Ternopil Oblast ( uk, Тернопі́льська о́бласть, translit=Ternopilska oblast; also referred to as Ternopilshchyna, uk, Терно́пільщина, label=none, or Ternopillia, uk, Тернопілля, label=none) is an oblast (province) of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

. Its

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, L ...

is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret, a tributary of the

Dniester The Dniester, ; rus, Дне́стр, links=1, Dnéstr, ˈdⁿʲestr; ro, Nistru; grc, Τύρᾱς, Tyrās, ; la, Tyrās, la, Danaster, label=none, ) ( ,) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and ...

. Population: One of the natural wonders of the region are its

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

complexes.Tell about Ukraine. Ternopil Oblast
24 Kanal (youtube). Although Ternopil Oblast is among the smallest regions in Ukraine, over 100 caves have been discovered there. Scientists believe these are only 20% of all possible caves in the region. The biggest cave is Optymistychna Cave. Measuring in total length, it is the longest cave in

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...

and the fifth longest in the world (see list of longest caves). Twenty percent of the land in the region is chernozem soil. Among its attractions, Ternopil Oblast has 34 castles. By at least one account, the most prominent is the Zbarazh Castle with fortifications that expand over and was the epicenter of a 17th-century standoff between troops of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the army of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ...

. Dniester Canyon passes through the oblast; it is considered one of the wonders of Ukraine, stretching for .

Geography

The oblast is located in

Western Ukraine Western Ukraine or West Ukraine ( uk, Західна Україна, Zakhidna Ukraina or , ) is the territory of Ukraine linked to the former Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austri ...

and has an area of . It is situated at the western part of the Podilian Upland, which is known for its rocky terrain. Among noticeable mountains there are the

Kremenets Mountains Kremenets Mountains ( uk, Кременецькі гори; pl, Góry Krzemienieckie) is hill range in Volhynia in western Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European ...

. The oblast is also famous for its caves. One of the major rivers in the country

forms southern and southwestern borders of Ternopil Oblast with the adjacent

Chernivtsi Oblast Chernivtsi Oblast ( uk, Черніве́цька о́бласть, Chernivetska oblast), also referred to as Chernivechchyna ( uk, Чернівеччина) is an oblast (province) in Western Ukraine, consisting of the northern parts of the reg ...

and

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вська о́бласть, translit=Ivano-Frankivska oblast), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вщина), is an oblast (region) in western Ukrai ...

. Its tributaries that flow through the oblast include Zbruch, Seret, and Strypa among just a few of them. The Seret River (not to be confused with Siret nor Seret) is a left tributary of the Dniester flowing through the oblast administrative center, i.e. Ternopil. Ternopil Oblast is one of two oblasts in West Ukraine that do not have an international border. It is surrounded by five other

oblasts of Ukraine An oblast ( uk, о́бласть; ) in Ukraine, often called a region or province, is the main type of first-level administrative division of the country. Ukraine's territory is divided into 24 oblasts, as well as one autonomous republic, Crimea ...

– to the south,

– to the southwest,

Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast ( uk, Льві́вська о́бласть, translit=Lvivska oblast, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna ( uk, Льві́вщина, ), ). The name of each oblast is a relational adjective—in English translating to a noun adjunct w ...

– to the northwest, Rivne Oblast – to the north, and Khmelnytskyi Oblast – to the east.

History

Historic administrative affiliation of the area: * 1199-1434 Galicia-Volyn principality * 1434-1569: Crown of the Polish Kingdom: Ruthenian Voivodeship,

Podolian Voivodeship The Podolian Voivodeship, uk, Подільське воєводство or Palatinate of Podolia was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland, since 1434 until 1793, except for the period of Ottoman occu ...

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

: Ziemia wołyńska * 1566-1569: Crown of the Polish Kingdom: Ruthenian voivodship, Podolskie voivodship / Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Volyn Voivodship * 1569-1672: Crown of the Kingdom of Poland,

Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown Lesser Poland Province ( pl, Prowincja małopolska, la, Polonia Minor) was an administrative division of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1569 until 1795 and the biggest province of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The name of the pro ...

: Ruthenian voivodship, Volyn voivodship, Podolskie voivodship * 1672-1699: Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Małopolska province: Ruthenian voivodship, Volyn voivodship /

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

: Podolia Eyalet * 1699-1772: Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Małopolska province: Ruthenian voivodship, Volyn voivodship, Podolskie voivodship * 1772-1795: Habsburg monarchy,

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

('' Austrian Partition '') / Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Lesser Poland Province: Volhynia Voivodship * 1795-1804: Habsburg Monarchy, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria ('' Austrian Partition '') /

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

: Volhynia Governorate ('' Russian Partition ') * 1804-1867: Empire of Austria, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria ('' Austrian Partition '') / Russian Empire: Volyn Governorate ('' Russian Partition '') * 1867 - November 1918:

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria ('' Austrian Partition '') / Russian Empire: Volhynia Governorate ('' Russian Partition '') * November 1918 - July 1919 - West Ukrainian People's Republic (''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

'') * 1919 '' de facto '' (1923) '' de iure '' -1945:

Rzeczpospolita Polska Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Tarnopol Voivodeship Tarnopol Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo tarnopolskie) was an administrative region of interwar Poland (1918–1939), created on 23 December 1920, with an area of 16,500 km² and provincial capital in Tarnopol (now ''Ternopil'', Ukraine). The voi ...

, Volyn Voivodeship * 1944 (1945) - 1991:

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

: Ternopil region * since 1991:

: Ternopil region The oblast was created during the