Political divisions of Russia
Russia is a federation which consists of 89 subjects (Russian: субъект(ы); English transliteration: subyekty, sing. subyekt). These subjects are of equal federal rights in the sense that they have equal representation - 2 delegates each - in the Federation Council (upper house of the Russian parliament). However, they do differ in the degree of autonomy they enjoy. Each subject of the federation belongs to one of the following categories:
- 21 republics (Russian: республики, sing. республика; English transliteration: respubliki, sing. respublika) - most autonomous, each has its own constitution, parliament and president; represented by the central government in international affairs; usually home to a specific ethnic minority; in some of these, especially in the republic of Chechnya, separatist tendencies are quite strong.
- 49 regions (Russian: области, sing. область; English transliteration: oblasti, sing. oblast) - most common, regular administrative units.
- 6 territories (Russian: края, sing. край; English transliteration: kraya, sing. krai or kray, the latter being more gramatically correct, but less common) - similar to regions but usually more peripheral and less populated.
- 1 autonomous region (Russian: автономная область; English transliteration: avtonomnaya oblast).
- 10 autonomous districts (Russian: автономные округа, sing. автономный округ; English transliteration: avtonomnyye okruga, sing. avtonomny okrug) - more autonomous than regions but less than republics; usually with substantial or predominant ethnic minority.
- 2 federal cities (Russian: федеральные города, sing. федеральный город; English transliteration: federalnyye goroda, sing. federalny gorod) - major cities that function as separate regions.
These subjects of Federation (with the exception of federal cities) are further subdivided into districts (Russian: районы, sing. район; English transliteration: rayony, sing. rayon). This is somewhat similar to the counties of the United States.
Some of these subjects will be merged into larger territories starting in 2004. The first new one to be formed will be the Perm Krai, comprising the current Perm Oblast and Autonomous district of the Komi-Permyaks. The new territory is scheduled to come into being on December 1, 2005. A referendum to decide on merging the Irkutsk Oblast with the Autonomous district of the Ust-Ordinsk Buryats into an Irkutsk Krai will be held in 2004. Other projects include incorporating the Autonomous districts of the Evenks and Taymyr into a larger Krasnoyarsk Krai; merging that of the Yamal Nenetses with the Tyumen Oblast to form a Tyumen Krai; combining the Autonomous district of the Aga Buryats with the Chita Oblast; and even merging the existing Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Oblasts, the Republic of Komi and the Autonomous district of the Nenetses to form a proposed Northern, or Arctic Krai, or a Republic of Pomors-Nenetses.
All of the subjects are grouped into seven federal districts (Russian: федеральные округа, sing. федеральный округ; English transliteration: federalnyye okruga, sing. federalny okrug), each administered by a governor appointed by the president of the federation:
- Central (Russian: Центральный; English transliteration: Tsentralny), capital Moscow
- Southern (Russian: Южный; English transliteration: Yuzhny), capital Rostov-na-Donu
- Northwestern (Russian: Северо-Западный; English transliteration: Severo-Zapadny), capital St. Petersburg
- Far Eastern (Russian: Дальневосточный; English transliteration: Dalnevostochny), capital Khabarovsk
- Siberian (Russian: Сибирский; English transliteration: Sibirsky), capital Novosibirsk
- Urals (Russian: Уральский; English transliteration: Uralsky), capital Yekaterinburg
- Privolzhsky (Volga) (Russian: Приволжский; English transliteration: Privolzhsky), capital Nizhny Novgorod
For economic and statistical purposes Russia is also divided into eleven economic regions (Russian: экономические районы, sing. экономический район; English transliteration: ekonomicheskiye rayony, sing. ekonomichesky rayon):
- Central (Russian: Центральный; English transliteration: Tsentralny)
- Central-Chernozem (Russian: Центрально-чернозёмный; English transliteration: Tsentralno-Chernozyomny)
- East Siberia (Russian: Восточная Сибирь; English transliteration: Vostochnaya Sibir)
- Far East (Russian: Дальний Восток; English transliteration: Dalny Vostok)
- North (Russian: Северный; English transliteration: Severny)
