City of district significance (Ukraine)
A city of district significance (Ukrainian: місто районного значення, misto raionnoho znachennia) is a special category of city municipalities within each of the rural raions (districts) of Ukraine's first-level of administrative divisions. These cities are subordinate to the raion authorities and derive their powers from them. The KOATUU national classification system refers to them as the third-level of the country's administrative divisions. As of 2015, there are 276 cities of district significance in Ukraine.
| City of district significance | |
|---|---|
Locations of cities of district significance in Ukraine | |
| Category | Third-level division of Ukraine |
| Found in | Raions (districts) |
| Created by | Verkhovna Rada law No.280/97-вр Adopted on 4 May 1997 |
| Number | 276 (as of 2015) |
| Additional status |
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| Populations | up to 50,000 |
| Areas | up to approx. 65 km2 (25 sq mi) |
| Part of a series on the |
| Subdivisions of Ukraine |
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| First level |
| Second level |
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| Third level |
Cities of district significance are automatically considered as "small cities", a status which is recognized by a few normative acts of the Verkhovna Rada. Ukrainian law designates these places with populations of up to 50,000. In 2008, the average population of a city of district significance was 13,400. Small cities can belong to one of several specific economic categories, often having a regional transportation significance, important local industry, or an important historical or tourist attraction.
As of 2015, 63 of the 276 cities of district significance are members of the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine, a public organization that was registered in 2011 to recognize the common issues of small cities in general and to further promote their development.