Taurida Oblast
Taurida Oblast was an administrative-territorial unit of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Southern Ukraine regions. It was created out of territories of the Crimean Khanate, which Russia annexed from the Ottoman Empire in 1783. In 1796 it was merged into the Novorossiya Governorate. The name Taurida comes from the old Greek name for the area, Tauris, as in ancient times several Greek city-states had developed colonial outposts in the area.
The oblast was created under the Imperial ukase of February 1784 signed by Catherine the Great. The administrative seat of the region was declared the city of Simferopol. Before 1784, Qarasuvbazar served as a temporary administrative center.
Administrative structure
The oblast was divided into seven counties.- Dnieper county - centered in Aleshki
- Levkopol county - centered in Levkopol
- Melitopol county - centered in Melitopol
- Perekop county - centered in Perekop
- Phanagoria county - centered in Phanagoria
- Simferopol county - centered in Simferopol
- Yevpatoria county - centered in Yevpatoriya.
On 12 December 1796 the oblast was abolished, its territory was redivided into two counties and passed to the Novorossiya Governorate. The city of Simferopol name was changed to Aqmescit.