Areas

Subject / Topography/Administrative - territorial division
AREAS (Okrug), adm./territorial units introduced in the USSR by the first Soviet adm./territorial division reform (1923-29). The reform was developed by the Gosplan (State organization for the economic planning) and consisted in cancellation of the previous structure (gubernia – uyezd – volost) and introduction of a four-level system (oblast or territory – area – district – village soviet.) Instead of gubernias, oblasts were established in regions with predominant Russian population, and territories, in regions with complex, ethnically heterogeneous population. Autonomous Republics (ASSR) were established in regions of compact habitation of ethnic minorities. The oblasts and territories so created corresponded to economic regions defined by the Gosplan and exceeded former gubernias in area and population. Okrug, adm. unit next in status, was larger than former uyezd. As a result, 176 areas were established in the USSR instead of 766 uyezds. In the second Soviet reform of adm./territorial division (1930-39 and 1943-54), oblasts were downsized because of complexity of their governing; A. as intermediate links began to be canceled. On July 23, 1930 the Resolution “On Cancellation of Areas” of the USSR Central Exec. Committee and Government was issued. Most of them ceased to exist in the 2nd half of 1930. When Leningrad Oblast was established on Aug. 1 1927, it had nine A.: Leningrad, Luga, Lodeynoye Pole, Pskov, Velikiye Luki, Novgorod, Borovichi, Cherepovets, and Murmansk (see Leningrad Oblast.) By the Resolution of the Central Exec. Committee Presidium of June 3, 1929, Velikiye Luki Area was transferred to the new-established Western Oblast. After the area division was abolished, Murmansk Area was the only one left in Leningrad Oblast due to its remoteness from the Oblast center. In May 1938 it was converted into a separate Murmansk Oblast. On March 22 1935, Pskov and Kingisepp Areas were established in the borderland of Leningrad Oblast. They were canceled in Sept. 1940 after the Latvian and Estonian Republics became part of the USSR. In 2000, Federal Districts (Areas) were introduced by the Russian Federation President Decree as adm./territorial units based on economic/geographic zoning of the Soviet time. Leningrad Oblast belongs to the North-Western Federal District. Yegorov, Sergey Borisovich
Historical Toponyms/Borovichi Area
Historical Toponyms/Cherepovets Area
Historical Toponyms/Estonian SSR
Historical Toponyms/Kingisepp Area
Historical Toponyms/Kingisepp Area
Historical Toponyms/Leningrad Area
Historical Toponyms/Lodeynoye Pole Area
Historical Toponyms/Luga Area
Historical Toponyms/Murmansk Area
Historical Toponyms/Novgorod Area
Historical Toponyms/Pskov Area
Historical Toponyms/Velikiye Luki Area
Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области. Справочник. Л., 1966., С. 9-13
Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области. Л., 1973., С. 10-17
Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области. Справочник. Л., 1990., С. 10-13
Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области. СПб., 2002, С. 10-13