Sumy Oblast Explained

Sumy Oblast
Native Name:Сумська область
Native Name Lang:uk
Official Name:Sumska oblast[1]
Nickname:Ukrainian: Сумщина
Settlement Type:Oblast
Flag Alt:Flag of Sumy Oblast
Shield Alt:Coat of arms of Sumy Oblast
Mapsize:275px
Subdivision Type:Country
Parts Type:Largest cities
Parts Style:para
Seat Type:Administrative center
Seat:Sumy
Leader Title:Governor
Leader Title1:Oblast council
Leader Name1:64[2] seats
Leader Title2:Chairperson
Leader Name2:Viktor Fedorchenko
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:23834
Area Rank:Ranked 16th
Population Total: 1,035,772
Population Rank:Ranked 19th
Population As Of:2022
Population Blank1 Title:Annual growth
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:GDP
Demographics1 Footnotes:[3]
Demographics1 Title1:Total
Demographics1 Info1:₴ 105 billion
(€2.726 billion)
Demographics1 Title2:Per capita
Demographics1 Info2:₴ 100,760
(€2,609)
Blank Name Sec1:Raions
Blank Info Sec1:18
Blank1 Name Sec1:Cities (total)
Blank1 Info Sec1:15
Blank2 Name Sec1:• Regional cities
Blank2 Info Sec1:7
Blank3 Name Sec1:
Blank3 Info Sec1:20
Blank4 Name Sec1:Villages
Blank4 Info Sec1:1492
Timezone1:EET
Utc Offset1:+2
Timezone1 Dst:EEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+3
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:40000-41999
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:+380-54
Iso Code:UA-59
Registration Plate Type:Vehicle registration
Blank Name Sec2:FIPS 10-4
Blank Info Sec2:UP21
Website:sorada.gov.ua

Sumy Oblast (Ukrainian: Сумська область|Sumska oblast), also known as Sumshchyna (Ukrainian: Сумщина|label=none), is an oblast (province) in northeast Ukraine. The oblast was created in its most recent form, from the merging of raions from Kharkiv Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, and Poltava Oblast in 1939 by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.

The estimated population is

The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy. Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka. The modern region combines territories of the historical Severia (northern part) and Sloboda Ukraine (southern part). On territory of the Sumy Oblast important centers of Ukrainian culture are located, such as the city of Hlukhiv which served as a hetman residence during the Cossack Hetmanate as well as the cities of Okhtyrka and Sumy which were regional centers of the Sloboda Ukraine.

The oblast has a heavy mix of agriculture and industry, with over 600 industrial locations. Among the most notable was the Soviet film stock manufacturer Svema in Shostka. Importantly, seven rivers pass through the oblast.

Geography

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The Sumy Oblast is situated in the northeastern part of Ukraine. In Ukraine it borders Chernihiv Oblast to its west, Poltava Oblast – southwest, and Kharkiv Oblast – southeast. To its east Sumy Oblast borders the Russian Federation including Bryansk on the northeast, Kursk and Belgorod on the east. The length of the state border with the Russian Federation is 563.8km (350.3miles). There are three railway border crossing (Volfine, Pushkarne, Zernove) and five highway border crossings (Bachivsk, Katerynivka, Ryzhivka, Yunakivka, Velyka Pysarivka). In regard to border crossings, since 2006 the city of Sumy has an airport which has an international checkpoint.

On its territory the Dnieper Lowland transitions east to the Central Russian Upland. The northern part of Sumy Oblast is part of the Polesie Lowland as its eastern region. Elevation is 110–240 m above sea level.[4] Its area (23,800 km2) constitutes 3.95% of the country.

Seven main rivers flow through the oblast, with Desna River being the largest.[4] All of them are transit because crossing the oblast flowing from the territory of the Russian Federation west towards Dnieper. All rivers in Sumy Oblast are part of the Dnieper River basin.

The Sumy Oblast contains 168 objects and territories of natural reserve. The oblast is rich in picturesque banks of numerous rivers, and sources of mineral waters. Major environmental problems are: soil erosion, pesticide pollution, air and water pollution. The city has a problem of garbage utilization.The only place for pesticide utilization in Ukraine is Shostka, Sumy Oblast.

History

The region was created on the ukase of Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union on 10 January 1939 as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The newly created Sumy Oblast included 12 former raions of Kharkiv Oblast, 17 former raions of Chernihiv Oblast, and 2 former raions of Poltava Oblast.

During World War II in 1941–43, it was occupied by Nazi Germany under administration of the German Wehrmacht. After the German forces were driven out, the Soviet Union regained control of the region under jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1965 one of former Chernihiv Oblast raions (Talalaivka Raion) was returned to Chernihiv Oblast.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the Sumy Oblast was one of the first regions where Russian and Ukrainian forces clashed.[5] [6] [7] Parts of the oblast came under Russian occupation during the invasion. On 4 April 2022 Governor of Sumy Oblast Dmytro Zhyvytskyi stated that Russian troops no longer occupied any towns or villages in Sumy Oblast and had mostly withdrawn, while Ukrainian troops were working to push out the remaining units.[8] On 8 April 2022 Zhyvytskyi stated that all Russian troops had left Sumy Oblast.[9]

On 9 June 2024, amid Russian cross-border operations in neighboring Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces claimed to have attacked and captured the border village of Ryzhivka, though this was denied by Ukrainian authorities.[10] [11]

Points of interest

The following historic-cultural sited were nominated for the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.

