Poltava Governorate

1802–1925 unit of Russia

Governorate in Russian Empire

Poltava Governorate

Полтавская губерния

Governorate

Coat of arms

Location in the Russian Empire

Country| Russian Empire
Established| 1802
Abolished| 1925
Capital| Poltava
Area

• Total| 49,894 km2 (19,264 sq mi)
Population

(1897)

• Total| 2,778,151
• Density| 56/km2 (140/sq mi)
• Urban

| 9.87%
• Rural

| 90.13%

Poltava Governorate[a] was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire. It included the territory of left-bank Ukraine and was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Little Russia Governorate, which was split between Chernigov and Poltava Governorates with its capital in Poltava.

## Administrative division

[edit]

Poltava Governorate in 1913

It was administered by 15 uezds (povits):

* Gadyachsky Uyezd (Gadyach – Гадячъ) (Hadiach)
* Zenkovsky Uyezd (Zenkov – Зеньковъ) (Zinkiv)
* Zolotonoshsky Uyezd (Zolotonosha – Золотоноша)
* Kobelyaksky Uyezd (Kobeliaky – Кобеляки)
* Konstantinogradsky Uyezd (Konstantinograd – Константиноградъ) (modern Krasnohrad)
* Kremenchugsky Uyezd (Kremenchug – Кременчугъ) (Kremenchuk)
* Lokhvitsky Uyezd (Lokhvytsia – Лохвица) (Lokhvytsia)
* Lubensky Uyezd (Lubny – Лубны)
* Mirgorodsky Uyezd (Mirgorod – Миргородъ) (Myrhorod)
* Pereyaslavsky Uyezd (Pereiaslav – Переяславъ)
* Piryatinsky Uyezd (Pyriatyn – Пирятинъ) (Pyriatyn)
* Poltavsky Uyezd (Poltava – Полтава)
* Priluksky Uyezd (Pryluky – Прилуки) (Pryluky)
* Romensky Uyezd (Romny – Ромны)
* Khorolsky Uyezd (Khorol – Хороль)

Most of these ended up in the modern Poltava Oblast of Ukraine, although some: Zolotonosha, Krasnohrad, Pereiaslav and Romny are now part of Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Sumy Oblasts respectively.

The Poltava Governorate covered a total area of 49,365 km2, and had a population of 2,778,151 according to the 1897 Russian Empire census. It was bordering the following Russian Governorates: Chernigov Governorate and Kursk Governorate to the north, Kiev Governorate to the west, Kharkov Governorate to the east, Kherson Governorate and Yekaterinoslav Governorate to the south. In 1914, the population was 2,794,727. After the formation of the Ukrainian SSR, the territory was wholly included into the new Soviet Republic. Initially the governorate system was retained although variations included the Kremenchug Governorate [uk] which was temporarily formed on its territory (August 1920 – December 1922), and the passing of the Pereyaslav uezd to the Kiev Governorate. However, on Third of June 1925 the guberniya was liquidated and replaced by five okrugs (which already were the uyezd subdivision as of seventh of March 1923): Kremenchutsky, Lubensky, Poltavsky, Prylutsky and Romensky (the rest two okrugs existed within the guberniya, Zolotonoshsky and Krasnohradsky, were also liquidated).

## Principal cities

[edit]

Imperial census of 1897.

Russian Census of 1897, the cities of more than 10,000 people. In bold are the cities of over 50,000.

