Khmelnytskyi Oblast (), also known as Khmelnychchyna (), is an oblast (province) in western Ukraine covering portions of the historical regions of western Podolia and southern Volhynia. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Khmelnytskyi.
The current estimated population is around
Created in 1937 out of border okrugs of Vinnytsia Oblast, in 1941–44 it was under Nazi Germany occupation and part of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Wolhynien und Podolien general district). Following the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket in spring of 1944 as part of the Proskurov-Chernovtsy operation, Soviet troops removed the German occupation in the region. Until 4 February 1954 it was called Kamianets-Podilsky Oblast () and was centered in Kamianets-Podilsky until 1941. The region rebranding took place after the official renaming of the region's administrative center to Khmelnytskyi.
Geography
Khmelnytskyi Oblast has a total area of (3.4% of the total area of Ukraine) and is located between 48°27' and 50°37' north latitude and between 26°09' and 27°56' east longitude. It is long when measured from north to south, and is in length when measured from east to west. It is associated with a historical region of Podolia, yet in reality its territory is split almost in half, the northern in Volhynia, and the southern in Podolia. Its Volhynian region contains smaller cities like Izyaslav, Starokostiantyniv, Shepetivka, while its Podolian portion more developed cities of Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi.
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.
Elevations
The Podolian Upland (270–370 meters above sea-level) occupies the central area of the Khmelnytska oblast. The northwestern areas of the oblast are part of the Volyn highland (highest point — 329 m above sea-level), while to the north, the oblast claims a part of the historic region of Polissia (highest point — 200–250 m above sea-level). The southwestern territory of the Khmelnytska oblast is crossed by the Tovtry range (, translit. Tovtryi kryazh), which includes Mount Velyka Buhaikha (), the highest point of the oblast at 409 m above sea-level. The extreme south of the oblast has a surface with 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 or more in the Khmelnytska oblast. The largest of these are the Dniester River (which flows for within the oblast), as well as its tributaries: Smotrych, Ushytsia, and the Zbruch — and the Southern Buh River (which flows for within the oblast), as well as its tributaries: Buzhok, Ikva, and Vovk. The rivers of the Dnieper River's basin — Horyn, Khmora, and Sluch Rivers also run through the oblast. The oblast's 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 Shchedrivske (with a surface area of ), Novostavske (with a surface area of ), and Kuzmynske (with a surface area of ).
History
Historic administrative affiliation of the area: 1937-1941: USSR, Ukrainian SSR 1944-1991: USSR, Ukrainian SSR since 1991: Ukraine: Khmelnytskyi region
Khmelnytskyi Oblast was created on September 22, 1937 as the Kamianets-Podilskyi Oblast (, translit., Kamyanets-Podil'ska oblast’) out of border okrugs (Prokuriv and Kamianets-Podilskyi) of the Vinnytsia Oblast.
In March 1941 the administrative center of the oblast was moved from Kamianets-Podilskyi to the city of Proskuriv. During the World War II the territory was part of another administrative division (General District Wolhynien und Podolien, see Reichskommissariat Ukraine), but after liberation from the Nazi Germany, Khmelnytskyi Oblast was reinstated in its original borders. In 1954, Proskuriv was renamed Khmelnytskyi, and soon afterward, the oblast was renamed to Khmelnytskyi Oblast (, translit., Khmel'nytska oblast’).
Administrative divisions
The oblast is subdivided into 3 raions (administrative districts). It consists of 6 municipalities, 13 cities, 24 towns, and more than 1,417 villages.
The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of Kyiv Oblast:
