Autonomous okrugs of Russia

Autonomous okrug
Autonomous okrug
	1. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug 2. Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug 3. Nenets Autonomous Okrug 4. Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
	1. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug 2. Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug 3. Nenets Autonomous Okrug 4. Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Category	Federated state
Location	Russian Federation
Number	4
Populations	42,090 (Nenets Autonomous Okrug) – 1,532,243 (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug)
Areas	177,000 km2 (68,200 sq mi) (Nenets Autonomous Okrug) - 750,000 km2 (289,700 sq mi) (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug)
Government	Okrug Government;
Subdivisions	administrative: districts, cities and towns of okrug significance, towns of district significance, urban-type settlements of district significance, selsoviets; municipal: urban okrugs, municipal districts, urban settlements, rural settlements;

Autonomous okrugs (Russian: автономный округ, avtonomnyy okrug; more correctly referred to as "autonomous districts" or "autonomous areas") are a type of federal subject of the Russian Federation and simultaneously an administrative division type of some federal subjects. As of 2014, Russia has four autonomous okrugs of its 85 federal subjects. The Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is the only okrug which is not subordinate to an oblast. The other three are Arkhangelsk Oblast's Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and Tyumen Oblast's Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.

According to the constitution of the USSR, autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and autonomous okrugs had the right, by means of a referendum, to independently resolve the issue of staying in the USSR or in the seceding union republic, as well as to raise the issue of their state-legal status.[1]

History

Originally called national okrug, this type of administrative unit was created in the 1920s and widely implemented in 1930s to provide autonomy to indigenous peoples of the North, like the Karelian National Okrug for the Tver Karelians. In 1977, the 1977 Soviet Constitution changed the term "national okrugs" to "autonomous okrugs" in order to emphasize that they were indeed autonomies and not simply another type of administrative and territorial division. While the 1977 Constitution stipulated that the autonomous okrugs are subordinated to the oblasts and krais, this clause was revised on December 15, 1990, when it was specified that autonomous okrugs are subordinated directly to the Russian SFSR, although they still may stay in jurisdiction of a krai or an oblast to which they were subordinated before.

Autonomous Okrugs

Name	Domestic names	Capital	Population (2010)[2]	Area	Formation
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Чукотский Автономный Округ (Chukotskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Chukot: Чукоткакэн Aвтономныкэн Округ (Chukotkaken Avtonomnyken Okrug)	Anadyr Russian: Анадырь (Anadyr) Chukot: Кагыргын (Kagyrgyn)	50,526	721,481 km² (278,565 sq mi)	1930-12-10
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Ханты-Мансийский Автономный Округ (Khanty-Mansiyskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Khanty: Хӑнты-Мансийской Aвтономной Округ (Ȟănty-Mansijskoj Avtonomnoj Okrug) Mansi: Ханты-Мансийский Автономный Округ (Hanty-Mansijskij Avtonomnyj Okrug)	Khanty-Mansiysk Russian: Ханты-Мансийск (Khanty-Mansiysk) Khanty: Ёмвоҷ (Yomvoḉ) Mansi: Абга (Abga)	1,532,243	534,801 km² (206,488 sq mi)	1930-12-10
Nenets Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Ненецкий Автономный Округ (Nenetskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Nenets: Ненёцие Aвтономной Ӈокрук (Nenjocije Awtonomnoj Ŋokruk)	Naryan-Mar Russian: Нарьян-Мар (Naryan-Mar) Nenets: Няръянa Mарˮ (Nyar'yana Marq)	42,090	176,810 km² (68,267 sq mi)	1929-07-15
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Ямало-Ненецкий Автономный Округ (Yamalo-Nenetskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Nenets: Ямалы-Ненёцие Aвтономной Ӈокрук (Yamaly-Nenyotsiye Avtonomnoj Ŋokruk)	Salekhard Russian: Салехард (Salekhard) Nenets: Саляʼ Xарад (Salja’ Harad)	522,904	769,250 km² (297,009 sq mi)	1930-12-10

Former Autonomous Okrugs

Name	Domestic names	Capital	Population	Area	Years
Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Агинский Бурятский Автономный Округ (Aginskiy Buryatskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Buryat: Агын Буряадай Aвтономито Tойрог (Agyn Buryaaday Avtonomito Toyrog)	Aginskoye Russian: Агинское (Aginskoye) Buryat: Ага (Aga)	76,383 (2008)	19,592 km² (7,565 sq mi)	1937–2008
Evenk Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Эвенкийский Автономный Округ (Evenkiyskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Evenki: Эведы Автомоды Округ (Ēvēde Avtōmōde Okrug)	Tura Russian: Тура (Tura) Evenki: Typy (Turu)	16,979 (2007)	763,197 km² (294,672 sq mi)	1930–2007
Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Коми-Пермяцкий Автономный Округ (Komi-Permyatskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Komi-Permyak: Коми-Пермяцкöй Aвтономнöй Округ (Komi-Permjacköj Avtonomnöj Okrug)	Kudymkar Russian: Кудымкар (Kudymkar) Komi-Permyak: Кудымкöр (Kudymkör)	132,824 (2005)	32,770 km² (12,653 sq mi)	1930–2005
Koryak Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Корякский Автономный Округ (Koryakskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Koryak: Чав’чываокруг (Čav’čyvaokrug)	Palana Russian: Палана (Palana) Koryak: Пылылъын (Pylylʺyn)	22,580 (2007)	292,600 km² (112,973 sq mi)	1930–2007
Taymyr Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Таймырский Автономный Округ (Taymyrskiy Avtonomny Okrug)	Dudinka Russian: Дудинка (Dudinka)	38,372 (2007)	879,929 km² (339,742 sq mi)	1930–2007
Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug	Russian: Усть-Ордынский Бурятский Автономный Округ (Ust’-Ordynskiy Avtonomny Okrug) Buryat: Усть-Ордын Буряадай Aвтономито Tойрог (Ust’-Ordyn Buryaaday Avtonomito Toyrog)	Ust-Ordynsky Russian: Усть-Ордынский (Ust-Ordynsky) Buryat: Ордын Адаг (Ordyn Adag)	134,320 (2008)	22,400 km² (8,649 sq mi)	1937–2008

