Oblasts of Ukraine

Oblasts Of Ukraine

Ukraine is subdivided into 24 administrative oblasts (Ukrainian: область). Ukraine is a unitary state, thus, the provinces do not have much legal scope of competence other than that which is established in the Ukrainian Constitution and by law. Articles 140-146 of Chapter XI of the constitution deal directly with local authorities and their competency.

Although Ukraine is a unitary and indivisible state, political and social divisions exist between the northern and western and the southern and eastern portions of the country. This stems from the fact that the western oblasts were only annexed to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, a constituent country of the Soviet Union in 1939-1940, whereas the rest of the country was under Soviet Ukrainian control since its inception in 1919.

Along with the 24 oblasts, Ukraine also is subdivided into one autonomous republic (Crimea) and two cities with special status (Kiev, the capital, and Sevastopol, located on the Crimean peninsula, although politically separate from the autonomous republic itself). Each of these regions, as are the oblasts, are further subdivided into raions (districts), ranging in number from 11 to 27 per region (Kiev is divided into 10, while Sevastopol only has four).