Khmelnytskyi Oblast (Ukrainian: Хмельницька область, romanizedKhmelnytska oblast), also known as Khmelnychchyna (Ukrainian: Хмельниччина), is an oblast (province) in western Ukraine covering portions of the historical regions of western Podolia and southern Volhynia. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Khmelnytskyi.

Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Хмельницька область
Khmelnytska oblast[1]
Flag of Khmelnytskyi oblast
Coat of arms of Khmelnytskyi oblast
Nickname: 
Хмельниччина (Khmelnychchyna)
Coordinates: 49°32′N 26°52′E / 49.53°N 26.87°E / 49.53; 26.87
Country Ukraine
Established22 September 1937
Administrative centerKhmelnytskyi
Largest citiesKhmelnytskyi, Kamianets-Podilskyi
Government
 • GovernorSerhii Tiurin[2]
 • Oblast council84 seats
 • ChairpersonVioleta Labazyuk[3]
Area
 • Total
20,645 km2 (7,971 sq mi)
 • RankRanked 19th
Population
 (2022)[4]
 • Total
Decrease 1,228,829
 • RankRanked 14th
GDP
 • Total₴ 120 billion
(€3.1 billion)
 • Per capita₴ 96,964
(€2,500)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
Area code+380-38
ISO 3166 codeUA-68
Vehicle registrationвх, нх
Raions3
Cities (total)13
• Regional cities4
Urban-type settlements24
Villages1416
HDI (2022)0.722[6]
high
FIPS 10-4UP09
Websiteadm-km.gov.ua

The current estimated population is around 1,228,829 (2022 estimate).[4]

Created in 1937 out of border okrugs of Vinnytsia Oblast, in 1941–44 it was under Nazi Germany occupation and part of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Wolhynien und Podolien general district). Following the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket 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-Podilskyi Oblast (Ukrainian: Кам'янець-Подільська область, romanizedKamianets-Podilska oblast) and was centered in Kamianets-Podilsky until 1941. The region rebranding took place after the official renaming of the region's administrative center to Khmelnytskyi.

Geography

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Khmelnytskyi Oblast has a total area of 20,600 km2 (7,953.70 sq mi) (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 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. It is associated with a historical region of Podolia, yet in reality its territory is split almost in half, the northern in Volhynia, and the southern in Podolia. Its Volhynian region contains smaller cities like Iziaslav, Starokostiantyniv, Shepetivka, while its Podolian portion more developed cities of Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi.

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

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The Podolian Upland (270–370 meters above sea-level) occupies the central area of the Khmelnytskyi 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 Khmelnytskyi 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 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

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There are 120 rivers with a length of 10 km (6.21 mi) or more in the Khmelnytskyi 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 (4.86 sq mi)), Novostavske (with a surface area of 11.68 km2 (4.51 sq mi)), and Kuzmynske (with a surface area of 7.65 km2 (2.95 sq mi)).

History

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Historic administrative affiliation of the area:

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

In March 1941 the administrative center of the oblast was moved from Kamianets-Podilskyi to the city of Proskuriv. During the World War II the territory was part of another administrative division (General District Wolhynien und Podolien, see Reichskommissariat Ukraine), 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 (Ukrainian: Хмельницька область, translit., Khmel'nytska oblast’).

Administrative divisions

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The oblast is subdivided into 3 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 Kyiv Oblast:

  • Administrative Center – 1 (Khmelnytskyi)
  • Raions — 3;
  • 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 Khmelnytskyi Regional Council. The governor of the oblast' is the Khmelnytskyi Regional Council speaker, appointed by the President of Ukraine.

 
The Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle. The bastion on the right was guarding the bridgehead leading to the fortress. In the far right the "New Castle" is visible.

Demographics

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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 per 1,000 residents is 8.3, and the death rate — per 1000 residents – 16.1.[7] 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%.[8]

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

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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

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

Economy

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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

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Nomenclature

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Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their administrative center 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’.

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See also

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References

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Inline
  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 2020-10-06. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Zelenskyy appointed new head of Khmelnytskyi Oblast State Administration". Ukrainska Pravda. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Голова Хмельницької обласної ради". km-oblrada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian).
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Валовии регіональнии продукт".
  6. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org.
  7. ^ Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine – Khmelnytsky Region URL accessed on November 26, 2006
  8. ^ Ukrcensus.gov.ua – Khmel'nyts'kyi region region Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine URL accessed on January 11, 2007
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  • adm-km.gov.ua – Official website of Khmelnytska oblast Administration (in Ukrainian)
  • Khmelnytsky – Site of Khmelnytskyi (in Ukrainian and Russian)