Hotin County

Hotin County was a county (ținut is Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, județ after) in the Principality of Moldavia (1359–1812), the Governorate of Bessarabia (1812–1917), the Moldavian Democratic Republic (1917–1918), and the Kingdom of Romania (1918–1940, 1941–1944). Its capital was in the city of Hotin (today Khotyn). The territory of the county is currently divided between Ukraine (northern half) and Moldova (southern half). Between the two world wars, Hotin County covered 3,782 km2 and was located in the northeastern part of Greater Romania, being the northernmost County of Bessarabia. It was located on the border with the Soviet Union. In the interwar period, its borders were as follows: the Vinnytsia Oblast in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union to the north and north-east, the Stanislawow Voivodship of Poland to the north-west, Soroca County to the south-east, Bălți County to south, Dorohoi County to the south and south-west, and Cernăuți County to the west. Administratively, Hotin County was divided administratively into the city of Hotin and four (later six) districts (plăşi, singular plasă): Plasa Briceni Plasa Hotin Plasa Lipcani Plasa Secureni Subsequently, two more districts were created: Plasa Sulița Plasa I.G. Duca At the autumn 1941 census, the county was administrative divided as follows: city of Hotin city of Sulița Plasa Cetatea Hotinului (or Clișcăuți), headquartered at Clișcăuți Plasa Chelmenți (or Vadul lui Traian), headquartered at Chelmenți Plasa Briceni, headquartered at Briceni Plasa Lipcani, headquartered at Lipcani Plasa Secureni, headquartered at Secureni Plasa Sulița (or B.P. Hașdeu), headquartered at Sulița According to the Romanian census of 1930 the population of Hotin County was 392,430, of which 41.6% were ethnic Ukrainians, 35.0% ethnic Romanians, 13.6% ethnic Russians, 9.2% Jews, 0.3% ethnic Poles. Classified by mother tongue: 45.1% spoke Ukrainian, 33.4% spoke Romanian, 12.0% spoke Russian, 9.2% spoke Yiddish. Classified by religion: 87.0% were Orthodox Christian, 9.