Zakarpattia Oblast

The '''Zakarpattia Oblast''' ({{lang-uk|Закарпатська область}}, [[Romanization of Ukrainian|translit.]] {{transl|uk|''Zakarpats’ka oblast’''}}; [[#Name|see other languages]]) is an administrative [[administrative divisions of Ukraine|oblast]] ([[province]]) located in southwestern [[Ukraine]]. Its [[Capital (political)|administrative center]] is the city of [[Uzhhorod]]. Other major cities within the oblast include [[Mukachevo]], [[Khust]], [[Berehove]] and [[Chop, Ukraine|Chop]] which is home to railroad transport infrastructure. Zakarpattia Oblast was formally established on 22 January 1946 after the annexation of the Transcarpathian Hungary to the [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic]] to fulfill the petition filled by the [[Carpatho-Ukraine]] before the [[World War II]]. Some scholars say that during the [[Ukrainian independence referendum, 1991|Ukrainian independence referendum]] held in 1991, Zakarpattia Oblast voters were given a separate option on whether or not they favored [[autonomy]] for the region. Although a large majority favored autonomy, it was not granted. However, this referendum was about self government status, not about autonomy (like in Crimea). Situated in the [[Carpathian Mountains]] landscape of western Ukraine, Zakarpattia Oblast is the only Ukrainian administrative division which borders upon four countries: [[Poland]], [[Slovakia]], [[Hungary]], and [[Romania]]. The Carpathian Mountains play a major part in the oblast's economy, making the region an important tourist and travel destination housing many ski and spa resorts. The oblast is ranked [[List of Ukrainian oblasts and territories by area|23rd by area]] and [[List of Ukrainian oblasts and territories by population|17th by population]]. According to the [[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]], the population of Zakarpattia Oblast is 1,254,614. Excluding [[Ukrainians]], this total includes people of many different nationalities of which [[Hungarians]], [[Romanians]] and [[Rusyns]] constitute significant minorities in some of the province's cities, while in others, they form the majority of the population (as in the case of Berehove). ==Name== The oblast is also referred to as the '''Transcarpathian Oblast''', '''Transcarpathia''', '''Zakarpattya''', or historically as Subcarpathian Rus. In other languages the oblast in named:, translit. {{transl|ry|''Podkarpat’ska oblast''}}. ==Geography== The Zakarpattia Oblast has a total area of {{convert|12800|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} and is located in the [[Carpathian Mountains]] region of western Ukraine. It is the only Ukrainian oblast to have boundaries with four countries: [[Poland]], [[Slovakia]], [[Hungary]] and [[Romania]]. On the West it borders the [[Prešov Region|Prešov]] and [[Košice Region]]s of Slovakia and [[Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén]] and [[Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg]] Counties of Hungary, on the South—the [[Satu Mare County|Satu Mare]] and [[Maramureş County|Maramureş Counties]] of Romania, on the East and Northeast—[[Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast]], and on the North—[[Lviv Oblast]] and the [[Subcarpathian Voivodeship]] of Poland. [[File:Ukraine-Kamianka-Buzka-Skole-Volovets Railroad-17.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The forest-covered [[Carpathian Mountains|mountainous]] landscape within the oblast.]] The Zakarpattia Oblast mostly consists of mountains and small hills covered with [[deciduous]] and [[pinophyta|coniferous]] forests, as well as [[alpine meadow]]s. Mountains cover about 80% of the oblast's area, and cross from North-East to South-East. The [[Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians]], part of which are located within Zakarpattia Oblast, were recognised as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 2007. The largest [[river]]s that flow through the oblast include the [[Tisza|Tysa]], [[Borzhava River|Borzhava]], and the [[Tereblia River|Tereblia]]. In [[Rakhiv Raion]] is located a high altitude lake which is the highest in the region. It is called ''Nesamovyte''. The lake is located in the Hoverla preserve on slopes of the Turkul mountain. The lake's area is {{convert|3000|m2}} and it is located {{convert|1750|m}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]]. The region's climate is moderate and [[continental climate|continental]] with about {{convert|700|-|1000|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} of