Chernihiv Oblast

The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. Within the oblast are 1,511 settlements. Population: 959,315 (2022 estimate).

Chernihiv Oblast Чернігівська область
Oblast
Chernihivska oblast
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname:  Чернігівщина (Chernihivshchyna)
Coordinates: 51°20′N 32°04′E / 51.34°N 32.06°E / 51.34; 32.06
Country	Ukraine
Established	15 October 1932
Administrative center	Chernihiv
Largest cities	Chernihiv, Nizhyn, Pryluky
Government
• Governor	Vyacheslav Chaus
• Oblast council	64 seats
• Chairperson	Ihor Vdovenko
Area
• Total	31,865 km2 (12,303 sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 3rd
Population  (2022)
• Total	959,315
GDP
• Total	₴ 114 billion (€2.940 billion)
• Per capita	₴ 117,225 (€3,037)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	14-17xxx
Area code	+380 46
ISO 3166 code	UA-74
Vehicle registration	СВ
Raions	22
Cities (total)	44
• Regional cities	3
Urban-type settlements	34
Villages	1494
FIPS 10-4	UP02
Website	www.chernigivstat.gov.ua chor.gov.ua

The total area of the province is around 31,900 km².

On the west, the oblast is bordered by the Kyiv Reservoir of the Dnieper River and Kyiv Oblast, which has a enclave known as Slavutych, which was created from Chernihiv Oblast for the inhabitants of Chernobyl following the Chernobyl disaster. It is bordered by Sumy Oblast to the east and Poltava Oblast to the south. The northern border of the oblast is part of Ukraine's international border abutting Belarus's Gomel Region in the north-west and the Russian Bryansk Oblast in the north-east, respectively.

The oblast is bisected into northern and southern sections by the Desna River, which enters the Dnieper just north of the Kyiv city limits.

Chernihiv Oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 15 October 1932.

The capital city of Chernihiv has known human settlement for over 2,000 years, according to archaeological excavations. Chernihiv Oblast comprises a very important historical region, notable as early as the Kievan Rus' period, when the cities of Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siverskyi were frequently mentioned. The city of Chernihiv was the second most important Ukrainian city during the Rus' period of Ukrainian history, often serving as a major regional capital. Danylo of Chernihiv wrote of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem during this era. The numerous architectural monuments of the city bear witness to the invasions suffered, including those by the Tatars/Mongols, Lithuanians, Poles, Nazis and the Russians. Numerous tragic events have taken place in the region, such as the Battle of Kruty, the Tragedy of Koryukivka, and many others.

During the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Chernihiv Oblast was one of the first regions where Russian and Ukrainian forces clashed. On 4 April 2022 Governor of Chernihiv Oblast Vyacheslav Chaus stated that the Russian military had left Chernihiv Oblast, but that it had planted mines in many areas. On 4 and 5 April 2022 units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine retook control of their border crossing in Chernihiv Oblast.

The oblast is located in the historic region of Polesia (Ukrainian: Полісся, translit. Polissia).

 

Since July 2020, Cherkasy Oblast is administratively subdivided into 5 raions (districts).

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

• Administrative Centre - 1 (Chernihiv)
• Raions — 5;
• Settlements — 1534, including:
  • Villages — 1489;
  • Cities/Towns — 45, including:
    • Urban-type settlement — 30;
    • Cities — 15
• Silradas — 525.

The local administration of the oblast is controlled by the Chernihiv Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast is the Chernihiv Oblast Rada speaker, appointed by the President of Ukraine.

Important cities

Main cities

1.   Chernihiv (294,727)
2.   Nizhyn (72,422)
3.   Pryluky (58,456)
4.   Bakhmach (18,798)
5.   Nosivka (14,185)
6.   Novhorod-Siverskyi (14,025)

Other cities

• Borzna (historical city)
• Kozelets (historical city)
• Liubech (historical city of Medieval Ages)
• Baturyn (Hetman residence and fort)

Raions

Flag	Coat of arms	Name	Ukrainian Name	Administrative center	Area (km2)	Population estimate 2021
		Chernihiv Raion	Чернігівський район	Chernihiv	10,249	445,430
		Koriukivka Raion	Корюківський район	Koriukivka	4,578	86,435
		Nizhyn Raion	Ніжинський район	Nizhyn	7,226	215,908
		Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion	Новгород-Сіверський район	Novhorod-Siverskyi	4,630.5	62,141
		Pryluky Raion	Прилуцький район	Pryluky	5,214	149,401
		Total Oblast	Чернігівська область	Chernihiv	31,865	959,315

The Slavutych municipality is located in Chernihiv Oblast on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, but officially belongs to Kyiv Oblast (being an administrative exclave).

The current estimated population of the oblast is around 976,701 (as of 2021).

The population of the oblast is predominantly Ukrainian, with minority Belarusian and Russian populations concentrated in the northern districts.

The province has experienced long-term population decline. The population has fallen 37% from the 1959 figure of 1,554,000, the steepest decline of any Ukrainian oblast. It has the lowest population density in the country.

Age structure

0-14 years: 12.9%   (male 70,680/female 67,487)
15-64 years: 68.4%   (male 352,230/female 378,864)
65 years and over: 18.7%   (male 61,722/female 138,277) (2013 official)

Median age

total: 42.8 years  
male: 38.5 years  
female: 46.9 years   (2013 official)

Industry

The economy of Chernihiv Oblast is centered around petroleum and natural gas extraction, transport, machinery, tobacco and the textile industry. A major tobacco factory is situated in Pryluky. The cities of Bakhmach and Nizhyn are important railway junctions on the route from Russia and Belarus to Southeast Europe. There are notable machinery and electronics industries in Chernihiv. Chernihiv also has a brewery producing beer under the name "Chernihivske".

The religion among believers in the oblast is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox. A substantial percentage of the population is atheist. Small minorities of Ukrainian Catholics, Roman Catholics (including the descendants of earlier Polish colonists), and recent converts to Protestantism are also present.

There are a few outstanding historical Orthodox churches and buildings in Chernihiv, Novhorod-Siverskyi, Liubech, Nizhyn and Kozelets. Nizhyn is an historical Cossack city and home to a university.

• Saint Anthony's Caves
• Churches of Chernihiv, including Saviour-Transfiguration Cathedral, Boris and Gleb Cathedral, Yeletsky Monastery, Trinity Monastery, St. Catherine's Church, Piatnytska Church
• Hustynskyi monastery
• Knyazhyi hrad
• Kachanivka Palace and Sokyryntsi Palace

The Chernihiv region was famous for its specific style of folk icon-painting. Brightness and realistic depictions of the saints were typical for it, with red and hot yellow paints used. The icons were decorated by flowers in a manner reminiscent of Slavonic pre-Christian traditions. The icons from the Chernihiv region were spread outside its territory. Many of them are preserved in the Museum of Ukrainian home icons of the Radomysl Castle.

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 centre city: Chernihiv is the centre of the Chernihivs’ka oblast’ (Chernihiv 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 Chernihiv Oblast, Chernihivshchyna.

•  
  Transfiguration Cathedral and Boris and Gleb Cathedral in Chernihiv
•  
  Krasna Square in Chernihiv
•  
  St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nizhyn
•  
  Transfiguration Monastery in Novhorod-Siverskyi
•  
  Kachanivka Palace
•  
  Sokyryntsi Palace
•  
  Kyrylo Rozumovskyi's Palace in Baturyn
•  
  Baturyn Fortress Citadel
•  
  Mizhrichynskyi Regional Landscape Park

• Subdivisions of Ukraine
• Chernihiv Governorate