Cherkasy
Cherkasy Oblast (Ukrainian: Черкаська область, translit. Cherkas’ka oblast’; also referred to as Cherkashchyna - Ukrainian: Черкащина) is an oblast (province) of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Cherkasy).
Geography
With 20,900 km², the Cherkasy oblast is the 18th largest oblast of Ukraine, comprising about 3.5% of the area of the country. The south flowing Dnieper River with the hilly western bank and the plain eastern bank divides the oblast into two unequal parts. The larger western part belongs to the Dnieper Upland. The low-lying eastern part of the oblast' used to be subject to the frequent Dnieper flooding before the flow of the river became controlled by multiple dams of Hydroelectric Power Plants constructed along the river in the 20th century.
The oblast extends for 245km from south-west to north-east, and for 150km from north to south. The northern-most point of the oblast is located is near the village of Kononivka in the Drabivsky Raion (district), the southern-most point near the village of Kolodyste in the Talnivsky Raion, the western-most point near the village of Korytnya in the Zhashkivsky Raion, and the eastern-most point near the village of Stetsivka in the Chyhyrynsky Raion. The geometric centre of the oblast is located near the village Zhuravky of the Horodyshchensky Raion. The oblast borders the Kiev Oblast to the north, the Kirovohrad Oblast to the south, the Poltava Oblast to the east, and the Vinnytsya Oblast to the south.
The oblast has 14 large cities, 19 towns (selysche mis'koho typu), and 838 villages.
History
The Cherkasy Oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on January 7, 1954. The oblast's territory was comprised of the major cities of Cherkasy, Smila and Uman, their correspoding raions (districts), as well as 30 former raions of the Vinnytsia, Kiev, Kirovohrad and Poltava Oblasts.
Population
The current estimated population is 1,367,685 (as of 2005).
According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, the oblast's population is almost equally divided between the urban and rural areas (53.7% and 46.3%, respectively)[1]. The demographic situation in this largely agricultural territory is somewhat complicated by population ageing[2].
By ethnic composition, Ukrainians represent the overwhelming majority of the oblast's population (93.6%)[3]. Ethnic Russians are the distant second group of population (5.4%), and are concentrated mainly in the city of Cherkasy.
The oblast is primarily Ukrainophone.
Economy
The economy of the Cherkasy Oblast is largely dominated by agriculture. While the winter wheat and sugar beets are the main products grown in the oblast, barley, corn, tobacco and hemp are also grown. Cattle breeding is also important.
The industry is mainly concentrated in Cherkasy, the oblast's capital and the largest city. A chemical industry was developed in the city in late 1960s in addition to machine building, furniture making and agricultural processing.
Geography
With 20,900 km², the Cherkasy oblast is the 18th largest oblast of Ukraine, comprising about 3.5% of the area of the country. The south flowing Dnieper River with the hilly western bank and the plain eastern bank divides the oblast into two unequal parts. The larger western part belongs to the Dnieper Upland. The low-lying eastern part of the oblast' used to be subject to the frequent Dnieper flooding before the flow of the river became controlled by multiple dams of Hydroelectric Power Plants constructed along the river in the 20th century.
The oblast extends for 245km from south-west to north-east, and for 150km from north to south. The northern-most point of the oblast is located is near the village of Kononivka in the Drabivsky Raion (district), the southern-most point near the village of Kolodyste in the Talnivsky Raion, the western-most point near the village of Korytnya in the Zhashkivsky Raion, and the eastern-most point near the village of Stetsivka in the Chyhyrynsky Raion. The geometric centre of the oblast is located near the village Zhuravky of the Horodyshchensky Raion. The oblast borders the Kiev Oblast to the north, the Kirovohrad Oblast to the south, the Poltava Oblast to the east, and the Vinnytsya Oblast to the south.
The oblast has 14 large cities, 19 towns (selysche mis'koho typu), and 838 villages.
History
The Cherkasy Oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on January 7, 1954. The oblast's territory was comprised of the major cities of Cherkasy, Smila and Uman, their correspoding raions (districts), as well as 30 former raions of the Vinnytsia, Kiev, Kirovohrad and Poltava Oblasts.
Population
The current estimated population is 1,367,685 (as of 2005).
According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, the oblast's population is almost equally divided between the urban and rural areas (53.7% and 46.3%, respectively)[1]. The demographic situation in this largely agricultural territory is somewhat complicated by population ageing[2].
By ethnic composition, Ukrainians represent the overwhelming majority of the oblast's population (93.6%)[3]. Ethnic Russians are the distant second group of population (5.4%), and are concentrated mainly in the city of Cherkasy.
The oblast is primarily Ukrainophone.
Economy
The economy of the Cherkasy Oblast is largely dominated by agriculture. While the winter wheat and sugar beets are the main products grown in the oblast, barley, corn, tobacco and hemp are also grown. Cattle breeding is also important.
The industry is mainly concentrated in Cherkasy, the oblast's capital and the largest city. A chemical industry was developed in the city in late 1960s in addition to machine building, furniture making and agricultural processing.
