'' contest held in July, 2007. This was the first public contest of that kind which was followed by the ...

. * Verteba Cave, a cave in

Borshchiv Raion Borshchiv Raion (), historically known as , was a raion (district) within Ternopil Oblast in western Ukraine, in a historical region known as Galicia and bordering Podollia. The administrative center of the raion was Borshchiv, its only city. ...

* Bohyt, a hill near

Zbruch River The Zbruch (; ) is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.Збруч

Zbruch idol The Zbruch Idol, Sviatovid (''Worldseer'', ; ) is a 9th-century limestone sculpture idol, and one of the few monuments of pre-Christian Slavic beliefs (according to another interpretation, it was created by the Kipchaks/Cumans). The pillar was ...

(

Husiatyn Raion Husiatyn Raion () was a raion (district) in Ternopil Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center was the urban-type settlement of Husiatyn. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which red ...

) * Buchach Ratusha, a former town hall in

Buchach Buchach (, ; ; or ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city located on the Strypa River (a tributary of the Dniester) in Chortkiv Raion of Ternopil Oblast (Oblast, province) of Western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Buchach urban h ...

Pochaiv Lavra __NOTOC__ The Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra (, , ), also sometimes known as the Pochaiv Monastery, is a monastery and lavra in Pochaiv, Kremenets Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. The monastery tops a 60-metre hill in the town of Pochaiv, 18&nbs ...

, located in the city of

Pochaiv Pochaiv (, ; ; ; ) is a city in Kremenets Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located south-west of Kremenets and north of the administrative center of the oblast, Ternopil. It hosts the administration of Pochaiv urban hromada. Popul ...

, one of the biggest holy places of

Christian Orthodox Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

in Ukraine * Zarvanytsia Spiritual Center, a big holy place of

Greek Catholics Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite: ** The Albanian Greek Catholic Church ** The Belarusian Gre ...

Podillia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

(

Terebovlia Raion Terebovlia Raion () was a raion (district) in Ternopil Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center was the city of Terebovlia. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the numb ...

) *

Vyshnivets Palace The Vyshnivets Palace () or the Wiśniowiecki Palace () is located in the Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement of Vyshnivets (near the city of Zbarazh) in Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. Historically, it was the main ...

, a princely palace in

Vyshnivets Vyshnivets (; ) is a rural settlement in Kremenets Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Vyshnivets settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: Vyshnivets is better known as a family estat ...

(

Zbarazh Raion Zbarazh Raion () was a raion (district) of Ternopil Oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center was the city of Zbarazh. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of ...

) * Camp UPA, a museum of Ukrainian resistance movement in

Shumsk Raion Shumsk Raion () was a former raion (district) in Ternopil Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center was Shumsk. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions ...

* Dzhuryn Waterfall *Castles of Ternopil Region (

Ternopil Castle The Ternopil Castle (, ) is a stronghold which gave birth to the city of Ternopil. It was built in the 16th century to protect the southern border of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The castle originated as the r ...

Berezhany Castle Berezhany Castle (, Berezhans'kyi zamok, ), around which the modern town of Berezhany has sprung up, was built on an island in the Zolota Lypa River in the 1530s and 1540s by Mikołaj Sieniawski as the main residence of the Sieniawski family, Sien ...

, and others)

Population

The estimated population is

Ethnic composition

According to the

2001 Ukrainian census The 2001 Ukrainian census is to date the only census of the population of independent Ukraine. It was conducted by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on 5 December 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census in 1989.ethnic Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the second largest ethno-linguistic community. At around 46 million worldwide, Ukr ...

accounted for 97.8% of the population of Ternopil Oblast, and

ethnic Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

for 1.2%.

Language

Ternopil Oblast was one of the few oblasts of the Ukrainian SSR where the share of Ukrainian speakers was increasing despite the

Russification of Ukraine The Russification of Ukraine (; ) was a system of measures, actions and legislations undertaken by the Imperial Russian, later Soviet, and present-day authorities of the Russian Federation to strengthen Russian national, political and linguis ...

carried out in the USSR. Native language of the population of Ternopil Oblast according to the results of population censuses: Native language of the population of the raions and cities of Ternopil Oblast according to the

2001 Ukrainian census The 2001 Ukrainian census is to date the only census of the population of independent Ukraine. It was conducted by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on 5 December 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census in 1989.Ukrainian is the only official language on the whole territory of Ternopil Oblast. On 6 November 2018, a moratorium on the public use of Russian-language cultural products was imposed in Ternopil Oblast by a decision of the Ternopil Oblast Council. According to a poll conducted by ''

Rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of a metric (e.g. quality, quantity, a combination of both,...). Rating or rating system may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness ...

