Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Khmelnytskyi Oblast () is an
oblast (province) of western
Ukraine. The
administrative center of the oblast is the city of
Kmelnytskyi.
The current estimated population is around 1,401,140 (as of
2004).
The Khmelnytskyi Oblast is located between 48°27' and 50°37' north latitude and between 26°09' and 27°56' east longitude. It is is 220 km long when measured from north to south, and is 120 km 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.
The area of the oblast is 20,600 km
2, or 3.4% of the total area of Ukraine.
Elevations
The
Podillya highland (270â€"370 m 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 â€" 329 m above sea-level), while to the north, the oblast claims a part of the historic region of
Polissya (highest point â€" 200â€"250 m above sea-level). The southwestern territory of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast is crossed by the
Tovtry range (,
translit. Tovtryi kryazh), which includes Mount
Velyka Buhaikha (), 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 or more in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast. The largest of these are the
Dniester River (which flows for 160 km within the oblast), as well as its
tributaries -
Smotrych,
Ushytsya, and
Zbruch - and the
Southern Buh River (which flows for 120 km within the oblast), as well as its tributaries -
Buzhok,
Ikva, and
Vovk. The rivers of the Dnieper River's basin -
Horyn,
Khomora, and
Sluch - also run through the oblast. 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
Shchedrivs'ke (with an surface area of 12.58 km²),
Novostavs'ke (with an surface area of 11.68 km²), and
Kuz'myns'ke (with an surface area of 7.65 km²).
The Khmelnytskyi Oblast was created on
September 22,
1937 as the
Kamianets-Podilskyi Oblast (,
translit.,
Kamyanets-Podil'ska oblast'). In
1954, it was renamed the Khmelnytskyi Oblast when its
administrative center was moved from the city of
Kamianets-Podilskyi to the city of
Kmelnytskyi.
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 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.
The Khmelnytskyi Oblast is divided into 20
raions and 6 municipalities. There are 13
cities, 24
towns and 1,417 villages in the oblast.
Raions
Municipalities
*
Kamianets-Podilskyi*
Khmelnytskyi*
Netishyn*
Shepetivka*
Slavuta*
StarokostiantynivUrban localities
Cities
Towns
Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their
capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers" (,
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' (Khmelnytskyi Oblast).
*
Subdivisions of Ukraine
