Ternopil Oblast (Ukrainian: Тернопільська область, romanized: Ternópilʹsʹka óblastʹ), also referred to as Ternopilshchyna (Ukrainian: Тернопільщина, romanized: Ternópilʹščyna) or Ternopillia (Ukrainian: Тернопілля, romanized: Ternopíllja), is an oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret, a tributary of the Dniester. Population: 1,021,713 (2022 estimate).
One of the natural wonders of the region are its cave complexes. Although Ternopil Oblast is among the smallest regions in Ukraine, over 100 caves have been discovered there. Scientists believe these are only 20% of all possible caves in the region. The biggest cave is Optymistychna Cave. Measuring 267 km (166 mi) in total length, it is the longest cave in Eurasia and the fifth-longest in the world. Twenty percent of the land in the region is chernozem soil.
Among its attractions, Ternopil Oblast has 34 castles. By at least one account, the most prominent is the Zbarazh Castle with fortifications that expand over 16 ha (40 acres) and was the center of a 17th-century standoff between troops of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Dniester Canyon passes through the oblast; it is considered one of the wonders of Ukraine, stretching for 250 km (160 mi).
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Geography
The oblast is located in western Ukraine and has an area of 13,800 km2 (5,300 sq mi). It is situated at the western part of the Podilian Upland, which is known for its rocky terrain. Among noticeable mountains there are the Kremenets Mountains. The oblast is also famous for its caves.
One of the major rivers in the country, the Dniester, forms the southern and southwestern borders of Ternopil Oblast with the adjacent Chernivtsi Oblast and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Its tributaries that flow through the oblast include Zbruch, Seret, and Strypa. The Seret River is a left tributary of the Dniester flowing through the city of Ternopil.
Ternopil Oblast is surrounded by five other oblasts of Ukraine: Chernivtsi Oblast – to the south, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast – to the southwest, Lviv Oblast – to the northwest, Rivne Oblast – to the north, and Khmelnytskyi Oblast – to the east.
History
Historic administrative affiliation of the area:
1199–1253: Principality of Galicia-Volhynia
1253–1434: Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia
1434–1569: Kingdom of Poland: Ruthenian Voivodeship, Podolian Voivodeship / Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Ziemia wołyńska
1566–1569: Kingdom of Poland: Ruthenian Voivodship, Podolskie Voivodship / Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Volyn Voivodship
1569–1672: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown (Małopolska): Ruthenian Voivodeship, Volyn Voivodeship, Podolskie Voivodeship
1672–1699: Poland-Lithuania, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Małopolska province: Ruthenian Voivodeship, Volyn Voivodeship / Ottoman Empire: Podolia Eyalet
1699–1772: Poland-Lithuania, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Małopolska province: Ruthenian Voivodeship, Volyn Voivodeship, Podolskie Voivodeship
1772–1795: Habsburg monarchy: Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (Austrian Partition) / Poland-Lithuania, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Lesser Poland Province: Volhynia Voivodship
1795–1804: Habsburg Monarchy: Galicia and Lodomeria, East Galicia (Austrian Partition) / Russian Empire: Volhynia Governorate (Russian Partition)
1804–1809: Austrian Empire: Galicia and Lodomeria, East Galicia (Austrian Partition) / Russian Empire: Volyn Governorate (Russian Partition)
1809–1815: Austrian Empire: Galicia and Lodomeria (Austrian Partition) / Russian Empire: Volyn Governorate (Russian Partition), Tarnopolsky Krai (formerly of the Austrian Partition)
Points of interest
The oblast is known for its castles and fortresses. Due to the underfunding of the state program for the preservation of cultural heritage, many of objects of historical significance are in poor condition. The following historic-cultural sites were nominated for the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.
Verteba Cave, a cave in Borshchiv Raion
Bohyt, a hill near Zbruch River where was found the Zbruch idol (Husiatyn Raion)
Buchach Ratusha, a former town hall in Buchach
Pochaiv Lavra, located in the city of Pochaiv, one of the biggest holy places of Christian Orthodox in Ukraine
Zarvanytsia Spiritual Center, a big holy place of Greek Catholics of Podillia (Terebovlia Raion)
Vyshnivets Palace, a princely palace in Vyshnivets (Zbarazh Raion)
Camp UPA, a museum of Ukrainian resistance movement in Shumsk Raion
Dzhuryn Waterfall
Castles of Ternopil Region (Ternopil Castle, Berezhany Castle, Zbarazh Castle, and others)
Population
The estimated population is 1,038,694 (2020 est.)