rainfall per year. The average temperature in summer is +21 °С (70 °F) and −4 °С (25 °F) in winter. With a total height of {{convert|2061|m|ft}}, [[Hoverla]], part of the [[Chornohora]] mountain range, is the tallest point in the oblast. The lowest point, {{convert|101|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above [[sea level]], is located in the village of Ruski Heyevtsi (Oroszgejőc in Hungarian) in the [[Uzhhorodskyi Raion]]. The four of the oblast's historical-cultural sites were nominated for the [[Seven Wonders of Ukraine]] competition in 2007: [[Palanok Castle]], [[Museum upon the Chorna River]], [[Mykhailiv Orthodox Church]], and the [[Nevytsky Castle]]. ==History== {{See also|Carpathian Ruthenia}} The lands of Zakarpattia for a long time were part of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] which eventually transformed into a Hungarian part of [[Austria-Hungary]] until the latter's demise at the end of [[World War I]]. This region was briefly part of the short-lived [[West Ukrainian National Republic]] in 1918. The region was soon occupied by [[Romania]] by end of that year mostly the eastern portion such as [[Rakhiv]] and [[Khust]]. It was later recaptured by [[Hungary]] in the summer of 1919. However after the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Conference]] of 1919, it was annexed to [[Czechoslovakia]] supposedly on the equal rights of an autonomy as Slovakia and Czech Republic being called the ''Subcarpathian Rus''. [[File:West ukraine.png|thumb|200px|left|Zakarpattia (pink) as part of the territory claimed by [[West Ukrainian People's Republic]] (1918).]] During the [[World War II]] [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia]], the southern part of the region was awarded to [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungary]] under the [[First Vienna Award]] in 1938. The remaining portion was constituted as an autonomous region of the short-lived [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia|Second Czecho-Slovak Republic]]. After the occupation of Bohemia and Moravia on 15 March 1939 and the Slovak declaration of an [[Slovak Republic (1939-1945)|independent state]], Ruthenia declared its independence ([[Carpatho-Ukraine|Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine]]), but was immediately occupied and later annexed by Hungary. [[File:Carpatho Ukraine March 1939.png|thumb|250px|Map of [[Carpatho-Ukraine]] in 1939.]] During the German occupation of Hungary in 1944, almost the entire Jewish population was deported; few survived the [[Holocaust]]. When the [[Red Army|Soviet Army]] crossed the pre-1938 borders of Czechoslovakia in 1944, Soviet authorities refused to allow Czechoslovak governmental officials to resume control over the region, and in June 1945, President [[Edvard Beneš]] formally signed a treaty ceding the area to the [[Soviet Union]]. It was then incorporated into the [[Ukrainian SSR]] as ''Zakarpattia Oblast''. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, it became part of the independent Ukraine. The province has a unique footnote in history as the only region in the former Soviet Union to have had an American governor: its first governor was [[Gregory Zatkovich]], an American citizen who had earlier emigrated from the region and represented the Rusyn community in the U.S. Zatkovich was appointed governor by Czechoslovakia's first president, [[Tomáš Masaryk]] in 1920, and served for about one year until he resigned over differences regarding the region's autonomy. After the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991)|fall of the Soviet Union]] in 1991, Ukraine held an independence referendum in which the residents of Zakarpattia were asked about the Zakarpattia Oblast Council's proposal for self rule. About 78% of the oblast's population voted in favor of autonomy; however, it was not granted. There were also propositions of separating from Ukraine to rejoin Czechoslovakia, but after [[Dissolution of Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia's dissolution]] into the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]] on 1 January 1993, these ideas have been rendered largely moot. On 25 October 2008, delegates to the Congress Of Carpathian Ruthenians declared the formation of the Republic of Carpathian Ruthenia. The prosecutor’s office of Zakarpattia region has filed a case against [[Russian Orthodox Church]] priest [[Dmytro Sidor]] and Yevhen Zhupan, an [[Our Ukraine (political party)|Our Ukraine]] deputy of the Zakarpattia