Chernihiv Oblast (Ukrainian: Чернігівська область, romanized: Chernihivska oblast), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (Ukrainian: Чернігівщина), is an oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. Within the oblast are 1,511 settlements. Population: 959,315 (2022 estimate).[3]
Geography
The total area of the province is around 31,900 km².
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 region at various times was ruled by the Kievan Rus', Mongol Empire, Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Numerous tragic events have taken place in the region, such as the Battle of Kruty and the Koriukivka massacre.[5] During World War II, the province was occupied by Germany in 1941–1943.
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.
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).
Demographics
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)
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.
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 relativeadjective, 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.
Kardash, Peter. Ukraine and Ukrainians. Ed. Peter Lockwood. Melbourne: Fortuna Publishers, 1988.
(1972) Історіа міст і сіл Української CCP - Чернігівська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Chernihiv Oblast), Kiev. (in Ukrainian)