* Kremenchug – 63,007 (Jewish – 29,577, Ukrainian – 18,980, Russian – 12,130)
* Poltava – 53,703 (Ukrainian – 30,086, Russian – 11,035, Jewish – 10,690)
* Romny – 22,510 (Ukrainian – 13,856, Jewish – 6,341, Russian – 1,933)
* Priluki – 18,532 (Ukrainian – 11,850, Jewish – 5,719, Russian – 821)
* Pereyaslav – 14,614 (Ukrainian – 8,348, Jewish – 5,737, Russian – 468)
* Kobeliaki – 10,487 (Ukrainian – 7,708, Jewish – 2,115, Russian – 564)
* Zenkov – 10,443 (Ukrainian – 8,957, Jewish – 1,261, Russian – 187)
* Lubny – 10,097 (Ukrainian – 5,975, Jewish – 3,001, Russian – 960)
* Mirgorod – 10,037 (Ukrainian – 8,290, Jewish – 1,248, Russian – 427)

## Language

[edit]

By the Imperial census of 1897,[1] in bold are languages spoken by more people than the state language.

Comparison with other province (1897)

Language  | Number  | percentage (%)  | males  | females

|
|
|
|

Ukrainian | 2,583,133  | 92.98  |  |
Yiddish | 110,352  | 3.97  |  |
Russian  | 72 941  | 2.63  |  |
German  | 4 579  | 0.16  |  |
Polish | 3 891  | 0.14  |  |
Belarusian | 1 344  | 0.05  |  |
Persons
that did not identify
their native language  | 92  | <0.01  |  |
Other[b] | 1 819  | 0.07  |  |

## Religion

[edit]

By the Imperial census of 1897,[2] the major religion in the region that was virtually the state religion was the Eastern Orthodox with some population following Judaism. Other religions in the governorate were much less common.

Religion  | Number  | percentage (%)  | males  | females

|
|
|
|

Eastern Orthodox | 2,654,645  | 95.55  |  |
Judaism | 110,944  | 3.99  |  |
Other[c] (Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Old Believers) | 12 562  | 0.45  |  |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^

* Russian: Полтавская губерния, pre-1918: Полтавская губернія, romanized: Poltavskaya guberniya
* Ukrainian: Полтавська губернія, romanized: Poltavsʼka huberniia

2. ^ Languages, number of speakers which in all gubernia were less than 1000
3. ^ Religions, number of believers which in all gubernia were less than 10000

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Language Statistics of 1897 (in Russian)
2. ^ Religion Statistics of 1897 (in Russian)

## External links

[edit]

* Poltava Guberniya – Article in Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian)
* Poltava Governorate – Historical coat of arms (in Ukrainian and English)
* Chernihiv gubernia – Article in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine

* v
* t
* e

Subdivisions of the Russian Empire

Governorates
(List)|

* Azov¹
* *Altai²
* Arkhangelsk
* Archangelgorod
* Astrakhan
* Belgorod
* Bessarabia
* Bratslav
* Belarus
* Caucasus
* Chernigov
* Grodno
* Finland
* Iziaslav
* Ingermanland
* Irkutsk
* Kazan
* Kaluga
* Kiev (1708)
* Kiev
* Kharkov
* Kherson
* Kholm
* Kovno
* Kolyvan
* Kostroma
* Kursk
* Lithuania
* Little Russia (1764)
* Little Russia (1796)
* Minsk
* Mogilev
* Moscow
* Nikolayev
* Nizhny Novgorod
* Novgorod-Seversky
* Novgorod
* Novorossiya
* Olonets
* Orenburg
* Oryol
* Penza
* Perm
* *Petrograd²
* Podolia
* Polotsk
* Poltava
* Pskov
* Ryazan
* Samara
* Saint Petersburg
* Saratov
* Siberia
* Simbirsk
* Sloboda Ukraine
* Slonim
* Smolensk
* Stavropol
* Taurida
* Tambov
* Tver
* Tobolsk
* Tomsk
* Tula
* Ufa
* Vilna
* Vitebsk
* Vladimir
* Voznesensk
* Vologda
* Volhynia
* Voronezh
* Vyatka
* Vyborg
* Yaroslavl
* Yekaterinoslav
* Yeniseysk

Oblasts|

* Amur
* Belostok
* Bessarabia
* Don Host
* Transbaikal
* Kamchatka
* Caspian
* Kwantung
* Orenburg Kirgiz
* Omsk
* Primorskaya
* Sakhalin
* Taurida
* Tarnopol
* Turgay
* Ural
* Yakut

