The Black Sea Governorate[a] was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, established in 1896 on the territory of the Black Sea Okrug [ru] of the Kuban Oblast. The administrative center of the governorate was the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. In 1905, the population of the governorate was approximately 70,000 and its area was 6,455 square versts (7,346 km2; 2,836 sq mi), making it the smallest Russian governorate by both measures.[1] The governorate ceased to exist when the Black Sea Soviet Republic was established on its territory in the spring of 1918—later the governorate was incorporated into the Kuban-Black Sea Oblast of the Russian SFSR in March 1920.

Black Sea Governorate
Черноморская губернія
Coat of arms of Black Sea Governorate
Administrative map of the Black Sea Governorate
Administrative map of the Black Sea Governorate
CountryRussian Empire
ViceroyaltyCaucasus
Established1849
Abolished1917
CapitalNovorossiysk
Area
 • Total6,675.68 km2 (2,577.49 sq mi)
Population
 (1916)
 • Total178,306
 • Density27/km2 (69/sq mi)
 • Urban
46.39%
 • Rural
53.61%

Administrative divisions

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The districts (okrugs) of the Black Sea Governorate in 1917 were as follows:[2][3]

Name Administrative centre Population Area
1897[4] 1916[5] 1897 1916
Novorossiysky okrug (Новороссійскій округъ) Novorossiysk 16,869 51,651 34,908 75,021 999.13 square versts (1,137.07 km2; 439.03 sq mi)
Sochinsky okrug (Сочинскій округъ) Sochi 1,392 13,254 13,519 62,920 3,304.84 square versts (3,761.11 km2; 1,452.17 sq mi)
Tuapsinsky okrug (Туапсинскій округъ) Tuapse 1,352 17,817 9,051 40,365 1,561.86 square versts (1,777.49 km2; 686.29 sq mi)

Demographics

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Russian Empire Census

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According to the Russian Empire Census, the Black Sea Governorate had a population of 57,478 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 34,776 men and 22,702 women. The plurality of the population indicated Russian to be their mother tongue, with significant Ukrainian, Armenian, and Greek speaking minorities.[2]

Linguistic composition of the Black Sea Governorate in 1897[2]
Native language Number %
Russian 24,635 42.86
Ukrainian 9,252 16.10
Armenian 6,285 10.93
Greek 5,969 10.38
Circassian 1,939 3.37
Czech 1,290 2.24
Jewish 990 1.72
Georgian 967 1.68
Romanian 923 1.61
Estonian 791 1.38
German 748 1.30
Polish 731 1.27
Belarusian 659 1.15
Turkish 650 1.13
Mingrelian 304 0.53
Tatar[b] 291 0.51
Persian 210 0.37
Imeretian 158 0.27
Other 686 1.19
TOTAL 57,478 100.00
Religious composition of the Black Sea Governorate in 1897[8]
Faith Male Female Both
Number %
Eastern Orthodox 26,085 16,980 43,065 74.92
Armenian Apostolic 3,506 2,635 6,141 10.68
Muslim 2,072 1,031 3,103 5.40
Roman Catholic 1,485 944 2,429 4.23
Lutheran 835 580 1,415 2.46
Judaism 567 461 1,028 1.79
Old Believer 53 36 89 0.15
Armenian Catholic 58 24 82 0.14
Reformed 70 1 71 0.12
Karaite 18 6 24 0.04
Anglican 4 2 6 0.01
Mennonite 0 2 2 0.00
Baptist 1 0 1 0.00
Other Christian denomination 5 0 5 0.01
Other non-Christian denomination 17 0 17 0.03
TOTAL 34,776 22,702 57,478 100.00
Linguistic composition of urban settlements in the Black Sea Governorate in 1897[9]
Urban settlement Russian Ukrainian Greek TOTAL
Number % Number % Number %
Novorossiysk 10,860 64.27 2,177 12.88 931 5.51 16,897
Tuapse 827 59.41 116 8.33 189 13.58 1,392
Sochi 513 37.94 269 19.90 26 1.92 1,352
TOTAL 12,200 62.11 2,562 13.04 1,146 5.83 19,641

Kavkazskiy kalendar

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According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Black Sea Governorate had a population of 178,306 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 104,488 men and 73,818 women, 108,893 of whom were the permanent population, and 69,413 were temporary residents:[3]

Nationality Urban Rural TOTAL
Number % Number % Number %
Russians 65,582 79.28 54,339 56.85 119,921 67.26
Other Europeans 6,246 7.55 15,107 15.80 21,353 11.98
Armenians 2,347 2.84 15,712 16.44 18,059 10.13
Georgians 1,750 2.12 4,336 4.54 6,086 3.41
Asiatic Christians 3,407 4.12 1,932 2.02 5,339 2.99
North Caucasians 672 0.81 3,426 3.58 4,104 2.30
Jews 1,784 2.16 9 0.01 1,793 1.01
Shia Muslims[c] 922 1.11 649 0.68 1,571 0.88
Sunni Muslims[d] 12 0.01 56 0.06 68 0.04
Roma 0 0.00 12 0.01 12 0.01
TOTAL 82,722 100.00 95,584 100.00 178,306 100.00

Notes

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  1. ^
    • Russian: Черномо́рская губе́рнія, romanizedChernomórskaya gubérniya
  2. ^ Before 1918, Azerbaijanis were generally known as "Tatars". This term, employed by the Russians, referred to Turkic-speaking Muslims of the South Caucasus. After 1918, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and "especially during the Soviet era", the Tatar group identified itself as "Azerbaijani".[6][7]
  3. ^ Primarily Tatars.[10]
  4. ^ Primarily Turco-Tatars.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона. Черноморская губерния. Том 4. 1907. (Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, vol. 4. 1907.)
  2. ^ a b c "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  3. ^ a b Кавказский календарь на 1917 год, pp. 214–217.
  4. ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  5. ^ Кавказский календарь .... на 1917 год (in Russian).
  6. ^ Bournoutian 2018, p. 35 (note 25).
  7. ^ Tsutsiev 2014, p. 50.
  8. ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  9. ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  10. ^ a b Hovannisian 1971, p. 67.

Bibliography

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44°43′00″N 37°46′00″E / 44.7167°N 37.7667°E / 44.7167; 37.7667