Donetsk Oblast

**Donetsk Oblast** (, *Donets’ka oblast’*; an aa referred tae as **Donechchyna** —  *Donechchyna*; , *Donetskaya oblast*) is an oblast (province) o eastren Ukraine.  Its admeenistrative centre is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important pairt o the Donbas region. Till November, 1961, it bore the name *Stalino Oblast* in honour o Joseph Stalin.

Important ceeties athin the oblast include:
Sloviansk, Horlivka, Kramatorsk, Makiivka, Mariupol, Yenakiieve.

## Geografie

Donetsk Oblast is locatit in sootheastren Ukraine. The aurie o the oblast (26,900&nbsp;km²), comprises aboot 4.4% o the tot aurie o the kintra. The oblast borders the Dnipropetrovsk an Zaporizhia Oblasts on the soothwast, the Luhansk Oblast on the northeast, the Rostov Oblast in Roushie on the east, an wi the Sea o Azov on the sooth.

Its langitude frae north tae sooth is 270&nbsp;km, frae east tae wast – 190&nbsp;km. The extreme pynts o the oblast's borders are: *Bilosarayska Kosa* (spit) on the sooth, Shevchenko o Velykonovosilkivskyi Raion on the wast, *Verkhnyi Kut* o Shakhtarskyi Raion on the east, an *Lozove* o Krasnolymanskyi Raion on the north.

The state historic-airchitectural preserve near the ceety o Sviatohirsk wi the Sviatohirsk Lavra wis nominatit for the Sieven Wonders o Ukraine.

## Administrative divisions

The oblast is subdividit intae 18 raions (*admeenistrative destricts*). It consists o 28 municipalities, 52 ceeties, 131 touns, an mair nor 1,124 veelages.

The follaein data incorporates the nummer o each type o admeenistrative diveesions o Donetsk Oblast:

* Admeenistrative Center – 1 (Donetsk)
* Raions — 18;
* Ceety raions — 28;
* Settlements — 1,283, includin:
** Veelages — 1,124;
** Ceeties/Touns — 159, includin:
*** Urban-type settlement — 131;
*** Ceeties — 52, includin:
**** Ceeties o oblast' subordinance — 28;
**** Ceeties o raion subordinance — 24;
* Selsovets — *N/A*.

The local admeenistration o the oblast' is controlled bi the Donetsk Oblast Rada. The govrenor o the oblast' is the Heid o Donetsk Oblast admeenistration, appointit bi the Preses o Ukraine.

### Raions

## Demographics

The population o Donetsk Oblast is 4.7 million (2004), which constitutes 10% o the owerall Ukrainian population, makin it the maist populous an maist densely populatit region in the kintra. Its lairge population is due tae the presence o several big industrial ceeties an numerous veelages agglomeratit aroond them (see urbanization).

Durin the 2004 presidential election, poleetical supporters o Viktor Yanukovych threatened tae demand autonomy for Donetsk an neighbourin oblasts if the election o thair candidate wis no recognised. Housomeivver, nae offeecial muives wur iver made.

As o the Ukrainian Naitional Census, 2001, the ethnic groups athin the Donetsk Oblast are: Ukrainians — 2,744,100 (56.9%), Roushies — 1,844,400 (38.2%), Greeks – 77,500 (1.61%), Belaroushies — 44,500 (0.92%), Crimean Tatars — 19,200 (0.4%), Armenians — 15,700 (0.33%), an Jews – 8,800 (0.18%).

The leids spoken athin the oblast' are: Roushie — 74.9%, Ukrainian — 24.1%, an Armenie — 0.13%.

## Economy
### Industry

The Donetsk Oblast covers mair nor ane hauf coal, fieenished steel, coke, cast iron an steel production in Ukraine. Ferrous metallurgy, fuel industry an pouer industry are in demand in the structur o industry production. Thare are aboot 882 industry enterprises that are on independent balance, an 2,095 sma industry enterprises in the oblast.

The oblast' haes a developed transport infrastructur which includes the Donetsk railwey (covers 40% o naitional transportation), the Mariupol Port, the Donetsk Internaitional Airport, passenger airports in Mariupol an Kramatorsk, an dense road seestems. In the Donetsk Oblast twa special economic zones hae been creatit, *Donetsk* an *Azov*, which hae a privileged tax regime.

### Agricultur

In 1999, the gross grain yield in the oblast wis aboot 999.1 thoosan tons, succar beets – 27.1 thoosan tons, sunflouer seeds – 309.4 thoosan tons, an potatoes – 380.2 thoosan tons. An aa, 134.2 thoosan tons o meat, 494.3 thoosan tons o milk an 646.4 million eggs hae been produced. At the beginnin o 1999 thare hae been 2108 ferms athin the oblast.

## Ecologie

The Donetsk Oblast's climate is maistly continental, which is characterised bi het simmers an relatively cauld winters wi chyngeable snaw surfaces. East an sootheast strang winds, heich temperaturs an hivy rain shouers are teepical in the simmer. The average annual rainfallw is 524&nbsp;mm.

The basic minerals foond here are: coal (reserves – 25 billion tons), rock salt, lime carbonate, potassium, mercury, asbestos, an graphite. The aurie is an aa rich in fertile black earth.

Important resoorces for recreation athin the aurie are: the mild climate, the Sea o Azov coast, curative mud, soorces o minerals, an radon an table watter. Due tae these numerous recreation resoorces, mony resort hotels an camps are locatit here. Thare are aboot 26 heal centres an pensions, 52 rest hames an boardin hooses, an rest camps for childer in the oblast.

The curative auries in the oblast include the Slovyansk salt lakes an mineral watter soorces. The oblast an aa contains mony pairk zones, some o which are o great naitional value. Thay include the Khomutivsky steppe an the Azov sea coast. Oweraw, the Donetsk Oblast contains abouot 70 objects o natur an pairk fund includin branches o the Ukrainian steppe pairk, 6 state reserves, 10 memorials o natur, landscapes, an 6 pairk tracts.

## Roushian invasion o Ukraine
A guid feck o the Donetsk Oblast is controlled bi the DFR (ДНР, DPR) - Donetsk Fowkrepublic, that wis aforetime a pairtly recognised state, an nou is a subject o the Roushian Federation wi the richts o a Republic within the RF. Onywey, the annexation o this oblast tae the RF haesna been recognised bi maist o the UN kintras, an bi Ukraine thir territories are regairded as temporarily occupied (Тимчасово окуповані території України).

## See an aw
* Subdivisions o Ukraine
* Donets Basin

## References

* Information Card of the Region  — Offeecial steid o the Cabinet o Meenisters o Ukraine

## Freemit airtins


* www.citylife.donetsk.ua  — Offeecial Donetsk ceety guide – 
* donoda.gov.ua — Offeecial steid o Donetsk Oblast Admeenistration 
* catalogue.biz.ua  — Post codes directory o Donetsk Oblast 
*  '''Wikimedia Commons''' — Media on Donetsk Oblast