Oblasts of Stepnoy Krai|

* Akmolinsk
* Siberia Kirgiz
* Semipalatinsk

Oblasts of Turkestan Krai|

* Transcaspian
* Samarkand
* Semirechye Oblast
* Syr-Darya Oblast
* Turkestan
* Fergana

Caucasus Viceroyalty|

* Baku (Governorate)
* Black Sea
* Derbent
* Elizavetpol
* Erivan
* Georgia-Imeretia
* Georgia
* Kutaisi
* Shemakha
* Tiflis
* Armenian
* Batum
* Dagestan
* Imeretia
* Kars
* Kuban
* Terek
* Sukhumi
* Zakatal
* Baku (Gradonachalstvo)

Baltic Governorates³|

* Courland
* Livonia
* Reval
* Riga
* Estonia

Governorates of Finland|

* Abo-Byorneborg
* Vaza
* Vyborg
* Kuopio
* Nyuland
* Sankt-Mikhel
* Tavastgus
* Uleaborg

Governorates of Poland|

* Avgustov
* Warsaw
* Kalish
* Keltsy
* Krakov
* Lomzha
* Lyublin
* Mazovia
* Petrokov
* Plotsk
* Podlyashye
* Radom
* Sandomir
* Sedlets
* Suvalki

Governorates of
Galicia and Bukovina|

* Lvov
* Peremyshl
* Tarnopol
* Chernovtsy

Dependencies|

* Bukey Horde
* Emirate of Bukhara
* Khanate of Kokand
* Russian America
* *Uryankhay Krai²
* Khanate of Khiva
* Zeravshan Okrug

¹ Italics indicates renamed or abolished governorates, oblasts, etc on 1 January 1914.
² An asterisk (*) indicates governorates formed or created with renaming after 1 January 1914.
³ Ostsee or Baltic general-governorship was abolished in 1876.

* v
* t
* e

Governorates of Ukraine (1918–1925)

1918–1921|

* Volyn
* Podillia
* Kyiv
* Poltava
* Chernihiv
* Kharkiv
* Tavria
* Taurida
* Katerynoslav
* Kherson
* Kholm
* Polissia

1921–1925|

* Volyn
* Podillia
* Kyiv
* Poltava
* Chernihiv
* Kharkiv
* Zaporizhzhia
* Donetsk
* Katerynoslav
* Kremenchuk
* Odesa

* v
* t
* e

Historical regions in present-day Ukraine

Geographical regions|

* Central Ukraine / Dnieper Ukraine
* Left-bank Ukraine
* Right-bank Ukraine
* Polissia
* Siveria
* Kryvbas
* Eastern Ukraine
* Donbas
* Pryazovia
* Sloboda Ukraine
* Zaporizhzhia
* Southern Ukraine
* Budjak
* Yedisan
* Crimea
* Novorossiya
* Western Ukraine
* Chełm Land
* Carpathian Ruthenia
* Halychyna
* Hertsa region
* Lodomeria
* Naddnistrianshchyna
* Northern Bukovina
* Northern Maramorshchyna
* Podolia
* Pokuttia
* Prykarpattia
* Volhynia

States and tribes of classical antiquity
and the Early Middle Ages|

* Cimmeria
* Sarmatia
* Dacia
* Taurica
* Scythia
* Khazaria
* Onoğurs
* Kazarig
* Avar Khaganate
* Old Great Bulgaria
* Ruthenia

Principalities of Kyivan Rus'|

* Chernigov
* Halych
* Novhorod-Seversk
* Kyiv
* Terebovlia
* Turov
* Pereyaslav
* Volhynia

Post-Mongol era regions|

* Golden Horde
* Crimean Khanate
* Principality of Theodoro
* Red Ruthenia
* Cherven Cities
* Carpathian Ruthenia
* Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia

