Lviv Oblast

**Lviv Oblast** (, translit. *L’vivs’ka oblast’*; an aa referred tae as **[[Lviv Oblast#Nomenclatur|L’vivshchina]]** – **') is an [[admeenistrative diveesions o Ukraine|oblast]] (province) in wastren [[Ukraine]]. The [[Caipital ceety|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 [[Carpathie Muntains|Carpathians]] haes caused it tae chynge haunds mony times ower the centuries. It wis ruled variously bi [[Great Moravie]], [[Kievan Rus']], [[Kinrick o Poland (1025–1385)|Poland]] an bi ane o Kievan Rus' successors, the state o [[Kinrick o Galicie–Volhynie|Galicia-Volhynie]] (circa 1200 tae 1340), then bi the [[Pols-Lithuanie Commonwalth]] (1340 tae 1772), the [[Austrick-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]] (1772 tae 1918), an [[Seicont Pols Republic|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 [[Poles|Pols]] an [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] population.

The region an its caipital ceety tak thair name frae the time o [[Kinrick o Galicie–Volhynie|Galicie-Volhynie]], when [[Daniel o Galicie]], the Keeng o Rus' foondit [[Lviv]], namin the ceety efter his son, [[Leo I o Halych|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 Soviet Socialist Republic|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 Conference|Teheran]] an [[Yalta Conference|Yalta]] conferences. Gien its historical development, Lviv Oblast is ane o the least [[Roushification|Roushifeed]] an [[Sovietization|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 [[Pinophyta|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 [[fluid (naitural disaster)|fluid]]s. 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 [[Extraction o petroleum|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 landform|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 [[coal minin|mined]] in this aurie.

== Climate ==

The climate o Lviv Oblast is moderately ceul an humid. The average Januar temperaturs range frae −7&nbsp;°C (19&nbsp;°F) in the [[Carpathie Muntains]] tae −3&nbsp;°C (27&nbsp;°F) in the [[Dniester]] an [[San River]] valleys while in Julie the average temperaturs are frae 14–15&nbsp;°C (57–59&nbsp;°F) in the Carpathians tae 16–17&nbsp;°C (61–63&nbsp;°F) in [[Roztocze]] an 19&nbsp;°C (66&nbsp;°F) in the lawer pairt o the [[Dniester]] valley. The average annual precipitation is 600–650&nbsp;mm (23.62–25.59&nbsp;in) in the lawlands, 650–750&nbsp;mm (25.59–29.53&nbsp;in) in the heichlands an up tae 1,000&nbsp;mm (39.37&nbsp;in) in the Carpathians, wi the majority o precipitation occurrin in simmer. Prolanged [[drocht]]s are uncommon, while strang rainfaws can cause [[fluid (naitural disaster)|fluid]]s 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 beet]]s, [[winter wheat]], [[flax]], [[rye]], [[cabbitch]], [[aiple]]s, an for [[dairy fermin]]. It is still too cauld tae successfully cultivate [[maize]], [[sunflouer]], [[grape]]s, [[melon]], [[watermelon]] or [[peach]]es 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]] ([[destrict]]s), as well as 9 ceety ([[municipality|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 [[Roushie]]s (3.6%); [[Poles]] accoont for 0.7%; thare are an aa smawer [[ethnic German|German]], [[Jewish]], an [[Romani fowk|Gypsy]] minorities.[http://ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/general/nationality/lviv/] 

== 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 [[Lviv Heich Castle|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 "[[Lviv Arsenal|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 ceety|caipital]] ceeties, offeecially referred tae as "oblast centres" (, [[Romanisation o Ukrainian|translit.]] ''oblasnyi tsentr''). The name o each oblast is a [[relative clause|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: *[http://www.loda.gov.ua/eng/region/ L'viv Regional State Administration Web Site] * – accessed Februar 29, 2004.

## Freemit airtins

* L'viv Regional State Admeenistration Wab Steid 
* Symbols an flags