- North Caucasus (Russian: Северный Кавказ; English transliteration: Severny Kavkaz)
- Northwest (Russian: Северо-западный; English transliteration: Severo-Zapadny)
- Povolzhe (Russian: Поволжье; English transliteration: Povolzhye; named indirectly after the Volga River)
- Urals (Russian: Урал; English tranlsliteration: Ural)
- Volga-Vyatka (Russian: Волго-Вятский; English transliteration: Volgo-Vyatsky)
- West Siberia (Russian: Западная Сибирь; English transliteration: Zapadnaya Sibir)
| No. | Abbr. | Subject of the federation | Capital city | Federal district | Economic region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republics - республики - respubliki | |||||
| 01 | AD | Adygeya (Адыгея) | Maikop (Майкоп) | South | North Caucasus |
| 02 | BA | Bashkortostan (Башкортостан) | Ufa (Уфа) | Volga | Urals |
| 03 | BU | Buryatia (Бурятия) | Ulan-Ude (Улан-Удэ) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 04 | AL | Altay (Алтай) | Gorno-Altaysk (Горно-Алтайск) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 05 | DA | Dagestan (Дагестан) | Makhachkala (Махачкала) | South | North Caucasus |
| 06 | IN | Ingushetia (Ингушская) | Nazran (Назрань) | South | North Caucasus |
| 07 | KB | Kabardino-Balkaria (Кабардино-Балкарская) | Nalchik (Нальчик) | South | North Caucasus |
| 08 | KL | Kalmykia (Калмыкия) | Elista (Элиста) | South | Povolzhe |
| 09 | KC | Karachay-Cherkessia (Карачаево-Черкесская) | Cherkessk (Черкесск) | South | North Caucasus |
| 10 | KR | Karelia (Карелия) | Petrozavodsk (Петрозаводск) | Northwest | North |
| 11 | KO | Komi (Коми) | Syktyvkar (Сыктывкар) | Northwest | North |
| 12 | ME | Mari-El (Марий-Эл) | Yoshkar-Ola (Йошкар-Ола) | Volga | Volga-Vyatka |
| 13 | MO | Mordovia (Мордовия) | Saransk (Саранск) | Volga | Volga-Vyatka |
| 14 | SA | Sakha (Yakutia) (Саха (Якутия)) | Yakutsk (Якутск) | Far East | Far East |
| 15 | SE | North Ossetia (Alania) (Северная Осетия) | Vladikavkaz (Владикавказ) | South | North Caucasus |
| 16 | TA | Tatarstan (Татарстан) | Kazan (Казань) | Volga | Povolzhe |
| 17 | TY | Tuva (Тува) | Kyzyl (Кызыл) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 18 | UD | Udmurtia (Удмуртская) | Izhevsk (Ижевск) | Volga | Urals |
| 19 | KK | Khakassia (Хакасия) | Abakan (Абакан) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 20 | CE | Chechnya (Чеченская) | Grozny (Грозный) | South | North Caucasus |
| 21 | CU | Chuvashia (Чувашская (Чаваш)) | Cheboksary (Чебоксары) | Volga | Volga-Vyatka |
| Territories - края - kraya | |||||
| 22 | ALT | Altaysky (Алтайский) | Barnaul (Барнаул) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 23 | KDA | Krasnodarsky (Краснодарский) | Krasnodar (Краснодар) | South | North Caucasus |
| 24 | KYA | Krasnoyarsky (Красноярский) | Krasnoyarsk (Красноярск) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 25 | PRI | Primorsky or Maritime (Приморский) | Vladivostok (Владивосток) | Far East | Far East |
| 26 | STA | Stavropolsky (Ставропольский) | Stavropol (Ставрополь) | South | North Caucasus |
| 27 | KHA | Khabarovsky (Хабаровский) | Khabarovsk (Хабаровск) | Far East | Far East |
| Regions - области - oblasti | |||||
| 28 | AMU | Amurskaya (Амурская) | Blagoveshchensk (Благовещенск) | Far East | Far East |
| 29 | ARK | Archangelskaya (Архангельская) | Archangelsk (Архангельск) | Northwest | North
|
| 30 | AST | Astrakhanskaya (Астраханская) | Astrakhan (Астрахань) | South | Povolzhe |
| 31 | BEL | Belgorodskaya (Белгородская) | Belgorod (Белгород) | Central | Central-Chernozem |
| 32 | BRY | Bryanskaya (Брянская) | Bryansk (Брянск) | Central | Central |
| 33 | VLA | Vladimirskaya (Владимирская) | Vladimir (Владимир) | Central | Central |
| 34 | VGG | Volgogradskaya (Волгоградская) | Volgograd (Волгоград) | South | Povolzhe |
| 35 | VLG | Vologodskaya (Вологодская) | Vologda (Вологда) | Northwest | North |
| 36 | VOR | Voronezhskaya (Воронежская) | Voronezh (Воронеж) | Central | Central-Chernozem |
| 37 | IVA | Ivanovskaya (Ивановская) | Ivanovo (Иваново) | Central | Central |
| 38 | IRK | Irkutskaya (Иркутская) | Irkutsk (Иркутск) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 39 | KGD | Kaliningradskaya (Калининградская) | Kaliningrad (Калининград) | Northwest | Northwest |
| 40 | KLU | Kaluzhskaya (Калужская) | Kaluga (Калуга) | Central | Central |
| 41 | KAM | Kamchatskaya (Камчатская) | Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Петропавловск-Камчатский) | Far East | Far East |
