Kyiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, also called Kyivshchyna, is an oblast in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, which is administered as a city with special status. However, Kyiv also serves as the administrative center of the oblast. The Kyiv metropolitan area extends out from Kyiv city into parts of the oblast, which is significantly dependent on the urban economy and transportation of Kyiv.
The population of Kyiv Oblast is Its largest city is Bila Tserkva, with a population over 200,000.
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is in the northern part of Kyiv Oblast. It is administered separately from the oblast and public access is prohibited.
History
Kyiv Oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on February 27, 1932 among the first five original oblasts in Ukraine. It was established on territory that had been known as Ruthenian land.Earlier historical administrative units that became the territory of the oblast include the Kiev Voivodeship under the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kiev Viceroyalty and Kiev Governorate under the Russian Empire. The northern part of the oblast belongs to the historical region of Polesia.
In Kyiv region, there was a specific folk icon-painting style much influenced by the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra painting school. Saints were depicted on the deep purple or black background, their clothes dark, their haloes dark blue, dark green or even black, outlined by thin white dotted contours. The Kyiv region's icons collection is the part of the exhibition of the Museum of Ukrainian home icons in the Historical and cultural complex "The Radomysl Castle".
The current borders of the oblast were set following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Administrative oversight of the new city of Slavutych, which was constructed as part of the Chernihiv Oblast, was then transferred to the Kyiv Oblast.
On 24 February 2022, the Russian Armed Forces invaded Kyiv Oblast as part of its Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine launched a counter-offensive to retake the region in March 2022. The oblast was declared free of invaders on 2 April 2022 by the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar., aljazeera.com According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense its troops had retaken more than 30 towns and villages around Kyiv. However, on April 9, 2022 the Russians attacked the Oblast again, even destroying a railway station in Bucha.
Geography
Kyiv Oblast has a total area of and is located in north-central Ukraine. On the west it borders the Zhytomyr Oblast, on the southwest – Vinnytsia Oblast, on the south – Cherkasy Oblast, on the southeast – Poltava Oblast, on the east and northeast – Chernihiv Oblast, and on the north – Homyel Voblasts of Belarus.The oblast is equally split between both banks of the Dnieper River north and south of Kyiv. Other significant rivers in the oblast are the Dnieper's tributaries: Pripyat , Desna, Teteriv, Irpin', Ros' and Trubizh.
The length of the Dnipro River within the boundaries of the oblast totals. The oblast has a total number of 177 rivers intersecting the region; 13 reservoirs, over 2000 ponds, and approximately 750 small lakes.
Climate
The climate of Kyiv Oblast is characteristic of the Polesia area and other neighboring forested areas. The oblast has a moderately continental climate with relatively mild winters and warm summers. The temperatures range from in January to degrees in July.File:Oleksandriia Park in Bila Tserkva.jpg|thumb|left|250px|View of the historical landscape park "Oleksandriya" in the city of Bila Tserkva.
Vegetation
Kyiv Oblast has small mountains and slopes on the right bank of the Dnieper River. This entire area is surrounded by a continuous belt by greenery and forests. The oblast's "green area" covers, characterized by 250 different sorts of trees and bushes.Demographics
According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, ethnic Ukrainians accounted for 92.5% of the population of Kyiv Oblast, and ethnic Russians for 6.0%.The current estimated population is around 1.72 million. The population density is 63.01/km2.
The urban population, according to the 2001 Ukrainian Census data, accounted for 1,053,500 people, or 57.6%, and the rural population – for 774,400 people, or 42.4%.
According to the data, the number of men accounted for 845,900 people, or 46.3%, that of women – 982,000 people, or 53.7%.
