Krais of Russia

A krai (Russian: край, tr. kray, IPA: [kraj], lit. 'region, edge') is a type of federal subject of the Russian Federation. The country is divided into 85 federal subjects, of which nine are krais. Oblasts, another type of federal subject, are legally identical to krais and the difference between a political entity with the name "krai" or "oblast" is purely traditional; both are constituent entities equivalent in legal status in Russia with representation in the Federation Council (similar to the commonwealths and states in the United States being equivalent in legal status). During the Soviet era, the autonomous oblasts could be subordinated to republics or krais, but not to oblasts. Outside of political terminology, both words have a very similar general meaning ("region" or "area" in English) and can often be used interchangeably. When a distinction is desirable, "krai" is sometimes translated into English as "territory", while "oblast" can variously be translated to "province" or "region", but both of these translations are also reasonable interpretations of "krai".