What is a Guberniya?

Guberniya (Russian: губе́рния) was an administrative division of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, similar to a province or region. The term is derived from the Russian word "губернник" (gubernik), which means "governor".

In the Russian Empire, guberniyas were established in 1708 as part of the reform of Peter the Great, and they existed until the Russian Revolution of 1917. Each guberniya was headed by a governor (gubernator) appointed by the tsar, and it was further divided into uyezds (districts), which were subdivided into volosts (rural districts).

In the Soviet Union, guberniyas were abolished in 1928 and replaced by oblasts (provinces) and krais (territories). However, some republics within the Soviet Union, such as Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, retained the term "guberniya" for their administrative divisions.

Overall, the term "guberniya" refers to a subnational administrative division with varying levels of autonomy and powers, depending on the historical context and political system in which it existed.