Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast (Ukrainian: Херсонська область, romanized: Khersonska oblast, IPA: [xerˈsɔnʲsʲkɐ ˈɔblɐsʲtʲ]; Russian: Херсонская область), also known as Khersonshchyna (Херсонщина, IPA: [xerˈsɔnʃtʃɪnɐ]), is an oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank of the Dnieper river, which bisects the oblast. The oblast has an area of 28,461 km2 and a population of 1,001,598 (2022 estimate). It is considered the 'fruit basket' of the country, as much of its agricultural production is dispersed throughout the country, with production peaking during the summer months.
Kherson Oblast
Херсонська область | |
|---|---|
Oblast | |
| Khersonska oblast | |
Kherson Oblast State Administration | |
|
Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Херсонщина (Khersonshchyna) | |
Pre-July 2020 boundary shown | |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Established | 1944 |
| Administrative center | Kherson |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Oleksandr Prokudin |
| • Oblast council | 64 seats |
| Area | |
| • Total | 28,461 km2 (10,989 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Total | 1,001,598 |
| • Rank | Ranked 22nd |
| • Density | 35/km2 (91/sq mi) |
| Gross Regional Product | |
| • Total | ₴ 88 billion (€2.283 billion) |
| • Per capita | ₴ 87,378 (€2,262) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Area code | +380-55 |
| ISO 3166 code | UA-65 |
| Vehicle registration | ВT |
| Raions | 5 |
| Cities (total) | 9 |
| • Regional cities | 3 |
| Urban-type settlements | 30 |
| Villages | 658 |
| FIPS 10-4 | UP08 |
| Website | khoda.gov.ua |
Most of the area of the oblast has been under Russian military occupation since early in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 30 September 2022, Russia claimed to annex Kherson Oblast, along with the Donetsk (Donetsk People's Republic), Luhansk (Luhansk People's Republic) and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, but the referendums and subsequent claimed annexations are internationally unrecognized. Ukraine recaptured the whole area on the right bank of the Dnieper, including Kherson city, by mid-November 2022, in the Kherson counteroffensive.