'' from 16 November to 10 December 2018 as part of the project «Portraits of Regions», 95% of the residents of Ternopil Oblast believed that the Ukrainian language should be the only state language on the entire territory of Ukraine. 2% believed that Ukrainian should be the only state language, while Russian should be the second official language in some regions of the country. 3% found it difficult to answer. In 2022, Ternopil Oblast Council approved the «Regional Programme for the Development and Functioning of the Ukrainian Language in the Ternopil Oblast for 2023—2027», the main objectives of which are to strengthen the positions of the Ukrainian language in various spheres of public life in the oblast and to Ukrainianize the refugees from other regions of Ukraine. According to the research of the ''Content Analysis Centre'', conducted from 15 August to 15 September 2024, the topic of which was the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian languages in the Ukrainian segment of

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, 94.6% of posts from Ternopil Oblast were written in Ukrainian (92.0% in 2023, 85.8% in 2022, 49.5% in 2020), while 5.4% were written in Russian (8.0% in 2023, 14.2% in 2022, 50.5% in 2020). After Ukraine declared independence in 1991, Ternopil Oblast, as well as Ukraine as a whole, experienced a gradual

Ukrainization Ukrainization or Ukrainisation ( ) is a policy or practice of increasing the usage and facilitating the development of the Ukrainian language and promoting other elements of Ukrainian culture in various spheres of public life such as education, ...

of the education system, which had been

Russified Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...

during the Soviet era. Dynamics of the ratio of the languages of instruction in general secondary education institutions in Ternopil Oblast: According to the

State Statistics Service of Ukraine State Statistics Committee of Ukraine (, ''Derzhavnyi Komitet Statystyky Ukrainy'') is the government agency responsible for collection and dissemination of statistics in Ukraine. For brevity, it was also referred to as ''Derzhkomstat''. In 2010, ...

, in the 2023—2024 school year, all 105,619 pupils in general secondary education institutions in Ternopil Oblast were studying in classes where Ukrainian was the language of instruction.

Age structure

: ''0-14 years:'' 15.7% (male 86,309/female 81,940) : ''15-64 years:'' 69.0% (male 360,305/female 381,271) : ''65 years and over:'' 15.3% (male 53,364/female 110,887) (2013 official)

Median age

: ''total:'' 38.6 years : ''male:'' 35.8 years : ''female:'' 41.4 years (2013 official)

Economy and transportation

The economy is predominantly agriculturally oriented. Among industries, there is a well developed food industry particularly sugar production, alcohol, and dairy (such as butter). There is also number of factories such as "Vatra" (lighting equipment), Ternopil Harvester Plant, "Orion" (radio communication) among a few. Ternopil Oblast has an adequate network of highways, while the city of

is located at the intersection of main European corridors along the E50 and E85 highways. There is a small airport in

( Ternopil Airport) which however mostly is used for charter flights. There is a well developed railroad network which is a part of the

Lviv Railways Lviv Railways (abbreviated as LR) () is a territorial branch company of Ukrzaliznytsia headquartered in Lviv. General description Lviv Railways administers all railroads of Lviv Oblast, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Chernivtsi Obl ...

. Water transportation is very limited and mostly along the

Dniester River The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

Subdivisions

After 18 July 2020 Before 18 July 2020 Before the 2020 administrative reform, Ternopil Oblast was administratively subdivided into 17

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 co ...

(

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

s), as well as 1 city (

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

) which is directly subordinate to the oblast government:

, the administrative center of the oblast. The average area of a raion was around , the biggest one was

covering and the smallest one -

Pidhaitsi Raion Pidhaitsi Raion () was a raion (district) in the western part of Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It was part of the historic area known as Halychyna (Galicia). The administrative center was the city of Pidhaitsi. The Koropets River flowed thro ...

with . The average population number was around 50.6 thousands which is just below the national average.

