Vinnytsia Oblast

Vinnytsia Oblast (Ві́нницька о́бласть; ʋˈinːɪtsjɐ, also referred to as Vinnychchyna (Ві́нниччина), is an oblast in west-central Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia. The oblast has a population of Vinnytsia Oblast, first established on February 27, 1932, originally comprised raions (regions) of the following former okruhas of Ukraine (districts of Soviet Ukraine): Uman Okruha Berdychiv Okruha Vinnytsia Okruha Mohyliv Okruha Tulchyn Okruha Shepetivka Okruha Proskuriv Okruha Kamianets Okruha In 1935 bordering territories of the oblast were transformed into Soviet border districts: Shepetivka Okrug, Proskuriv Okrug, and Kamianets Okrug. In 1937 the Kamianets Oblast, based on the border districts, was formed (it later became Khmelnytsky Oblast). During World War II the occupying Axis powers split the territory of Vinnytsia Oblast between the General District Shitomir (Zhytomyr in Reichskommissariat Ukraine) and the Transnistria Governorate of the Kingdom of Romania. In October 1941 the Romanians established a concentration camp in the oblast, it detained mostly Jews. The oblast is located in the central part of the Right Bank Ukraine and borders seven other administrative oblasts of Ukraine. Along the southwest of the oblast the Dniester river passes. A long section of the state border with Moldova. The Vinnytsia oblast has appreciable mineral deposits and other exploitable raw materials. There are 1,159 deposits and other various mineral resources, tens of peat deposits, unique deposits of granite and kaolin, garnet and fluorite that have been explored. The raw kaolin deposits are the world largest, containing 800 million tons. Furthermore, a number of medicinal mineral springs have been found in the oblast, with health benefits comparable to the radon springs found in the town of Khmilnyk. The unique decorative qualities of Vinnytsia's granites, sorbites, vinnytsites, and charnockites are used to manufacture stone, facing slabs, window sills, monuments, etc.