Lviv Oblast

Lviv Oblast (Ukrainian: Львівська область, translit. L’vivs’ka oblast’; an aa referred tae as L’vivshchina – Ukrainian: Львівщина) is an oblast (province) in wastren Ukraine. The admeenistrative centre o the oblast is the ceety o Lviv. History The oblast wis creatit as pairt o the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939. The territory o the umwhile Drohobych Oblast wis incorporatit intae the Lviv Oblast in 1959. The oblast's strategic poseetion at the hert o central Europe an as the gateway tae the Carpathians haes caused it tae chynge haunds mony times ower the centuries. It wis ruled variously bi Great Moravie, Kievan Rus', Poland an bi ane o Kievan Rus' successors, the state o Galicia-Volhynie (circa 1200 tae 1340), then bi the Pols-Lithuanie Commonwalth (1340 tae 1772), the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1772 tae 1918), an Poland (1918 tae 1939), when it wis pairt o the Lwów Voivodship o the Seicont Republic o Poland. The region's historically dominant Ukrainian population declared the aurie tae be a pairt o an independent Wast Ukrainian Naitional Republic in 1918, but this endured anerlie briefly. Local autonomy wis providit in internaitional treaties but later on those wur no honoured bi the Pols govrenment an the aurie experienced hintle ethnic tension atween the Pols an Ukrainian population. The region an its caipital ceety tak thair name frae the time o Galicie-Volhynie, when Daniel o Galicie, the Keeng o Rus' foondit Lviv, namin the ceety efter his son, Leo. Durin this time, the general region aroond Lviv wis kent as Red Ruthenie (Cherven' Rus'). The region anerlie became pairt o the Soviet Union unner the terms o the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939, when it wis annexed tae the Ukrainian SSR. It wis occupeed bi Nazi Germany frae 1941 tae 1944 an remained in Soviet haunds efter Warld War II as wis arranged durin the Teheran an Yalta conferences. Gien its historical development, Lviv Oblast is ane o the least Roushifeed an Sovietized pairts o Ukraine, wi hintle o its Habsburg heritage still visible the day. Geography The terrain o Lviv Oblast is heichly varied. The soothren pairt is occupeed bi the law Beskyd (ukr: Бескиди) muntain chains runnin parallel tae ilk ither frae northwast tae sootheast an covered wi seicontary coniferous forests as pairt o the Eastren Carpathians; the heichest pynt is Pikuy (1408 m). North frae thare are the wide upper Dniester river valley an hintle smawer upper San River valley. Thir rivers hae flat bottoms covered wi alluvial deposits, an are susceptible tae fluids. Atween thir valleys an Beskyd lees the Precarpathian upland covered wi deciduous forests, wi well-kent mineral spa resorts (see Truskavets, Morshyn). It's an aa the aurie o ane o the earliest industrial petroleum an gas extraction. Thir deposits are aw but depletit bi nou. In the central pairt o the region lie Roztocze, Opillia, an pairt o the Podolie uplands. Rich sulphur deposits wur mined here durin the Soviet era. Roztocze is densely forestit, while Opillia an Podolia (bein covered wi loess on which fertile soils develop) are densely populatit an maistly covered bi arable land. In the central-north pairt o the region lies the Sma Polesia lawland, geographically isolatit frae the rest o Polesie but wi seemilar terrain an landscapes (flat plains wi sandy fluvioglacial deposits an pine forests). The far North o the region lies on the Volhynia upland, which is an aa covered wi loess; coal is mined in this aurie. Climate The climate o Lviv Oblast is moderately ceul an humid. The average Januar temperaturs range frae −7 °C (19 °F) in the Carpathie Muntains tae −3 °C (27 °F) in the Dniester an San River valleys while in Julie the average temperaturs are frae 14–15 °C (57–59 °F) in the Carpathians tae 16–17 °C (61–63 °F) in Roztocze an 19 °C (66 °F) in the lawer pairt o the Dniester valley. The average annual precipitation is 600–650 mm (23.62–25.59 in) in the lawlands, 650–750 mm (25.59–29.53 in) in the heichlands an up tae 1,000 mm (39.37 in) in the Carpathians, wi the majority o precipitation occurrin in simmer. Prolanged drochts are uncommon, while strang rainfaws can cause fluids in river valleys. Severe