Ethnic composition
According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, ethnic Ukrainians accounted for 97.8% of the population of Ternopil Oblast, and ethnic Russians for 1.2%.
Language
Ternopil Oblast was one of the few oblasts of the Ukrainian SSR where the share of Ukrainian speakers was increasing despite the Russification of Ukraine carried out in the USSR. Native language of the population of Ternopil Oblast according to the results of population censuses:
Native language of the population of the raions and cities of Ternopil Oblast according to the 2001 Ukrainian census:
Ukrainian is the only official language on the whole territory of Ternopil Oblast.
On 6 November 2018, a moratorium on the public use of Russian-language cultural products was imposed in Ternopil Oblast by a decision of the Ternopil Oblast Council.
According to a poll conducted by Rating from 16 November to 10 December 2018 as part of the project «Portraits of Regions», 95% of the residents of Ternopil Oblast believed that the Ukrainian language should be the only state language on the entire territory of Ukraine. 2% believed that Ukrainian should be the only state language, while Russian should be the second official language in some regions of the country. 3% found it difficult to answer.
In 2022, Ternopil Oblast Council approved the «Regional Programme for the Development and Functioning of the Ukrainian Language in the Ternopil Oblast for 2023—2027», the main objectives of which are to strengthen the positions of the Ukrainian language in various spheres of public life in the oblast and to Ukrainianize the refugees from other regions of Ukraine.
According to the research of the Content Analysis Centre, conducted from 15 August to 15 September 2024, the topic of which was the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian languages in the Ukrainian segment of social media, 94.6% of posts from Ternopil Oblast were written in Ukrainian (92.0% in 2023, 85.8% in 2022, 49.5% in 2020), while 5.4% were written in Russian (8.0% in 2023, 14.2% in 2022, 50.5% in 2020).
After Ukraine declared independence in 1991, Ternopil Oblast, as well as Ukraine as a whole, experienced a gradual Ukrainization of the education system, which had been Russified during the Soviet era. Dynamics of the ratio of the languages of instruction in general secondary education institutions in Ternopil Oblast:
Age structure
0-14 years: 15.7% (male 86,309/female 81,940)
15-64 years: 69.0% (male 360,305/female 381,271)
65 years and over: 15.3% (male 53,364/female 110,887) (2013 official)
Median age
total: 38.6 years
male: 35.8 years
female: 41.4 years (2013 official)
Economy and transportation
The economy is predominantly agriculturally oriented. Among industries, there is a well developed food industry particularly sugar production, alcohol, and dairy (such as butter). There is also number of factories such as "Vatra" (lighting equipment), Ternopil Harvester Plant, "Orion" (radio communication) among a few.
Ternopil Oblast has an adequate network of highways, while the city of Ternopil is located at the intersection of main European corridors along the E50 and E85 highways. There is a small airport in Ternopil (Ternopil Airport) which however mostly is used for charter flights. There is a well developed railroad network which is a part of the Lviv Railways. Water transportation is very limited and mostly along the Dniester River.
Subdivisions
After 18 July 2020
Before 18 July 2020
Before the 2020 administrative reform, Ternopil Oblast was administratively subdivided into 17 raions (districts), as well as 1 city (municipality) which is directly subordinate to the oblast government: Ternopil, the administrative center of the oblast. The average area of a raion was around 808 km2 (312 sq mi), the biggest one was Terebovlia Raion covering 1,130 km2 (440 sq mi) and the smallest one - Pidhaitsi Raion with 496 km2 (192 sq mi). The average population number was around 50.6 thousands which is just below the national average.
Notable people
In town of Buchach was born a Nobel Prize recipient, writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon. The prize was given for works about fate of Galician Jews. Agnon worked for a Lviv newspaper, but after refusal to serve in the army he moved to Mandatory Palestine. In Ukraine he published over 70 of his early works.
Solomiya Krushelnytska, one of the brightest soprano opera stars of the first half of the 20th century, was born in Biliavyntsi., Chortkiv Raion.
Petro Gadz, entrepreneur and politician
Mike Mazurki, American professional athlete and actor 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) in height
Lee Strasberg, American theatre director and actor
Mykola Bychok, Cardinal who participated in the 2025 papal conclave which elected Leo XIV was born here in 1980