Kherson Oblast

Kherson Oblast Херсонська область Khersons’ka oblast’
Oblast
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Херсонщина (Khersonshchyna)
Country	Ukraine
Administrative center	Kherson
Government
• Governor	Andriy Putilov (UDAR)
• Chairperson	Andriy Putilov (UDAR)
Area
• Total	28,461 km2 (10,989 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Total	1,083,367
• Rank	Ranked 22nd
• Density	38/km2 (99/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Area code	+380-55
ISO 3166 code	UA-65
Vehicle registration	ВT
Raions	18
Cities (total) — Regional cities	9 3
Urban-type settlements	30
Villages	658
FIPS 10-4	UP08
Website	www.oda.kherson.ua

Kherson Oblast (Ukrainian: Херсонська область, translit. Khersons’ka oblast’; also referred to as Khersonshchyna – Ukrainian: Херсонщина) is an oblast (province) in southern Ukraine, just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson. The area of the region is 28,461 km², its population (as of 1 January 2012) is 1,083,367.

Important cities in the oblast include:

• Kherson (capital)
• Kakhovka
• Nova Kakhovka

Geography

The Kherson Oblast is bordered by the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the north, the Black Sea and the disputed region of Crimea on the south, the Mykolayiv Oblast on the west, and the Azov Sea and the Zaporizhzhia Oblast on the east.

The Dnieper River runs through the oblast which includes the Kakhovka Reservoir.

The oblast includes (within Henichesk Raion) the northern portion of the Arabat Spit, a thin strip of land between the brackish Syvash and the Sea of Azov that is geographically part of the Crimean Peninsula. Due to Russia gaining de-facto control of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014 the southern areas of Kherson are the only parts of the Crimean Peninsula under direct Ukrainian control.

Administrative divisions

The Kherson Oblast is administratively subdivided into 18 raions (districts) and 4 municipalities which are directly subordinate to the oblast government - Kherson (administrative center of the oblast), Nova Kakhovka, Kakhovka and Hola Prystan. The Kherson municipality is subdivided into 3 urban districts.

Name	Ukrainian name	Area (km2)	Population census 2001	Population estimate 1 Jan 2012	Admin.center	Urban Population Only*
Khersonsky Rayon	Херсоний (район)	423	367,188	388,685	Kherson (municipality)	351,000
Nova Kakhovsky Rayon	Нова Каховський (район)	223	74,599	69,541	Nova Kakhovka + Tavriisk (municipality)	67,100
Kakhovsky Raion	Каховський (район)	1,451	40,104	36,367	Kakhovka (municipality)	33,000
Beryslavsky Raion	Бериславський (район)	1,721	55,915	49,215	Beryslav	13,457
Bilozersky Raion	Білозерський (район)	1,534	68,382	67,211	Bilozerka	16,101
Chaplynsky Raion	Чаплинський (район)	1,722	40,194	35,982	Chaplynka	10,543
Henichesky Raion	Генічеський (район)	3,008	66,291	61,352	Henichesk	25,633
Holoprystansky Raion	Голопристанський (район)	3,411	64,785	61,605	Hola Prystan (municipality)	16,102
Hornostaïvsky Raion	Горностаївський (район)	1,018	21,942	20,092	Hornostaivka
Ivanivsky Raion	Іванівський (район)	1,120	17,944	14,650	Ivanivka
Kalanchatsky Raion	Каланчацький (район)	916	25,748	22,218	Kalanchak	10,673
Novotroïtsky Raion	Новотроїцький (район)	2,298	43,026	37,155	Novotroitske	10,824
Novovorontsovsky Raion	Нововоронцовський (район)	1,005	24,595	22,056	Novovorontsovka
Nyzhn'osirohozky Raion	Нижньосірогозький (район)	1,209	19,697	16,591	Nyzhni Sirohozy
Skadovsky Raion	Скадовський (район)	1,456	50,107	48,656	Skadovsk	19,404
Tsiurupynsky Raion	Цюрупинський (район)	1,759	72,264	72,441	Tsiurupynsk	30,300
Velykolepetysky Raion	Великолепетиський (район)	1,000	20,660	17,489	Velyka Lepetykha
Velykooleksandrivsky Raion	Великоолександрівський (район)	1,540	31,233	26,739	Velyka Oleksandrivka
Verkhn'orohachytsky Raion	Верхньорогачицький (район)	915	14,290	12,549	Verkhnii Rohachyk
Vysokopil'sky Raion	Високопільський (район)	701	17,920	15,394	Vysokopillia

At a lower level of administration, these district-level administrations are subdivided into:

• Settlements – 697, including:
  • Villages – 658;
  • Cities/Towns – 36, including:
    • Cities of raion subordinance – 6 (Beryslav, Henichesk, Hola Prystan, Skadovsk, Tavriisk and Tsiurupynsk);
    • Urban-type settlement – 30;
• Selsovets – 260.

The local administration of the oblast' is controlled by the Kherson Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast is the Kherson Oblast Rada speaker, appointed by the President of Ukraine.

Kherson Oblast State Administration

Demographics

The population of the oblast is 1,083,367 (2012), which is 2.4% of the total population of Ukraine. It is also ranked 21st by its population. The population density is 38 per km².

About 61.5% or 745,400 people live in urban areas of the Oblast and 38.5% or 467,600 people live in agricultural centers/villages. Men make up 46.7% or 565,400 people of the population, women make up 53.3% or 644,600 people, and pensioners make up 26.2% or 317,400 people of the Oblast population.

Ukrainian National Census (2001):

• Ukrainians – 82.0%
• Russians – 14.1%
• Belarusians – 0.7%
• Crimean Tatars – 0.5%
• Others – 2.7%

Age structure

0-14 years: 15.1% (male 83,397/female 79,303)

15-64 years: 70.5% (male 364,907/female 393,933)

65 years and over: 14.4% (male 50,404/female 104,856) (2013 official)

Median age

total: 39.5 years

male: 36.2 years

female: 42.7 years (2013 official)

Attractions

Typical agricultural landscape of Ukraine, Kherson Oblast

• Askania-Nova
• Legendary tachanka monument
• Kurhan cemetery
• Shovkunek Art museum
• Saint-Yekaterynian Temple

Public opinion

During the 1991 referendum, 90.13% of votes in Kherson Oblast were in favor of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. A survey conducted in December 2014 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 1% of the oblast's population supported their region joining Russia, 94.9% did not support the idea, and the rest were undecided or did not respond.

See also

• Subdivisions of Ukraine
• Kherson Governorate

External links

• Portal of Kherson
• Site of Kherson nationalists
• State Administration of Kherson Region – official site (Ukrainian)
• Information Card of the Region – official site of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine