Raion#Raions in the Soviet Union

The word raion is derived from French rayon, which is itself derived from Frankish *hrātu 'honeycomb'. It is used in many languages spanning Central Europe to Central Asia and Siberia. For instance, {{langx|az|rayon}}; {{langx|be|раён|rajon}}; {{langx|bg|район|rajon}}; {{lang-ka|რაიონი|tr}}; {{langx|de|Rayon}}; {{langx|izh|raijona}}; {{langx|lv|rajons}}; {{langx|lt|rajonas}}; {{langx|pl|rejon}}; {{langx|ro|raion}}; {{langx|ru|район|raion}}; {{langx|tr|reyon}}; {{langx|uk|район|rajon}}; {{langx|ug|رايون|rayon}}; and {{langx|sah|оройуон|oroyuon}}.

Fourteen countries have or had entities that were named "raion" or the local version of it.

In the Soviet Union, raions were administrative divisions created in the 1920s to reduce the number of territorial divisions inherited from the Russian Empire and to simplify their bureaucracies.James R. Millar. Encyclopedia of Russian History. Macmillan Reference USA. New York, 2004. {{ISBN|0-02-865693-8}} The process of conversion to the system of raions was called raionirovanie ("regionalization"). It was started in 1923 in the Urals, North Caucasus, and Siberia as a part of the Soviet administrative reform and continued through 1929, by which time the majority of the country's territory was divided into raions instead of the old volosts and uyezds.

The concept of raionirovanie was met with resistance in some republics, especially in Ukraine, where local leaders objected to the concept of raions as being too centralized in nature and ignoring the local customs. This point of view was backed by the Soviet Russian People's Commissariat of Nationalities. Nevertheless, eventually all of the territory of the Soviet Union was regionalized.

Soviet raions had self-governance in the form of an elected district council (raysovet) and were headed by the local head of administration, who was either elected or appointed.

{{Further|Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of Romania}}

Following the model of the Soviet Union, raions were introduced in Bulgaria and Romania. In China the term is used in Uyghur in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

In Romania they have been later replaced.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, raions as administrative units continue to be used in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine.

They are also used in breakaway regions: Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria.

In Georgia they exist as districts in Tbilisi.

{{Main|Districts of Abkhazia}}

Abkhazia is divided into seven districts.

{{Main|Districts of Azerbaijan}}

{{Main|Districts of Belarus}}

In Belarus, raions ({{langx|be|раён, rajon}}According to the [http://www.pravo.by/pdf/2007-159/2007-159(027-028).pdf Instruction on Latin Transliteration of Geographical Names of the Republic of Belarus, Decree of the State Committee on Land Resources, Surveying and Cartography of the Republic of Belarus dated 23.11.2000 No. 15] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924081314/http://www.pravo.by/pdf/2007-159/2007-159(027-028).pdf |date=2015-09-24 }} recommended for use by the Working Group on Romanization Systems of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) — {{cite web |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/9th-uncsgn-docs/e-conf-98-crp-21.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-07-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824062135/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/9th-UNCSGN-Docs/E-CONF-98-CRP-21.pdf |archive-date=2009-08-24 }}. See also: Instruction on transliteration of Belarusian geographical names with letters of Latin script; Romanization of Belarusian.) are administrative units subordinated to oblasts. See also: :Category:Districts of Belarus.

In Bulgaria, raions are subdivisions of three biggest cities: Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. Sofia is subdivided to 24 raions (Sofia districts), Plovdiv - 6, Varna - 5 raions.

• Administrative divisions of Moldova

{{Main|Districts of South Ossetia}}

{{Main|Districts of Transnistria}}

{{main|Districts of Russia}}

{{Main|Raions of Ukraine|Urban districts of Ukraine}}

In Ukraine, there are a total of 136 raions which are the administrative divisions of oblasts (provinces) and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Major cities as well as the two national cities with special status (Kyiv and Sevastopol) are also subdivided into raions (constituting a total of 118 nationwide).

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Category:Political divisions of Russia

+Raion

Category:Subdivisions of Belarus

Category:Types of administrative division

Category:Former subdivisions of the Socialist Republic of Romania

Category:Russian-language designations of territorial entities

Category:Subdivisions of Georgia (country)

Category:Administrative divisions of Ukraine