winds durin storms can an aa cause damage, especially in the heichlands. The climate is favourable for the cultivation o sugar beets, winter wheat, flax, rye, cabbitch, aiples, an for dairy fermin. It is still too cauld tae successfully cultivate maize, sunflouer, grapes, melon, watermelon or peaches in Lviv Oblast. In the Carpathians conditions are favourable for Alpine skiin 3–4 month a year. Politics Govrenors Chairmen o the Executive Committee Representative o the Preses Heids o the Admeenistration Subdiveesions The Lviv Oblast is admeenistratively subdividit intae 20 raions (destricts), as well as 9 ceety (municipalities) which are directly subordinate tae the oblast govrenment: Boryslav, Chervonohrad, Drohobych, Morshyn, Novyi Rozdil, Sambir, Stryi, Truskavets, an the admeenistrative centre o the oblast, Lviv. Demographics Male/female ratio: 48%/52% Naitionalities: 94.8% o region's population are Ukrainians; 92,600 fowk are Roushies (3.6%); Poles accoont for 0.7%; thare are an aa smawer German, Jewish, an Gypsy minorities.[1] Archived 2010-09-26 at the Wayback Machine Releegion Fifty-sax percent o the releegious organisations active in the Lviv Oblast adhere tae the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Kirk. The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Kirk is the seicont lairgest releegious body. The follaers o the Roman Catholic Kirk an the Ukrainian Orthodox Kirk (Moscow Patriairchate) are maistly frae the Pols, an Roushie or non-Galician Ukrainian minorities respectively. Historical an cultural steids The ceety o Lviv contains a well-preserved main square (Rynok) an numerous historical an bonnie kirks. Ither steids o interest are the historic Lychakivskiy Cemetery, the local museum o folklore, an the ruins o the famous Vysokyi Zamok. The name o the castle is tichtly teed wi the name o the ceety. Thare is an aa a museum o military airtifacts, the "Arsenal". Well-preserved local widden kirks, castles, an monasteries can be foond throughoot the Oblast. Ane o them is the Olesko Castle which is first remembered in 1327. Anither castle that wis biggit at the end o the 15t century is Svirzh Castle in the veelage o Svirzh, Peremeshliany Raion. Ane mair an nae less famous castle is the Pidhirtsi Castle. Its airchitectural complex consists o the three-story palace, Kostel, an sma pairk. In Roztochia is an aa locatit the Krekhivsky monastery in the buch-pine grove at the fuit o the Pobiyna moont. The whole complex consists o the Saunt Nikola Kirk, the bell touer, numerous service structurs, an defensive waws wi touers. Anither steid worth o mentionin is the Tustan ceety-fortress which is biggit in the rock. The steid wis nominatit as the historical an as the naitural wonder o Ukraine. Thare an aw a natur complex in the valley o the Kamianka river in Skoliv Raion. Anither naitural wander o the region is the Kamin-Veleten (Rock-Giant in Inglis) which is locatit near ceety o Pidkamin in Brodivskyi Raion. The name o the local ceety means Under the Rock. A local museum o Ukrainian airt an an institution o heicher learnin (Ivan Franko State Varsity) are an aa present. Nomenclatur Maist o Ukraine's oblasts are named efter thair caipital ceeties, offeecially referred tae as "oblast centres" (Ukrainian: обласний центр, translit. oblasnyi tsentr). The name o each oblast is a relative adjective, formed bi addin a feminine suffix tae the name o respective centre ceety: L'viv is the centre o the L'vivs'ka oblast' (Lviv Oblast). Maist oblasts are an aa sometimes referred tae in a feminine noun form, follaein the convention o traditional regional place names, endin wi the suffix "-shchyna", as is the case wi the Lviv Oblast, Lvivshchyna. See an aa Leet o Canadian place names o Ukrainian oreegin – Ukrainian immigrants tae Canadae brought place names frae this oblast wi them tae Alberta an Saskatchewan. Poland’s Lwów Voivodeship (1921–1939) Subdiveesions o Ukraine References Source for statistics used: L'viv Regional State Administration Web Site Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine – accessed Februar 29, 2004. Freemit airtins L'viv Regional State Admeenistration Wab Steid Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Symbols an flags