Notable people

In town of

was born a Nobel Prize recipient, writer

Shmuel Yosef Agnon Shmuel Yosef Agnon (; August 8, 1887 – February 17, 1970) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the pseudonym Shai A ...

. The prize was given for works about fate of

Galician Jews Galician Jews or Galitzianers () are members of the subgroup of Ashkenazim, Ashkenazi Jews originating and developed in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria and Bukovina from contemporary western Ukraine (Lviv Oblast, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblas ...

. Agnon worked for a Lviv newspaper, but after refusal to serve in the army he moved to

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

. In Ukraine he published over 70 of his early works. *

Solomiya Krushelnytska Solomiya KrushelnytskaHer name is sometimes spelt as Solomiya Ambrosiyivna Krushelnytska, Salomea Krusceniski, Krushel'nytska or Kruszelnicka. (; – November 16, 1952) was a Ukrainian lyric-dramatic soprano, considered to be one of the bright ...

, one of the brightest soprano opera stars of the first half of the 20th century, was born in Biliavyntsi. , Chortkiv Raion. *

Petro Gadz Petro Ivanovych Gadz (; born 21 August 1960) is a Ukrainian agro-entrepreneur, public figure and music teacher who is a recipient of the Hero of Ukraine in 2012. He is also the founder and Director (business), director of the Vegetable farming, ...

, entrepreneur and politician *

Mike Mazurki Mike Mazurki (December 25, 1907 – December 9, 1990, born Markiian Yulianovych Mazurkevych) was a Ukrainian-American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films. Although educated as an attorney, his hulking 6 ft 5 ...

, American professional athletewrestler, football and basketball and actor 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) in height *

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

, American theatre director and actor

Gallery

File:UA-TE Ternopol Buran 02 28-08-11.JPG,

Buran File:1. Почаївська лавра.JPG,

File:61-224-0001 Zbarazh Castle RB 18.jpg,

File:Čortkiv, celek, kostel.jpg,

Chortkiv Chortkiv (, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Chortkiv Raion, housing the district's local administration buildings. Chortkiv hosts the administratio ...

File:Панорама Кременця з Замкової гори.JPG,

from Zamkova Hill File:Berezhany Ukr (212).JPG,

Berezhany Berezhany ( ; ; ; , ''Bzhezhani''/''Bzhizhani'') is a small List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It lies about from the administrative center of the oblast, Ternopil. Berezhany hosts the administr ...

File:Панорама Теребовлі з Замкової гори.jpg,

Terebovlia Terebovlia (, ; ; ) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. Terebovlia hosts the administration of Terebovlia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 13,661 (2001). History Terebovlia is one of ...

File:Народний будинок (мур) Борщів.jpg, Borshchiv File:Бучач - панорама Західна сторона. Андрій Л..jpg,

File:Zalischyky panorama1.jpg,

Zalishchyky Zalishchyky or Zalischyky (, ; ) is a small city located on the Dniester River in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Zalishchyky urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: Etymolog ...

File:Теребовлянський замок - 2.jpg,

Terebovlia Castle The Terebovlia Castle () is a ruined 17th-century castle in the town of Terebovlia in western Ukraine. The ruins are located on the edge of :uk:Гнізна, Gniezny canyon, near its mouth to Seret River. The fortification, the remains of which ...

File:Waterfall Chervonohorod.jpg, Dzhuryn Waterfall File:61-208-5089 NNP Dnister Canyon 2 RB.jpg, Dniester Canyon National Nature Park File:Дівочі скелі.jpg, Kremenets Mountains National Nature Park File:Medobory zap.jpg,

Medobory Nature Reserve The Medobory Nature Reserve () is a protected nature reserve of Ukraine located in the Podolian Upland in the western part of the country. It protects a representative portion of the "Tovtry" region, known for rocky limestone ridges. The reserve ...

File:Печера Вертеба Вхід.JPG, Entrance to Verteba Cave

References

External links

Ternopil Council website
{{Authority control Oblasts of Ukraine States and territories established in 1939 1939 establishments in Ukraine