regional council and chairman of the People’s Council of Ruthenians, on charges of encroaching on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine. ==Politics== {{See also|Zakarpattia Oblast local election, 2010}} [[File:790px-Uschhorod oblastnarada.jpg|thumb|250px|The building of the Zakarpattia Oblast Council in [[Uzhhorod]].]] Zakarpattia Oblast's local administration is controlled by the Zakarpattia Oblast Council (''[[rada]]''). The oblast's [[governor]] (currently Oleksandr Ledyda) is appointed by the [[President of Ukraine]]. ==Administrative divisions== [[File:Subcarpathia Ukraine districts en.svg|thumb|250px|Raions and cities of Zakarpattia Oblast.]] [[File:Historical Counties in Zakarpattia.GIF|thumb|250px|Historical regions in Zakarpattia Oblast: {| width="100%" | valign="top"|{{legend|#4682B4|[[Ung county|Ung]]}} {{legend|#C0C0C0|[[Bereg (county)|Bereg]]}} | valign="top"|{{legend|#CD5C5C|[[Ugocsa]]}} {{legend|#FBEC5D|[[Northern Maramuresh (geographic region)|Northern Maramuresh]]}} |}]] Zakarpattia Oblast is administratively subdivided into 13 [[raions]] ([[district]]s), as well as 5 cities ([[municipality|municipalities]]) which are directly subordinate to the oblast government: [[Berehove]], [[Chop, Ukraine|Chop]], [[Khust]], [[Mukachevo]], and the administrative center of the oblast, [[Uzhhorod]]. There are a total of [[List of cities in Ukraine by subdivision#Kiev Oblast|7 cities]], [[List of urban-type settlements in Ukraine by subdivision#Kiev Oblast|19 towns]], and more than 579 villages. Zakarpattia Oblast incorporates four unofficial geographic-historic regions (counties): [[Ung county|Ung]], [[Bereg (county)|Bereg]], [[Ugocsa]], and [[Northern Maramuresh (geographic region)|Northern Maramuresh]]. There is a project for a reform of the current administrative division of the Oblast The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of Zakarpattia Oblast: * Administrative Center — 1 ([[Uzhhorod]]); * [[Raions]] — 13; * City raions — 0; * Settlements — 609, including: ** [[Villages]] — 579; ** Cities/Towns — 30, including: *** [[Urban-type settlement]]s — 19; *** Cities — 11, including: **** Cities of oblast' subordinance — 5; **** Cities of raion subordinance — 6; * [[Selsovet]]s — 307. ==Demographics== {{see also|Hungarians in Ukraine}} [[File:Etnos0.gif|thumb|250px|Ethnic map of Zakarpattia Oblast in 2001. {{legend|#FFB6C1|[[Ukrainians]] (incl. [[Rusyns]])}} {{legend|#90EE90|[[Hungarian people|Hungarians]]}} {{legend|#FBEC5D|[[Romanians]]}} {{legend|#4682B4|mixed Ukrainians (incl. Rusyns) and Russians}} Note: The [[Roma minority in Ukraine|Roma]] are not represented in the map.]] According to the [[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]], the population of Zakarpattia Oblast is 1,254,614. The current estimated population is 1.2 million people (as of 2004). With the comparison of the last official Soviet Census of 1989 the total population grew by 0.7%. Although ethnic Ukrainians are in majority here (80.5%), other [[ethnic group]]s are relatively numerous in Zakarpattia. The largest of these are [[Hungarians]] (12.1%), [[Romanians]] (2.6%), [[Russians]] (2.5%), [[Roma minority in Ukraine|Roma]] (1.1%), [[Slovaks]] (0.5%) and [[Germans]] (0.3%). The Ukrainian government does not recognize the [[Rusyns|Rusyn]] people living in that country as a distinct nationality but rather as an ethnic group of Ukrainians. About 10,100 people (0.8%) identify themselves as Rusyns according to the last census. Out of 1,010,100 Ukrainians in the region, 99.2% (~1,002,019) acknowledged their native language, while about 0.5% (~5,051) consider their native language to be Russian. Out of 151,500 Hungarians, 97.1% (~147,107) acknowledged their native language, while about 2.6% (~3,939) consider their native language to be Ukrainian. Out of 32,100 Romanians, 99.1% (31,811) acknowledge their native language, while 0.6% (~193) consider their language Ukrainian. Out of 31,000 Russians, 91.6% (28,396) acknowledge their native language, while 8.1% (~2,511) consider their language Ukrainian. Out of 14,000 Romani peoples only 20.7% (2,898) acknowledge their native language, while 62.9% (~8,806) consider their language Ukrainian or Russian. Out of 5,600 Slovaks 43.9% (2,458) acknowledge their native language, while 42.1% (~2,358) consider their language Ukrainian. Out of 3,500 Germans, 50.0% (1,750) acknowledge their native language, while 38.9% (~1,362) consider their language Ukrainian. About 81% of the oblast population considers the [[Ukrainian language]] their native