What is an oblast?
Q: What is an oblast?
A: An oblast is an administrative division in most Slavic countries and some countries of the former Soviet Union.
Q: What are some translations of the word "oblast"?
A: The word "oblast" is often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region".
Q: What can cause confusion in translating "oblast"?
A: The subdivision of "oblast" is called "raion" which can also be translated as "region" or "district", causing potential confusion.
Q: Which countries use oblasts as an administrative division?
A: Oblasts are used as an administrative division in Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the former Soviet Union.
Q: Do all successor states of the Soviet Union use the term "oblast"?
A: No, official terms in successor states of the Soviet Union differ, with the majority still using a cognate of the Russian term, but Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and the Baltics do not.
Q: What is the term for provinces in Belarus?
A: The term for provinces in Belarus is "voblast", which is a cognate of the Russian term "oblast".
Q: What is the term for provinces in Kazakhstan?
A: The term for provinces in Kazakhstan is "oblys", which is a cognate of the Russian term "oblast".
