Oblast

An oblast (/ˈɒblæst/, UK also /ˈɒblɑːst/; plural oblasts, oblasti, or rarely oblasty; Russian and Ukrainian: область, romanized: oblast'; Belarusian: вобласць, romanized: voblasc'; Bulgarian: област, romanized: oblast; Kazakh: облыс, romanized: oblys; Kyrgyz: облус, romanized: oblus) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term oblast is often translated into English as region or province. In some countries, oblasts are also known by cognates of the Russian term.