Shemakha Governorate Шемахинская губерния | |
---|---|
Country | Russian Empire |
Viceroyalty | Caucasus |
Established | 1846 |
Abolished | 1859 |
Capital | Shemakha (present-day Shamakhi) |
Area | |
• Total | 57,444 km2 (22,179 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 4,466 m (14,652 ft) |
Population (1851) | |
• Total | 603,006 |
• Density | 10/km2 (27/sq mi) |
Preceded by | Caspian Oblast |
Succeeded by | Baku Governorate |
The Shemakha Governorate [lower-alpha 1] was a province ( guberniya ) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its administrative center in the city of Shemakha (present-day Shamakhi). Following the earthquake of 1859, the capital was transferred and the province became known as the Baku Governorate.
The governorate was formed by the imperial decree of Tsar Nicholas I on 26 December [ O.S. 14 December] 1846, whereby the Caucasus Viceroyalty was divided into four governorates: Shemakha, Tiflis, Kutaisi and Derbent. [1]
Following the catastrophic 1859 Shamakhi earthquake, the capital of the governorate was transferred from Shemakha to the fast-growing city of Baku, for-which the governorate's name was changed accordingly. [1] [2]
Shemakha Governorate consisted of five counties ( uezds ). According to the IX Census of Russia in 1851, the population of the governorate consisted of 319,923 men and 283,083 women, in total 603,006 people. [3] Data on the total population were provided by the Transcaucasian Office of the Imperial Ministry of Finance. It was not possible to determine the exact number of women in each uezd:[ citation needed ]
District | Russian name | Male population |
---|---|---|
Baku | Бакинскій уѣздъ | 22,380 |
Shemakha | Шемахинскій уѣздъ | 82,989 |
Lenkoran | Ленкоранскій уѣздъ | 43,198 |
Nukha | Нухинскій уѣздъ | 65,952 |
Shusha | Шушинскій уѣздъ | 105,404 |
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The Kuba uezd was a county (uezd) within the Baku Governorate of Russian Empire and then of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and Azerbaijan SSR until its formal abolition in 1929 by Soviet authorities. The uezd was located in northern part of the Baku Governorate, bordering Caspian sea to the east, Elizavetpol Governorate to the west, Dagestan Oblast to the north, the Geokchay, Shemakha, and Baku uezds to the south. The administrative center of the uezd was the city of Kuba.
The 1902 Shamakhi earthquake occurred on 13 February with a surface-wave magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum felt Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Up to 2,000 people died and thousands more were injured in the Shemakha uezd within the Baku Governorate of the Russian Empire. About 7,439 buildings were damaged or destroyed in the city and surrounding villages. Shamakhi had been devastated by earlier earthquakes in 1806, 1859 and 1872. It is one of the most destructive earthquakes in Azerbaijan.