Ternopil Oblast Тернопільська область Ternopilska oblast |
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Oblast | |||
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Nickname(s): Тернопільщина (Ternopilshchyna) | |||
Country | Ukraine | ||
Administrative center |
Ternopil Chortkiv(1944) |
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Government | |||
• Governor | Stepan Barna (Petro Poroshenko Bloc) | ||
• Oblast council | 120 seats | ||
• Chairperson | Vasyl Khominets (Svoboda) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 13,823 km2 (5,337 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | Ranked 22nd | ||
Population (2006) | |||
• Total | 1,107,294 | ||
• Rank | Ranked 23rd | ||
• Density | 80/km2 (210/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Postal code | ? | ||
Area code | +380-35 | ||
ISO 3166 code | UA-61 | ||
Raions | 17 | ||
Cities (total) | 14 | ||
• Regional cities | 1 | ||
Urban-type settlements | 17 | ||
Villages | 1019 | ||
FIPS 10-4 | UP22 | ||
Website | www.adm.gov.te.ua |
Ternopil Oblast (Ukrainian: Тернопільська область, translit. Ternopilska oblast; also referred to as Ternopilshchyna - Ukrainian: Тернопільщина, Polish: Obwód Tarnopolski) is an oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.
One of the natural wonders of the region are its cave complexes. Although Ternopil Oblast is among the smallest regions in Ukraine, over 100 caves have been discovered up to now. Scientists believe that it is only 20% of all possible caves in the region. The biggest cave is Optymistychna Cave. Measuring 230 km (140 mi) in total length, it places the cave in first place in length among caves of Eurasia and the fifth in the world ranking (see list of longest caves). Twenty percent of the land in the region is chornozem soil.
Ternopil Oblast is accounts for some 34 castles. The most prominent one is the Zbarazh Castle. Its fortifications alone expand over 16 ha (40 acres). In the summer of 1649 the castle was the epicenter of a standoff between troops of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These events were later described in the novel "With Fire and Sword" by Polish Nobel Prize recipient Henryk Sienkiewicz.