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Chernihiv Oblast

Coordinates: 51°20′N 32°04′E / 51.34°N 32.06°E / 51.34; 32.06
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Chernihiv Oblast
Чернігівська область
Chernihivska oblast[1]
Coat of arms of Chernihiv Oblast
Nickname: 
Чернігівщина (Chernihivshchyna)
Coordinates: 51°20′N 32°04′E / 51.34°N 32.06°E / 51.34; 32.06
Country Ukraine
Established15 October 1932
Administrative centerChernihiv
Largest citiesChernihiv, Nizhyn, Pryluky
Government
 • GovernorVyacheslav Chaus[2]
 • Oblast council64 seats
 • ChairpersonOlena Dmytrenko
Area
 • Total31,865 km2 (12,303 sq mi)
 • RankRanked 3rd
Population
 (2022)[3]
 • TotalDecrease 959,315
GDP
 • Total₴ 114 billion
(€2.9 billion)
 • Per capita₴ 117,225
(€3,000)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
14-17xxx
Area code+380 46
ISO 3166 codeUA-74
Vehicle registrationСВ
Raions22
Cities (total)16
• Regional cities3
Urban-type settlements34
Villages1494
HDI (2022)0.737[5]
high
FIPS 10-4UP02
Websitechor.gov.ua

Chernihiv Oblast (Ukrainian: Чернігівська область, romanizedChernihivska oblast), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (Ukrainian: Чернігівщина), is an oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. There are 1,511 settlements in the oblast, with a total population of 959,315 (2022 estimate).[3]

Geography

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The total area of the province is around 31,900 km².

On the west, the oblast is bordered by the Kyiv Reservoir of the Dnieper River and Kyiv Oblast, which has a enclave known as Slavutych, which was created from Chernihiv Oblast for the inhabitants of Chernobyl following the Chernobyl disaster. It is bordered by Sumy Oblast to the east and Poltava Oblast to the south. The northern border of the oblast is part of Ukraine's international border abutting Belarus's Gomel Region in the north-west and the Russian Bryansk Oblast in the north-east, respectively.

The oblast is bisected into northern and southern sections by the Desna River, which enters the Dnieper just north of the Kyiv city limits.

History

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Medieval Transfiguration Cathedral and Boris and Gleb Cathedral in Chernihiv

Chernihiv Oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 15 October 1932.

The capital city of Chernihiv has known human settlement for over 2,000 years, according to archaeological excavations. Chernihiv Oblast comprises a very important historical region, notable as early as the Kievan Rus' period, when the cities of Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siverskyi were frequently mentioned. The city of Chernihiv was the second most important Ukrainian city during the Rus' period of Ukrainian history, often serving as a major regional capital. Danylo of Chernihiv wrote of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem during this era. The region at various times was ruled by the Kievan Rus', Mongol Empire, Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Numerous tragic events have taken place in the region, such as the Battle of Kruty and the Koriukivka massacre.[6] During World War II, the province was occupied by Germany in 1941–1943.

During the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Chernihiv Oblast was one of the first regions where Russian and Ukrainian forces clashed.[7][8][9] On 4 April 2022 Governor of Chernihiv Oblast Vyacheslav Chaus stated that the Russian military had left Chernihiv Oblast, but that it had planted mines in many areas.[10] On 4 and 5 April 2022 units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine retook control of their border crossing in Chernihiv Oblast.[11]

The oblast is located in the historic regions of Left-bank Ukraine and Polesia.

Administrative subdivisions

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Map of Chernihiv Oblast.

Since July 2020, Chernihiv Oblast is administratively subdivided into 5 raions (districts).

The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of Chernihiv Oblast:

The local administration of the oblast is controlled by the Chernihiv Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast is the Chernihiv Oblast Rada speaker, appointed by the President of Ukraine.

Important settlements

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Largest cities
  1. Chernihiv (294,727)
  2. Nizhyn (72,422)
  3. Pryluky (58,456)
  4. Bakhmach (18,798)
  5. Nosivka (14,185)
  6. Novhorod-Siverskyi (14,025)
Other settlements

Raions

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Flag Coat

of

arms

Name Ukrainian Name Administrative center Area
(km2)
Population
estimate 2021[12]
Chernihiv Raion Чернігівський район Chernihiv 10,249 445,430
Koriukivka Raion Корюківський район Koriukivka 4,578 86,435
Nizhyn Raion Ніжинський район Nizhyn 7,226 215,908
Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion Новгород-Сіверський район Novhorod-Siverskyi 4,630.5 62,141
Pryluky Raion Прилуцький район Pryluky 5,214 149,401
Total Oblast Чернігівська область Chernihiv 31,865 959,315

The Slavutych municipality is located in Chernihiv Oblast on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, but officially belongs to Kyiv Oblast (being an administrative exclave).

