Regions of Belarus

Last updated
Regions of Belarus
Belarus, administrative divisions - en - colored.png
CategoryFirst-level subdivision of a unitary state
Location Belarus
Created
  • 1960
Number6 Regions
1 Capital City
Populations(Regions only): 1,018,000 (Mogilev) – 1,987,000 (Minsk)
Areas(provinces only): 25,118.1 km2 (9,698.14 sq mi) (Grodno) – 40,361.6 km2 (15,583.72 sq mi) (Gomel)
Government
  • province government
Subdivisions

At the top level of administration, Belarus is divided into six regions and one capital city. The six regions are oblasts (also known as voblastsi), while the city of Minsk has a special status as the capital of Belarus. [1] Minsk also serves as the administrative center of Minsk Region. [2]

Contents

At the second level, the regions are divided into districts (raions).

The layout and extent of the regions were set in 1960 when Belarus (then the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. [3]

History

At the start of the 20th century, the boundaries of the Belarusian lands within the Russian Empire were still being defined. In 1900 it was contained within all of the Minsk and Mogilev governorates, most of Grodno Governorate, parts of Vitebsk Governorate, and parts of Vilna Governorate. [3] World War I, the independence of Poland, as well as the 1920-1921 Polish–Soviet War affected the boundaries. In 1921, Belarus had what is now all of Minsk Governorate except for the western fringe, the western part of Gomel Region, a western slice of Mogilev, and a small part of Vitebsk Region. In 1926, the eastern part of Gomel region was added. [3]

In the Byelorussian SSR, new administrative units, called oblasts or voblastsi [4] (cognate of Russian word oblast with prothetic v-) were introduced in 1938. During World War II, Belarus gained territory to the west, with the Baranavichy, Belastok (Białystok), Brest, Pinsk, and Vileyka oblasts. In 1944, Belastok was eliminated and the new oblasts of Babruysk, Grodno, and Polotsk were created. At that same time, Vileika oblast was renamed Molodechno Oblast. [3]

At different times between 1938 and 1960, the following oblasts existed:

Regions

Regions of Belarus
FlagRegionCapitalRussianBelarusianPopulation
(2022) [5]
Area
(km2)
Density % of
population
GDP [6] Average monthly gross wage [7]
1 Flag of Minsk, Belarus.svg МинскМінск1,987,000305.506,606.4821.44%US$ 22.6 billionUS$ 1,040
2 Flag of Brest Voblast, Belarus.svg Brest Brest БрестскаяБрэсцкая1,356,00032,790.6841.1114.32%US$ 8.4 billionUS$ 618
3 Flag of Homyel Voblast.svg Gomel Gomel ГомельскаяГомельская1,380,00040,361.6634.4014.75%US$ 8.8 billionUS$ 601
4 Flag of Hrodna Voblasts.svg Grodno Grodno ГродненскаяГродзенская1,037,00025,118.0740.8810.91%US$ 8.1 billionUS$ 604
5 Flag of Mahilyow Voblast.svg Mogilev Mogilev МогилёвскаяМагілёўская1,018,00029,079.0135.2410.89%US$ 5.7 billionUS$ 553
6 Flag of Minsk Voblast.svg Minsk Minsk МинскаяМінская1,464,00039,912.3536.8615.63%US$ 14.1 billionUS$ 686
7 Flag of Vitsebsk Voblasts.svg Vitebsk Vitebsk ВитебскаяВiцебская1,128,00040,049.9928.3612.06%US$ 6.8 billionUS$ 568
Belarus Minsk Беларусь9,370,000207,617.2645.34100.00%US$ 74.5 billionUS$ 693

Historical division

Administrative division of Belarusian SSR by year
Okruga Belorusskoi SSR.png
1926
Prigranichnye okruga Belorusskoi SSR (1927).svg
1927
Administratsyina-terytaryial'ny padzel BSSR. 1940.svg
1940
Administrativnoe delenie BSSR (1945).svg
1945
Administrativnoe delenie BSSR (1955).svg
1955

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic</span> Republic of the Soviet Union

The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Byelorussia, Soviet Belarus, or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1991 as one of fifteen constituent republics of the USSR, with its own legislation from 1990 to 1991. The republic was ruled by the Communist Party of Byelorussia and was also referred to as Soviet Byelorussia or Soviet Belarus by a number of historians. Other names for Byelorussia included White Russia or White Russian Soviet Socialist Republic and Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitebsk Region</span> Region of Belarus

Vitebsk Region or Viciebsk Region, also known as Vitebsk Oblast or Vitsyebsk Voblasts, is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center is Vitebsk. It is located near the border with Russia.