Administrative divisions

See main article: Administrative divisions of Sumy Oblast. It comprises 5 raions (districts) that are further subdivided into 51 territorial hromadas (communities).

The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of the Sumy Oblast:

The local administration of the oblast is controlled by the Sumy Oblast council. The governor of the oblast (chairman of state regional administration) is appointed by the President of Ukraine.

Demographics

At the 2001 census, the ethnic groups within the Sumy Oblast were: 88.8% Ukrainians, 9.4% Russians.[12] A major Russian subethnicity in the region is the Goryuns.

Age structure

0-14 years: 12.7% (male 74,529/female 70,521)

15-64 years: 70.8% (male 386,250/female 422,077)

65 years and over: 16.5% (male 60,374/female 127,306) (2013 official)

Median age

total: 42.0 years

male: 38.6 years

female: 45.4 years (2013 official)

Economy

Industry

The main industrial activities of the oblast are: chemical mechanical engineering, pumping and energy mechanical engineering, agricultural machine-construction, instrument-making industry and radio electronics, technical equipment production for processing fields of agro-industrial complexes, mining and iron ore production industry, polygraph industry and medicine production, oil and gas processing, chemical production, film and photo material production (See: Svema), and chemical fertilizer production. In general, there are 273 large industry enterprises and 327 small industry enterprises.

Agriculture

In 1999, the gross grain yield was about 446,000 tons, sugar beets – 664,000 tons, sunflower seeds – 27,700 tons, potatoes – 343,600 tons. The region also produced 108,700 tons of meat, 517,800 tons of milk and 295,300,000 eggs. At the beginning of 1999, there were 781 registered farms in the oblast.

Notable people from Sumy Oblast

Nomenclature

Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers" (Ukrainian: обласний центр, translit. oblasnyi tsentr). The name of each oblast is a relative adjective, formed by adding a feminine suffix to the name of respective center city: Sumy is the center of the Sums’ka oblast (Sumy Oblast). Most oblasts are also sometimes referred to in a feminine noun form, following the convention of traditional regional place names, ending with the suffix "-shchyna", as is the case with the Sumy Oblast, Sumshchyna.

See also: Romanization of Ukrainian.

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Book: Syvak. Nina. Ponomarenko. Valerii. Khodzinska. Olha. Lakeichuk. Iryna. 2011. Veklych. Lesia. scientific consultant Iryna Rudenko; reviewed by Nataliia Kizilowa; translated by Olha Khodzinska. Toponymic Guidelines for Map and Other Editors for International Use. 20. 2020-10-06. United Nations Statistics Division. DerzhHeoKadastr and Kartographia. Kyiv. 978-966-475-839-7.
  2. List of members of the Sumy Regional Council of the Sixth Convocation, Official website Sumy Parliament
  3. Web site: Валовии регіональнии продукт.
  4. Web site: ІNVESTMENT PASSPORT of Sumy oblast . 2013 . 12 August 2014 . State Agency for Investment and National Projects of Ukraine . investukraine.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20140813110733/http://www.ukrproject.gov.ua/sites/default/files/upload/sumy_for_web-site_1.pdf . 13 August 2014.
  5. Web site: 24 February 2022. Украинские пограничники сообщили об атаке границы со стороны России и Белоруссии. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220224073734/https://www.interfax.ru/world/824058. 24 February 2022. 24 February 2022. Interfax.
  6. Web site: Войска России на севере Украины продвинулись вглубь до пяти километров – Арестович. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220224091205/https://www.unian.net/war/voyska-rossii-na-severe-ukrainy-prodvinulis-vglub-do-pyati-kilometrov-arestovich-novosti-donbassa-11715571.html. 24 February 2022. 24 February 2022.
  7. Web site: 24 February 2022. Перші три дні повномасштабної російсько-української війни (текстовий онлайн) | Громадське телебачення. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220224060243/https://hromadske.ua/posts/rosijsko-ukrayinska-vijna-tekstovij-onlajn. 24 February 2022. 24 February 2022. Hromadske. uk.
  8. https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/russian-troops-no-longer-hold-any-settlements-in-ukraines-sumy-region-says-governor Russian troops no longer hold any settlements in Ukraine's Sumy region, says governor
  9. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/04/8/7338013/ Sumy region liberated from Russian troops
  10. https://strana.news/news/466365-armija-rf-zakhvatila-selo-ryzhevka-sumskoj-oblasti-ramzan-kadyrov.html
  11. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/chechen-leader-kadyrov-says-russian-troops-capture-ukrainian-border-village-2024-06-09/
  12. Web site: Results of the population census of Ukraine in 2001 . Demoscope Weekly.