Poltava Oblast – Birth Place of the Ukrainian Language

Situated in central Ukraine, the Poltava Oblast is said to be the place where the Ukrainian language was born. Also known as the Poltavska Oblast, this region covers an area of approximately 28 800 square kilometers. The oblast is home to roughly 1 600 000 people who enjoy a fairly low population density that leads to comfortable living conditions. It shares its borders with several other regions, namely: Chernihiv, Sumy, Dnopropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv and Kiev. The city of Poltava serves as the administrative center of the region but several other important cities - such as Komsomolsk, Lubny, Myrhorod and Kremenchuk – are also found in this Ukrainian region.

The Poltava Region has been established for centuries and today it is believed that most Ukrainian spoken across the country is loosely based on a local peasant dialect which was spoken here in the 19th century. With this in mind, it is also important to remember that the majority of the people living here speak Russian, Russian Creole or Surzhyk – which is a Ukrainian dialect. The reason for this has a lot to do with the industry in Poltavska, since a lot of Russians have immigrated to the region to support the industry. The fact that much of Ukraine has been under Russian rule at some time or another is also a reason behind the Russification. Nevertheless, it is fortunate that the industry in Poltavska drew so many people because today it plays an important role in the local economy. To this day the Poltava Oblast is a major producer of oil and natural gas for Ukraine. It also processes iron ore and is home to a large number of small and large industrial organizations.

The Poltava Oblast does not sustain itself on industry alone. Its agricultural yield is also good with emphasis being placed on sugar beets, sunflower seeds, grain and potatoes. Farmers also farm cattle for meat and milk and engage in poultry farming. Generally speaking, the oblast is easily divided into 25 districts, 15 cities, 21 urban villages and 1862 rural villages. These various villages make for interesting touring and creative tourists will find ways to quietly move from one to the next, making friends at each stop since most of the people who live here are warm and welcoming.

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