Language
Due to the Russification of Ukraine during the Soviet era, the share of Ukrainian speakers in the population of Kyiv Oblast gradually decreased, while the share of Russian speakers increased. Native language of the population of Kyiv Oblast according to the results of population censuses:| 1959 | 1970 | 1989 | 2001 | |
| Ukrainian | 92.5% | 91.9% | 88.4% | 92.3% |
| Russian | 6.5% | 7.5% | 10.9% | 7.2% |
| Other | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
Native language of the population of the raions, cities and city councils of Kyiv Oblast according to the 2001 Ukrainian census:
| Ukrainian | Russian | |
| Kyiv Oblast | 92.3% | 7.2% |
| City of Bila Tserkva | 86.6% | 12.3% |
| City of Berezan | 92.1% | 7.5% |
| Boryspil | 88.4% | 11.1% |
| City of Brovary | 86.4% | 12.9% |
| City of Vasylkiv | 87.3% | 12.2% |
| Irpin | 87.8% | 11.6% |
| City of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi | 95.9% | 3.6% |
| City of Fastiv | 90.8% | 8.6% |
| City of Rzhyshchiv | 95.1% | 4.3% |
| City of Slavutych | 55.4% | 42.6% |
| Baryshivka Raion | 96.5% | 3.0% |
| Bila Tserkva Raion | 95.7% | 4.0% |
| Bohuslav Raion | 97.6% | 2.2% |
| Boryspil Raion | 95.7% | 3.8% |
| Borodianka Raion | 94.7% | 4.8% |
| Brovary Raion | 96.9% | 2.8% |
| Vasylkiv Raion | 95.4% | 4.2% |
| Volodarka Raion | 97.8% | 1.9% |
| Vyshhorod Raion | 90.3% | 9.3% |
| Zghurivka Raion | 97.0% | 2.3% |
| Ivankiv Raion | 96.5% | 3.1% |
| Kaharlyk Raion | 97.0% | 2.7% |
| Kyiv-Sviatoshyn Raion | 91.4% | 8.1% |
| Makariv Raion | 95.7% | 3.8% |
| Myronivka Raion | 96.7% | 3.0% |
| Obukhiv Raion | 87.3% | 12.2% |
| Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Raion | 97.1% | 2.6% |
| Poliske Raion | 97.2% | 2.2% |
| Rokytne Raion | 98.0% | 1.8% |
| Skvyra Raion | 97.4% | 1.9% |
| Stavyshche Raion | 98.3% | 1.4% |
| Tarashcha Raion | 97.9% | 1.7% |
| Tetiiv Raion | 98.2% | 1.5% |
| Fastiv Raion | 96.2% | 3.3% |
| Yahotyn Raion | 96.1% | 3.5% |
Ukrainian is the only official language on the whole territory of Kyiv Oblast.
According to a poll conducted by Rating from 16 November to 10 December 2018 as part of the project «Portraits of Regions», 68% of the residents of Kyiv Oblast believed that the Ukrainian language should be the only state language on the entire territory of Ukraine. 9% believed that Ukrainian should be the only state language, while Russian should be the second official language in some regions of the country. 19% believed that Russian should become the second state language of the country. 4% found it difficult to answer.
On 21 March 2023, Kyiv Oblast Council approved the «Programme for the Development and Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language in All Spheres of Public Life in the Kyiv Oblast for 2023—2025», the main objectives of which are to strengthen the positions of the Ukrainian language in various spheres of public life in the oblast and to Ukrainianize the refugees from other regions of Ukraine.
According to the research of the Content Analysis Centre, conducted from 15 August to 15 September 2024, the topic of which was the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian languages in the Ukrainian segment of social media, 87.2% of posts from Kyiv Oblast were written in Ukrainian, while 12.8% were written in Russian.
After Ukraine declared independence in 1991, Kyiv Oblast, as well as Ukraine as a whole, experienced a gradual Ukrainization of the education system, which had been Russified during the Soviet era. Dynamics of the ratio of the languages of instruction in general secondary education institutions in Kyiv Oblast:
| Language of instruction, % of pupils | 1991— 1992 | 1992— 1993 | 1993— 1994 | 1994— 1995 | 1995— 1996 | 2000— 2001 | 2005— 2006 | 2007— 2008 | 2010— 2011 | 2012— 2013 | 2015— 2016 | 2018— 2019 | 2021— 2022 | 2022— 2023 |
| Ukrainian | 84.6% | 86.7% | 89.7% | 91.1% | 92.0% | 97.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.4% | 99.7% | 99.95% | 100.0% |
| Russian | 15.4% | 13.3% | 10.3% | 8.9% | 8.0% | 3.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.05% | — |
According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, in the 2023—2024 school year, all 237,624 pupils in general secondary education institutions in Kyiv Oblast were studying in classes where Ukrainian was the language of instruction.