Polish–Lithuanian regions|

* Belz Voivodeship
* Bracław Voivodeship
* Chernihiv Voivodeship
* Kyiv Voivodeship
* Podolian Voivodeship
* Ruthenian Voivodeship
* Volhynian Voivodeship
* Wild Fields

Ottoman provinces|

* Ottoman Ukraine
* Danube Vilayet
* Kefe Eyalet
* Podolia Eyalet
* Silistra Eyalet
* Yedisan

Cossack regions|

* Cossack Hetmanate
* Right-bank Ukraine
* Left-bank Ukraine
* Sloboda Ukraine
* Zaporozhian Sich
* Little Russia

Imperial Russian regions|

* Black Sea Cossack Host
* Southwestern Krai / Kyiv Military District
* Kyiv Governorate
* Volhynian Governorate
* Podolia Governorate
* Bessarabia Governorate
* Kharkov Governorate
* Kyiv Governorate (1708–64)
* New Serbia
* Slavo-Serbia
* Little Russia Governorate (1764–1781)
* Little Russia Governorate (1796–1802)
* Volhynian Viceroyalty
* Poltava Governorate
* Chernihiv Governorate
* Kholm Governorate
* Kharkov Governorate
* Taurida Governorate
* Novorossiya Governorate
* Yekaterinoslav Governorate
* Kherson Governorate
* Nikolayev War Governorate
* Gradonachalstvo
* Odessa
* Izmail
* Nikolayev
* Sevastopol
* Feodosia
* Kerch-Yenikale
* Yalta
* Taganrog

Austro-Hungarian provinces|

* Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
* Duchy of Bukovina

20th-century regions and states|

* Ukrainian People's Republic
* West Ukrainian People's Republic
* Ukrainian State
* Lemko Republic
* Hutsul Republic
* Makhnovshchina
* Ukrainian SSR
* Moldavian ASSR
* Drohobych Oblast
* Izmail Oblast
* Crimean Oblast
* Lviv Voivodeship
* Ternopil Voivodeship
* Volyn Voivodeship
* Stanyslaviv Voivodeship
* Carpatho-Ukraine
* Governorate of Subcarpathia
* Kharkiv Governorate
* Reichskommissariat Ukraine
* Distrikt Galizien

Ethno-Ukrainian regions abroad|

* Green Ukraine
* Grey Ukraine
* Kholm
* Kuban
* Lemko Region
* Southern Maramorshchyna
* Priashiv
* Sian River
* Yellow Ukraine

* v
* t
* e

Okruhas of the Ukrainian SSR

Volhynian Governorate|

* Zhytomyr
* Korosten
* Shepetivka

Yekaterinoslav Governorate|

* Berdyansk†
* Zaporizhia
* Katerynoslav
* Kryvyi Rih
* Melitopol
* Oleksandriia†
* Pavlohrad

Poltava Governorate|

* Zolotonosha†
* Kremenchuk
* Krasnohrad†
* Lubny
* Poltava
* Pryluky
* Romny

Podolia Governorate|

* Vinnytsia
* Kamianets
* Haisyn†
* Mohyliv
* Proskuriv
* Tulchyn

Odesa Governorate|

* Zinovievsk
* Mykolaiv
* Balta†
* Odesa
* Pershomaisk
* Kherson

Kiev Governorate|

* Berdychiv
* Bila Tserkva
* Malyn†
* Kiev
* Uman
* Shevchenkivska
* Shevchenkivska (Korsun)†

Kharkov Governorate|

* Izyum
* Kupiansk
* Okhtyrka†
* Sumy
* Kharkiv

Donetsk Governorate|

* Artemivsk
* Luhansk
* Mariupil
* Starobilsk
* Staline
* Taganrog†
* Shakhty†

Chernigov Governorate|

* Konotop
* Hlukhiv
* Nizhyn
* Chernihiv
* Snovsk†

† denoted okruhas which were abolished, merged, or transferred over to different Soviet republics in 1924-25

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