Recent developments

In 1990, ten autonomous okrugs existed within the RSFSR. Between 2005 and 2008, the three autonomous okrugs in which the titular nationality constituted more than 30% of the population were abolished. Since then, three more have been abolished, leaving four. On 13 May 2020, the governors of Arkhangelsk Oblast and Nenets Autonomous Okrug announced their plan to merge following the collapse of oil prices stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] The process was subsequently scrapped on July 2 following public outcry to the merger.[5]

The ten autonomous okrugs in 1990 were:

Entity in 1990	Status in August 2008
Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug	now Agin-Buryat Okrug of Zabaykalsky Krai
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug within Magadan Oblast	no longer subordinated to Magadan Oblast
Evenk Autonomous Okrug within Krasnoyarsk Krai	now Evenkiysky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai
Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug within Tyumen Oblast	(no change)
Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug	now Komi-Permyak Okrug of Perm Krai
Koryak Autonomous Okrug within Kamchatka Oblast	now Koryak Okrug of Kamchatka Krai
Nenets Autonomous Okrug within Arkhangelsk Oblast	(no change)
Taymyr Autonomous Okrug within Krasnoyarsk Krai	now Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai
Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug within Irkutsk Oblast	now Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug of Irkutsk Oblast
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug within Tyumen Oblast	(no change)

Ethnic composition of autonomous okrugs

The table below also includes autonomous okrugs which have since changed status.

Autonomous Okrug	titular nation				Russians				other[6]
year	1979	1989	2002	2010	1979	1989	2002	2010	1979	1989	2002	2010
Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug[7]	▲52,2	▲ 54,9	▲ 62,5		▼42	▼ 40,8	▼ 35,1
Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug[7]	▲61,6	▼ 60,2	▼ 59		▼34,9	▲ 36,1	▲ 38,1
Koryak Autonomous Okrug (all indigenous)[7]	16,3	▲ 16,45	▲ 26,6	▲30,3	62,9	▼ 62	▼ 50,5	▼46,2		24,9	▲ 40,5	▲46,5
Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Komi)	▼12,8	▼ 11,9	▲ 18,6	18,6	▲66	▼ 65,8	▼ 62,4	▲ 66,1	▼11,1	▼ 9,5	▲ 10,8	▼ 9
Taymyr Autonomous Okrug (Dolgan and Nenets)[7]	▼9,6	▼ 8,9	▲ 13,8	▲ 15,7	▲68,9	▼ 67,1	▼ 58,6	▼ 50,0	▼5	▼ 4,4	▲ 7,6	▲ 10,1
Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug[7]	▲34,1	▲ 36,3	▲ 39,6		▼58,3	▼ 56,5	▼ 54,4
Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug	▼1,9	▼ 0,9	▲ 1,2	▲ 1,3	▼74,3	▼ 66,3	▼ 66	▲ 68,1	▼1,1	▼ 0,5	▲ 0,7	▲ 0,8
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (all indigenous)	▼8,1	▼ 7,3	▲ 23,4	▲ 26,7	▼68,6	▼ 66,1	▼ 51,8	▲ 52,5		9,6	▲ 30,8	▲ 35,3
Evenk Autonomous Okrug[7]	▼20	▼ 14,1	▲ 21,5	▲ 22,0	▲62,5	▲ 67,5	▼ 61,9	▼ 59,4
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Nenets)	▼10,7	▼ 4,2	▲ 5,2	▲ 5,9	▲59,1	▲ 59,2	▼ 58,8	▲ 61,7		▼1,5	▲ 1,7	▲ 1,9

References

"СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК. ЗАКОН О порядке решения вопросов, связанных с выходом союзной республики из СССР" (in Russian). Retrieved June 13, 2022.
"2010 All-Russian Population Census" (PDF). All-Russian Population Census (in Russian). December 22, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
Quinn, Eilís (May 14, 2020). ""Catastrophic" economic situation prompts merger talks for Nenets AO and Arkhangelsk Oblast". The Barents Observer. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
"Russian Regions to Become Single Federal Subject in Decade-First". The Moscow Times. May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
Antonova, Elizaveta (July 2, 2020). "The head of the Nenets Autonomous District declared refusal to unite with the Arkhangelsk region". RBC (in Russian). Retrieved July 6, 2020.
Are the people who are in parentheses next to the autonomous regions and the second-largest two-part indigenous autonomous regions.
liquidated Autonomous okrug.