| 42 | KEM | Kemerovskaya (Кемеровская) | Kemerovo (Кемерово) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 43 | KIR | Kirovskaya (Кировская) | Kirov (Киров) | Volga | Volga-Vyatka |
| 44 | KOS | Kostromskaya (Костромская) | Kostroma (Кострома) | Central | Central |
| 45 | KGN | Kurganskaya (Курганская) | Kurgan (Курган) | Urals | Urals |
| 46 | KRS | Kurskaya (Курская) | Kursk (Курск) | Central | Central-Chernozem |
| 47 | LEN | Leningradskaya (Ленинградская) | St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) | Northwest | Northwest |
| 48 | LIP | Lipetskaya (Липецкая) | Lipetsk (Липецк) | Central | Central-Chernozem |
| 49 | MAG | Magadanskaya (Магаданская) | Magadan (Магадан) | Far East | Far East |
| 50 | MOS | Moskovskaya (Московская) | Moscow (Москва) | Central | Central |
| 51 | MUR | Murmanskaya (Мурманская) | Murmansk (Мурманск) | Northwest | North |
| 52 | NIZ | Nizhegorodskaya (Нижегородская) | Nizhny Novgorod (Нижний Новгород) | Volga | Volga-Vyatka |
| 53 | NGR | Novgorodskaya (Новгородская) | Novgorod (Новгород) | Northwest | Northwest |
| 54 | NVS | Novosibirskaya (Новосибирская) | Novosibirsk (Новосибирск) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 55 | OMS | Omskaya (Омская) | Omsk (Омск) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 56 | ORE | Orenburgskaya (Оренбургская) | Orenburg (Оренбург) | Volga | Urals |
| 57 | ORL | Orlovskaya (Орловская) | Oryol (Орёл) | Central | Central |
| 58 | PNZ | Penzenskaya (Пензенская) | Penza (Пенза) | Volga | Povolzhe |
| 59 | PER | Permskaya (Пермская) | Perm (Пермь) | Volga | Urals |
| 60 | PSK | Pskovskaya (Псковская) | Pskov (Псков) | Northwest | Northwest |
| 61 | ROS | Rostovskaya (Ростовская) | Rostov-na-Donu (Ростов) | South | North Caucasus |
| 62 | RYA | Ryazanskaya (Рязанская) | Ryazan (Рязань) | Central | Central |
| 63 | SAM | Samarskaya (Самарская) | Samara (Самара) | Volga | Povolzhe |
| 64 | SAR | Saratovskaya (Саратовская) | Saratov (Саратов) | Volga | Povolzhe |
| 65 | SAK | Sakhalinskaya (Сахалинская) | Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Южно-Сахалинск) | Far East | Far East |
| 66 | SVE | Sverdlovskaya (Свердловская) | Yekaterinburg (Екатеринбург) | Urals | Urals |
| 67 | SMO | Smolenskaya (Смоленская) | Smolensk (Смоленск) | Central | Central |
| 68 | TAM | Tambovskaya (Тамбовская) | Tambov (Тамбов) | Central | Central-Chernozem |
| 69 | TVE | Tverskaya (Тверская) | Tver (Тверь) | Central | Central |
| 70 | TOM | Tomskaya (Томская) | Tomsk (Томск) | Siberia | West Siberia |
| 71 | TUL | Tulskaya (Тульская) | Tula (Тула) | Central | Central |
| 72 | TYU | Tyumenskaya (Тюменская) | Tyumen (Тюмень) | Urals | West Siberia |
| 73 | ULY | Ulyanovskaya (Ульяновская) | Ulyanovsk (Ульяновск) | Volga | Povolzhe |
| 74 | CHE | Chelyabinskaya (Челябинская) | Chelyabinsk (Челябинск) | Urals | Urals |
| 75 | CHI | Chitinskaya (Читинская) | Chita (Чита) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 76 | YAR | Yaroslavskaya (Ярославская) | Yaroslavl (Ярославль) | Central | Central |
| Federal cities - федеральные города - federalnyye goroda | |||||
| 77 | MOW | Moscow (Москва) | Central | Central | |
| 78 | SPE | St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) | Northwest | Northwest | |
| Autonomous region - автономная область - avtonomnaya oblast | |||||
| 79 | YEV | Yevreyskaya or Jewish (Еврейская) | Birobidzhan (Биробиджан) | Far East | Far East |
| Autonomous districts - автономные округа - avtonomnyye okruga | |||||
| 80 | AGB | Aga Buryatia Агинский-Бурятский) | Aginskoye (Агинское) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 81 | KOP | Permyakia (Коми-Пермяцкий) | Kudymkar (Кудымкар) | Volga | Urals |
| 82 | KOR | Koryakia (Корякский) | Palaba (Палаба) | Far East | Far East |
| 83 | NEN | Nenetsia (Ненецкий) | Naryan-Mar (Нарьян-Мар) | Northwest | North |
| 84 | TAY | Taymyria (Таймырский (Долгано-Ненецкий) | Dudinka (Дудинка) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 85 | UOB | Ust-Orda Buryatia (Усть-Ордынский Бурятский) | Ust-Ordynsky (Усть-Ордынский) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 86 | KHM | Khantia-Mansia (Ханты-Мансийский) | Khanty-Mansiysk (Ханты-Мансийск) | Urals | West Siberia |
| 87 | CHU | Chukotka (Чукотский) | Anadyr (Анадырь) | Far East | Far East |
| 88 | EVE | Evenkia (Эвенкийский) | Tura (Тура) | Siberia | East Siberia |
| 89 | YAN | Yamalia (Ямало-Ненецкий) | Salekhard (Салехард) | Urals | West Siberia |
See also: list of subjects by federal district.