Kyiv Oblast

File:UkraineKiev.png

Kyiv region (Київська область, Kyivs’ka oblast’ in Ukrainian) is an oblast' in northern Ukraine. Its capital is Kyiv. Despite hosting governing bodies of the province, Kyiv itself is independent from surrounding oblast' (being a municipality). The Russian name of the region is Kievskaya oblast' (since the city is called Kiev in Russian), a variant which is more familiar to readers in the West.

Geographically, the province is divided into two almost equal parts by the Dnipro River flowing southwards.

The north-western end of the province is a part of a closed devastated zone around the former nuclear plant of Chornobyl. The largest city within zone is Pryp'yat (now a ghost town).

The area of the region is 28,000 km². Its population, excluding Kyiv itself, (as of 2003-01-01) is 1.8 million.

Important cities include:

• Bila Tserkva
• Brovary
• Boryspil'
• Irpin'-Kotsiubyns'ke-Bucha-Vorzel' (these neighboring towns are practically merged into conurbation)
• Fastiv
• Vasyl'kiv