The termoblast isborrowed fromRussian область (pronounced[ˈobɫəsʲtʲ]), where it is inherited fromOld East Slavic, in turn borrowed fromChurch Slavonic областьoblastĭ 'power, empire', formed from the prefixoб- (cognate withClassical Latinob 'towards, against' andAncient Greek ἐπί/ἔπιepi 'in power, in charge') and the stemвластьvlastǐ 'power, rule'.[1] In Old East Slavic, it was used alongsideоболостьobolostǐ—the equivalent ofоб- 'against' andволость 'territory, state, power' (cognate with English 'wield'; seevolost).[1][4][2]
In theSoviet Union, oblasts were one of the types of administrative divisions of theunion republics. As any administrative units of this level, oblasts were composed of districts (raions) and cities/towns directly under oblasts' jurisdiction. Some oblasts also includedautonomous entities calledautonomous okrugs. Because of the Soviet Union electrification program under theGOELRO plan,Ivan Alexandrov, as director of the Regionalisation Committee ofGosplan, divided the Soviet Union into thirteen European and eight Asiatic oblasts, using rational economic planning rather than "the vestiges of lost sovereign rights".[5]
The names of oblasts did not usually correspond to the names of the respective historical regions, as they were created as purely administrative units. With a few exceptions, Soviet oblasts were named after their administrative centers.
Since 1999, Bulgaria has been divided into 28 oblasts, usually translated as "provinces". Before, the country was divided into just nine units, also called oblasts.
Kazakh is the sole official language. Russian is officially used alongside it in state organizations and local self-government bodies according to theConstitution[9]
According to theConstitution of Russia, oblasts are considered to besubjects of the Federation, which is a higher status than that of administrative units they had within theRussian SFSR before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The federal subject status gives the oblasts some degree of autonomy and gives them representation in theFederation Council
InUkraine, an oblast (Ukrainian:область[ˈɔblɐsʲtʲ]ⓘ; inEnglish called a province or region) refers to one of the country's 24 primaryadministrative units. Since Ukraine is aunitary state, the provinces (or regions) do not have much legal scope of competence other than that which is established in theUkrainian Constitution and by law. Articles 140–146 ofChapter XI of the constitution deal directly with local authorities and their competency.
Oblasts are further subdivided intoraions (districts), ranging in number from 3 to 10 per entity
