Khmelnytskyi Oblast

Geography

Khmelnytska oblast has a total area of 20,600 km² (7,953.70 sq mi) (3.4% of the total area of Ukraine) is located between 48°27' and 50°37' north latitude and between 26°09' and 27°56' east longitude. It is 220 km (136.70 mi) long when measured from north to south, and is 120 km (74.56 mi) in length when measured from east to west. The oblast borders the Rivne Oblast to the northwest, the Zhytomyr Oblast to the northeast, the Vinnytsia Oblast to the east, the Chernivtsi Oblast to the south, and the Ternopil Oblast to the west.

Elevations

The Podillia highland (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 (highest point — 200–250 m above sea-level). The southwestern territory of the Khmelnytska oblast is crossed by the Tovtry range (Ukrainian: Товтровий кряж, translit. Tovtryi kryazh), which includes Mount Velyka Buhaikha (Ukrainian: Велика Бугаїха), the highest point of oblast at 409 m above sea-level. The extreme south of the oblast has a surface with the 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 10 km (6.21 mi) or more in the Khmelnytska oblast. The largest of these are the Dniester River (which flows for 160 km (99.42 mi) within the oblast), as well as its tributaries: Smotrych, Ushytsia, and the Zbruch — and the Southern Buh River (which flows for 120 km (74.56 mi) within the oblast), as well as its tributaries: Buzhok, Ikva, and Vovk. The rivers of the Dnieper River's basin — Horyn, 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 12.58 km²), Novostavske (with a surface area of 11.68 km²), and Kuzmynske (with a surface area of 7.65 km²).

History

Khmelnytska oblast was created on September 22, 1937 as the Kamianets-Podilskyi Oblast (Ukrainian: Кам’янець-Подільськa область, translit., Kamyanets-Podil'ska oblast’). In March 1941 the administrative center of the oblast was moved from Kamianets-Podilskyi to the city of Proskuriv (now Khmelnytskyi). In 1954, Proskuriv was renamed Khmelnytskyi, and soon afterward, the oblast was renamed to Khmelnytska oblast.

Administrative divisions

The oblast is subdivided into 20 raions (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 Kiev Oblast:

Administrative Center – 1 (Khmelnytskyi)

Raions — 20;

City raions — 0;

Settlements — 1452, including:

Villages — 1415;

Cities/Towns — 37, including:

Urban-type settlement — 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.

Demographics

Khmelnytska 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 per 1,000 residents is 8.3, and the death rate — per 1000 residents – 16.1. 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%.

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. The oblast is situated at a historical crossroad of the railway and highway routes connecting Central Europe to Black Sea coast and Russia (with the city of Shepetivka being the most important railway junction). The Khmelnyts’ka nuclear power plant in the city of Netishyn is the most important industrial company of the oblast. Notable machinery, armament and chemical industries are also present.

Attractions

Kamyanets National historical-architectural preserve

Medjybizh National historical-cultural preserve

Samchyky State historical-cultural preserve

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: Khmelnytskyi is the center of the Khmelnyts’ka oblast’ (Khmelnytska oblast).