Belgorod Oblast

**Belgorod Oblast** () is an oblast (region) of Russia.It is a federal subject of Russia. Its administrative center (capital city) is the city of Belgorod. Its population is .  It is headed by a governor.

## History

During the 17th century, Belgorod Oblast was home to a line of military forts that were held by the Cossacks.

After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the territory was given to the Ukrainian State. Modern-day Belgorod Oblast was created in 1954 from parts of Kursk and Voronezh Oblasts.

The 2025 Belgorod Oblast incursion is ongoing (as of 2025's second quarter). It is part of the warfare of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

## Geography

Belgorod Oblast is part of the Central Black Earth economic region and the Central Federal District. It borders the Ukrainian oblasts of Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Sumy in the south and west, Kursk Oblast in the north and northwest, and Voronezh Oblast in the east.

The size of the oblast is around . It is in the southwestern and southern slopes of the Central Russian Upland.

Belgorod Oblast has a temperate continental climate with mild winters and long summers.

### Natural resources

Over 40% of the known iron ore reserves in Russia are in Belgorod Oblast. There are also large amounts of bauxite and apatite. Some other known resources are gold and graphite.

## Culture

The Belgorod region had an important role in the evolution of Russian culture. It was inhabited by different tribes besides East Slavs. It was one of the earliest Rus' principalities. Belgorod Oblast had an important role in the Russian wedding tradition of the Rushnyk. Belgorod is also famous for its wood carving.

## Demographics

The oblast is 67th place in area compared to the other Russian federal subjects. In population it is ranked 28th.

### Ethnic groups

Russian is the only official language of the oblast.
|Ethnicity|Number|%|
| --- | --- | --- |
|Russian|1,404,653|94.4%|
|Ukrainian|41,914|2.8%|
|Armenian|7,588|0.5%|
|Azeri|4,621|0.3%|
|Turkish|4,665|0.3%|
|Others|25,073|1.7%|

## Administrative divisions

Belgorod Oblast is divided into twenty-one districts (_raions)_.These are then divided into 335 rural okrugs. There are ten cities/towns in the oblast. There are also twenty urban-type settlements and 1,592 rural-type settlements.

## Economy

Belgorod Oblast's large economy is based mainly on its mineral resources and its unique black soils. There are also many important railways and highways that go through the oblast. These connect Moscow to central Russia and Ukraine.

## References

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## Other websites

- Official website of Belgorod Oblast
- Belgorod Oblast sceneries photos

## Infobox (russian federal subject)

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- **en name**: Belgorod Oblast
- **ru name**: Белгородская область
- **image map**: Map of Russia (2014–2022) - Belgorod Oblast.svg
- **image coa**: New Coat of arms of Belgorod Oblast.svg
- **coa caption**: Coat of arms of Belgorod Oblast, Coat of arms
- **image flag**: New Flag of Belgorod Oblast.svg
- **flag caption**: Flag of Belgorod Oblast, Flag
- **political status**: Oblast
- **political status link**: Oblasts of Russia
- **federal district**: Central Federal District, Central
- **economic region**: Central Black Earth economic region, Central Black Earth
- **adm ctr type**: Administrative center
- **adm ctr name**: Belgorod
- **pop 2010census**: 1532526
- **pop 2010census rank**: 28th
- **urban pop 2010census**: 66.1%
- **rural pop 2010census**: 33.9%
- **pop latest**: 1541000
- **pop latest date**: January 2013
- **area km2**: 27100
- **area km2 rank**: 67th
- **established date**: 6 January 1954
- **license plates**: 31
- **iso**: RU-BEL
- **leader title**: Governor of Belgorod Oblast, Governor
- **leader name**: Vyacheslav Gladkov
- **legislature**: Belgorod Oblast Duma, Oblast Duma
- **website**: http://www.belregion.ru/
- **date**: February 2014