Akrai (Russian:край,romanized:kray,IPA:[krai],lit. 'region, edge') is a type offederal subject of theRussian Federation. The country is divided into 85 federal subjects, of which nine are krais.[2]Oblasts, another type of federal subject, are legally identical to krais and the difference between a political entity with the name "krai" or "oblast" is purely traditional; both are constituent entities equivalent in legal status in Russia with representation in theFederation Council. During theSoviet era, theautonomous oblasts could be subordinated torepublics or krais, but not to oblasts. Outside of political terminology, both words have a very similar general meaning ("region" or "area" in English) and can often be used interchangeably. When a distinction is desirable, "krai" is sometimes translated into English as "territory",[3] (closer to "edge" in literal translation, what is more related with theMarch meaning as a "borderland") while "oblast" can variously be translated to "province" or "region", but both of these translations are also reasonable interpretations of "krai".
The termkrai orkray is derived from the Russian word for anedge, and can be translated into English as 'frontier' or 'territory'. The largest krai by geographic size isKrasnoyarsk Krai at 2,339,700 square kilometers (903,400 sq mi) and the smallest isStavropol Krai at 66,500 square kilometers (25,700 sq mi).[4][1] The most populous krai isKrasnodar Krai at 5,404,300 (2010 Census) and the least populous isKamchatka Krai at 322,079 (2010).[4][1]
Historically, krais were massive first-level administrative divisions in theRussian Empire, divided into largeguberniyas (governorates). Following the numerous administration reforms during theSoviet era, the guberniyas were abolished and krais were reshaped into smaller, more numerous divisions. Eventually, krais and oblasts became almost totally equal as the top-level administrative division of theSoviet Socialist Republics (SSRs), the constituent political entities of theSoviet Union, with the only difference beingautonomous oblasts could be subordinated to krais but not to oblasts. The krais were unique to theRussian SFSR, and held very little autonomy or power, but when theSoviet Union dissolved intosovereign states along the lines of the SSRs, they became first-level administrative divisions of the Russian Federation and received much greaterdevolved power.
^Heaney, Dominic, ed. (2023). "The Government of the Russian Federation".The Territories of the Russian Federation 2023 (24th ed.). Abingdon:Routledge. pp. 43–51.ISBN9781032469744.Including the two territories in Crimea, the 85 territories comprise 22 republics, nine krais (provinces), 46 oblasts (regions), three cities of federal status (Moscow, St Petersburg and Sevastopol), one autonomous oblast and four autonomous okrugs.
