Raion
See rayon for the textile.A
raion (or
rayon) (;
Belarusian раён;
Azeri: rayon,
Latvian: rajons) is one of two kinds of administrative subdivisions in languages of some
post-Soviet states: a
subnational entity and a subdivision of a city. In these senses the term is almost always translated as "
district".
Raion is a subnational entity of
Azerbaijan,
Belarus,
Georgia,
Latvia,
Moldova, the
Russian Federation,
Ukraine, and the former
Soviet Union. As an administrative subdivision, the term was introduced by the Soviet administrative reform of
1923"
1929 that transformed many former
volosts and
uyezds of the
Russian Empire into raions.
A raion is usually an entity two steps below the national level. It can be a subordinate part:
* of a
voblasts' (in Belarus);
* of an
oblast,
krai,
autonomous republic,
autonomous district, or big
city (in
Russia);
* of a small
Soviet republic (SSR), oblast, krai, republic, or a big city of a large SSR (in the now-defunct Soviet Union);
* of an
oblast, a big city, or the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea (in Ukraine).
Typically, raions have some degree of self-governance in the form of a popularly elected
district council (
Raysovet) and the local head of administration, sometimes elected and sometimes appointed.
Subdivision into raions largely remained after the
collapse of the Soviet Union. However in many places the terminology changed, to reflect national specifics (the list may be incomplete):
*
Republic of Karelia"raions coexist with
volosts (волости). Both types are considered to be on the same administrative level.
*
Sakha (Yakutia) Republic"ulus (улус).
*
Tuva Republic"kozhuun (кожуун).
*
Subdivisions of Russia*
Subdivisions of Ukraine**
Subdivisions of Kiev*
Subdivisions of Belarus*
Subdivisions of Azerbaijan*
Districts of Latvia
