Administrative divisions of Russia in 1708–1710

History of the administrative division of Russia
1708–1710
1710–1713
1713–1714
1714–1717
1717–1719
1719–1725
1725–1726
1726–1727
1727–1728
1728–1744
1744–1764

The administrative division reform of 1708 was carried out by Russian Tsar Peter the Great in an attempt to improve the manageability of the vast territory of Russia. Prior to the reform, the country was subdivided into uyezds and volosts, and in the 17th century the number of the uyezds was 166.

Creation

On December 29 [O.S. December 18], 1708, Peter issued an edict dividing Russia into eight governorates (guberniyas). The edict established neither the borders of the governorates nor their internal divisions; instead, their territories were defined as the sets of cities and the lands adjacent to those cities. Some older subdivision types also continued to be used.

List of the governorates created in 1708

Governorate	Name in Russian	Area	No. of homesteads	Modern divisions
Archangelgorod Governorate	Архангелогородская губерния	1,317,800 km2 (508,800 sq mi)	59,662	Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, and Vologda Oblasts; part of Kostroma Oblast, the Republic of Karelia, and the Komi Republic
Azov Governorate	Азовская губерния	393,700 km2 (152,000 sq mi)	35,820	Rostov, Tambov, and Voronezh Oblasts; eastern parts of Belgorod, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, and Tula Oblasts; parts of Penza Oblast and Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk Oblasts of Ukraine
Ingermanland Governorate	Ингерманландская губерния	482,500 km2 (186,300 sq mi)	105,977	Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, and Tver Oblasts; southern part of Arkhangelsk Oblast; western parts of Vologda and Yaroslavl Oblasts; part of the Republic of Karelia
Kazan Governorate	Казанская губерния	1,398,600 km2 (540,000 sq mi)	119,056	Volga Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan; parts of Perm Krai and Ivanovo, Kostroma, Penza, and Tambov Oblasts; northern parts of the Republics of Dagestan and Kalmykia
Kiev Governorate	Киевская губерния	231,000 km2 (89,000 sq mi)	31,230	Ukraine; parts of Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, and Tula Oblasts
Moscow Governorate	Московская губерния	128,600 km2 (49,700 sq mi)	190,770	Moscow Oblast, parts of Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kostroma, Ryazan, Tula, and Vladimir Oblasts
Siberia Governorate	Сибирская губерния	10,978,300 km2 (4,238,700 sq mi)	59,360	Siberia, most of the Urals; parts of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Kirov Oblast and the Komi Republic
Smolensk Governorate	Смоленская губерния	85,400 km2 (33,000 sq mi)	35,130	Smolensk Oblast; parts of Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula, and Tver Oblasts
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