Demographics

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The current estimated population of the oblast is around 976,701 (as of 2021).

The population of the oblast is predominantly Ukrainian, with minority Belarusian and Russian populations concentrated in the northern districts.

The province has experienced long-term population decline. The population has fallen 37% from the 1959 figure of 1,554,000, the steepest decline of any Ukrainian oblast. It has the lowest population density in the country.

Age structure

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0-14 years: 12.9% Increase (male 70,680/female 67,487)
15-64 years: 68.4% Decrease (male 352,230/female 378,864)
65 years and over: 18.7% Decrease (male 61,722/female 138,277) (2013 official)

Median age

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total: 42.8 years Steady
male: 38.5 years Increase
female: 46.9 years Steady (2013 official)

Economy

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Industry

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The economy of Chernihiv Oblast is centered around petroleum and natural gas extraction, transport, machinery, tobacco and the textile industry. A major tobacco factory is situated in Pryluky. The cities of Bakhmach and Nizhyn are important railway junctions on the route from Russia and Belarus to Southeast Europe. There are notable machinery and electronics industries in Chernihiv. Chernihiv also has a brewery producing beer under the name "Chernihivske".

Religion

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The religion among believers in the oblast is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox. A substantial percentage of the population is atheist. Small minorities of Ukrainian Catholics, Roman Catholics (including the descendants of earlier Polish colonists), and recent converts to Protestantism are also present.

Culture and tourist attractions

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There are several outstanding historical Orthodox churches and buildings in Chernihiv, Novhorod-Siverskyi, Liubech, Nizhyn, Kozelets, and Pryluky. Nizhyn is a historical Cossack city and home to a university.

The Chernihiv region was famous for its specific style of folk icon-painting. Brightness and realistic depictions of the saints were typical for it, with red and hot yellow paints used. The icons were decorated by flowers in a manner reminiscent of Slavonic pre-Christian traditions. The icons from the Chernihiv region were spread outside its territory. Many of them are preserved in the Museum of Ukrainian home icons of the Radomysl Castle.

Nomenclature

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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 centre city: Chernihiv is the centre of the Chernihivs’ka oblast’ (Chernihiv 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 Chernihiv Oblast, Chernihivshchyna.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Syvak, Nina; Ponomarenko, Valerii; Khodzinska, Olha; Lakeichuk, Iryna (2011). Veklych, Lesia (ed.). Toponymic Guidelines for Map and Other Editors for International Use (PDF). scientific consultant Iryna Rudenko; reviewed by Nataliia Kizilowa; translated by Olha Khodzinska. Kyiv: DerzhHeoKadastr and Kartographia. p. 20. ISBN 978-966-475-839-7. Retrieved 6 October 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Zelensky appoints head of Chernihiv Regional State Administration, Ukrinform (4 August 2021)
  3. ^ a b Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2022] (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Валовии регіональнии продукт".
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org.
  6. ^ "Корюківка: забута трагедія. Як нацисти знищили 7-тисячне містечко" (in Ukrainian).
  7. ^ "Украинские пограничники сообщили об атаке границы со стороны России и Белоруссии". Interfax. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Войска России на севере Украины продвинулись вглубь до пяти километров – Арестович". Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Перші три дні повномасштабної російсько-української війни (текстовий онлайн) | Громадське телебачення". Hromadske (in Ukrainian). 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  10. ^ Russian Military Leaves Chernihiv Region, Plants Mines In Many Areas - Governor Chaus, Ukrainian News Agency (4 April 2022)
  11. ^ (in Ukrainian) Ukrainian border guards crossed the state border in Chernihiv region, Ukrayinska Pravda (5 April 2022)
  12. ^ "Чисельність наявного населення України (Actual population of Ukraine) Archived April 6, 2022, at the Wayback Machine" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  • Kardash, Peter. Ukraine and Ukrainians. Ed. Peter Lockwood. Melbourne: Fortuna Publishers, 1988.
  • (1972) Історіа міст і сіл Української CCP - Чернігівська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Chernihiv Oblast), Kiev. (in Ukrainian)
  • Information Card of the Region - Official site of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
  • Богомолець. О. "Замок-музей Радомисль на Шляху Королів Via Regia". — Київ, 2013
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