one, while 12.7% of population gives consideration to the [[Hungarian language]] and just over 5% considers either the [[Russian language|Russian]] or [[Romanian language]]s. The largest denomination is the [[Ruthenian Catholic Church]]; the oblast's territory forms the church's [[Eparchy of Mukachevo]]; with 380,000 faithful, it has a solid majority of the oblast's churchgoers. Other smaller groups include Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox, which are largely associated with minority groups; Roman Catholics and Protestants tend to be Hungarian or local Ukrainian, while the Eastern Orthodox are usually Romanians, Russians, or Ukrainians from further east. {| align="center" class="wikitable plainlinks TablePager" |+ ! |Nationality ! |Number ! |in 2001 (%) ! |in 1989 (%) ! |growth (%) |----- |[[Ukrainians]] |1,010,100 |80.5 |78.4 |'+3.4' |----- |[[Hungarians]] |151,500 |12.1 |12.5 |'-2.7' |----- |[[Romanians]] |32,100 |2.6 |2.4 |'+9.0' |----- |[[Russians]] |31,000 |2.5 |4.0 |'-37.3' |----- |[[Romani people|Roma]] |14,000 |1.1 |1.0 |'+15.4' |----- |[[Slovakians|Slovaks]] |5,600 |0.5 |0.6 |'-22.3' |----- |[[Germans]] |3,500 |0.3 |0.3 |'+3.0' |+ |} Their languages and culture are respected by the provision of education, clubs, etc. in their respective languages. Those who recognize Ukrainian as their native language total 81.0% of the population, [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] — 12.7%, [[Russian language|Russian]] — 2.9%, [[Romanian language|Romanian]] — 2.6%, and [[Rusyn language|Rusyn]] — 0.5% Residents in seven of [[Mukachivskyi Raion]]'s villages have the option to learn the Hungarian language in a school or home school environment. Zakarpattia is home to approximately 14,000 ethnic [[Romani people|Roma]] (otherwise known as Gypsies), the largest population of Roma in Ukraine. The first Hungarian College in Ukraine is in Berehovo, the [[II. Rákoczi Ferenc College]]. Beside the major ethnic groups Zakarpattia is home to several Ukrainian ethnic sub-groups such as [[Boykos]], [[Lemky]], [[Hutsuls]], and others. ==Economy== [[File:Ukraine-Solotvyno-Salt Mine.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[salt mine]] in the town of [[Solotvyno]].]] Situated in the [[Carpathian Mountains]], Zakarpattia Oblast's economy depends mostly on trans-[[border]] trade, vinery and [[forestry]]. The oblast is also home to a [[special economic zone]]. The oblast's main industry includes [[woodworking]]. Other industries include food, light industry, and mechanical engineering. Segment of foodstuffs in the structure of ware production of national consumption is 45%. The total number of large industrial organisations is 319, compared to 733 small industrial organisations. The most common crops grown within the region include [[cereal]]s, [[potato]]es and other vegetables. In 1999, the total amount of grain produced was 175,800 [[ton]]s, of sunflower seeds — 1,300 tons, and potatoes — 378,200 tons. The region also produced 76,100 tons of meat, 363,400 tons of milk and 241,900,000 [[egg (food)|egg]]s. The total amount of registered farms in the region was 1,400 in 1999. ===Wooden churches=== *Sredne Vodyane churches *Verkhnye Vodyane church *[[Danylovo]] church *[[Kolodne]] church *[[Krainykovo]] church *Nyzhnie Selyshche church *[[Olexandrivka]] church *[[Sokyrnytsia]] church ==See also== * [[Administrative divisions of Ukraine]] * [[Carpathian Ruthenia]], small historical region * [[Carpatho-Ukraine]], a short-lived Ukrainian state on the territory * [[Ruthenians and Ukrainians in Czechoslovakia (1918-1938)|Ruthenians and Ukrainians in Czechoslovakia]] * [[Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, Uzhhorod|Museum of Folk Architecture and Life]], museum displaying Zakarpattia architecture ==External links== {{Commons category|Zakarpattia Oblast}} {{Geographic Location (8-way) | Northwest = {{SVK}}
[[Prešov Region]] | North = {{POL}}
[[Podkarpackie Voivodeship]] | Northeast = [[Lviv Oblast]] / [[Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast]] | West = {{SVK}}
[[Košice Region]] | Centre = Zakarpattia | East = [[Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast]] | Southwest = {{HUN}}
[[Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County]] / [[Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County]] | South = {{ROM}}
[[Satu Mare County]] | Southeast = {{ROM}}
[[Maramureș County]]}} {{Zakarpattia Oblast}} {{Administrative divisions of Ukraine}} {{Czechoslovakia timeline|state=collapsed}} {{coord missing|Ukraine}}