Black Sea Governorate

The Black Sea Governorate (Russian: Черномо́рская губе́рния), also known as Chernomore or the Black Sea Government, was an administrative division (a guberniya) of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus.

It was established in 1896 on the territory of Black Sea Okrug of Kuban Oblast. Its administrative center was Novorossiysk.

In 1905, the population of the governorate was about 70,000 and the area—6,475 square versts (7,369 km²; 2,845 sq mi), making it the smallest Russian governorate by both measures.

The governorate's territory was included into the unofficial Kuban-Black Sea Oblast in March 1920.