The uses of heraldry in Belarus is used by government bodies, subdivisions of the national government, organizations, corporations and by families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baranavichy Region</span> Region of the Byelorussian SSR

Baranavichy Region, Baranavichy Voblasts, or Baranovichi Oblast was a region (voblasts) of the Byelorussian SSR created after the annexation of Western Belorussia into the Byelorussian SSR in November 1939. The administrative centre of the region was the city of Baranavichy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vileyka Region</span> Former territorial entity in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic

Vileyka Region was a territorial entity in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic created on 4 December 1939 out of the eastern powiats of the Wilno Voivodeship after the Soviet annexation of Western Belorussia of into the Byelorussian SSR on 14 November 1939. The administrative centre of the region was the city of Vileyka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molodechno Region</span> Former region of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

Molodechno Region, also known as Maladzyechna Region or Molodechno Oblast, was a region (voblasts) of the Byelorussian SSR, the first-level administration division in the republic. Initially the region was formed on 4 December 1939, following the annexation of Western Belorussia into the Byelorussian SSR from the Second Polish Republic, as Vileyka Region. However, after the liberation of Byelorussia by the Red Army in July 1944, most of the pre-war civil administration was not possible for a number of reasons, one of which was that the city of Vileyka was heavily damaged during the war, and the transportation links between it and the rest of the region were too.

2007–08 Belarusian Cup was the 17th edition of the football knock-out competition in Belarus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roads in Belarus</span> Overview of roads in Belarus

Automobile roads in Belarus are classified into several categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarusian Railway</span> State-owned railway company in Belarus

Belarusian Railway (BCh) is the national state-owned railway company of Belarus. It operates all of the rail transport network in Belarus. As of 2005, the railway employs 112,173 people.

1998 Belarusian First League was the eighth season of 2nd level football championship in Belarus. It started in April and ended in November 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siarhei Prytytski</span> Polish-born Soviet Belarusian politician and partisan commander (1913–1971)

Siarhei Vosipavich Prytytski was a Belarusian Soviet communist activist, politician, and partisan commander. Having started as a communist activist in Western Belarus, after the Soviet invasion of Poland he became a high-ranking politician in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klichaw</span> Town in Mogilev Region, Belarus

Klichaw is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It is located in the southwest of the region and serves as the administrative center of Klichaw District. In 2009, its population was 7,521. As of 2023, it has a population of 7,321.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Minsk (Belarusian Orthodox Church)</span> Eparchy of the Belarusian Orthodox Church

The Diocese of Minsk is an eparchy of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, which is an exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Championship of the Belarusian SSR in football – First League was a top competition of association football in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1922-91.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksey Kleshchev</span> Soviet Belarusian military commander and politician

Aleksey Yefimovich Kleshchev was a Belarusian general and politician. He served as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic from 17 March 1948 to 24 July 1953. Kleschchov led partisans in Pinsk as a major general during World War II, for which he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He was a member of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan from 1955 until 1960. He was deputy member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. From 1927 to 1929, he served in the Red Army. He was born in Minsk Governorate and died in Moscow on 13 December 1968, aged 63. He was decorated as the Order of the Red Banner.

2021–22 Belarusian Cup was the thirty first season of the Belarusian annual cup competition. Contrary to the league season, it is conducted in a fall-spring rhythm. It started in May 2021 and ended with a final match on 21 May 2022. The winner of the cup, Gomel, qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

2022–23 Belarusian Cup, known as the Parimatch-Belarus Cup for sponsorship purposes, was the thirty second season of the Belarusian annual cup competition. Contrary to the league season, it is conducted in a fall-spring rhythm. It started on 29 April 2022 and ended with a final match in May 2023. The winner of the cup, Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino, qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League.

References

  1. Belarus Regions
  2. Minsk summary, at the website of the Belarus embassy in Russia.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Regions of Belarus". Statoids.
  4. "Belarus: Government and society". Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  5. Official 2022 census results
  6. "Gross domestic product and gross regional product by regions and Minsk city in 2023". www.belstat.gov.by.
  7. "News". www.myfin.by.