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JewishGen Regions

Regions:
Summary
What Region Is My Town In?

The Region for each locality is defined to be the same as the Country — for every country except the following nine countries:

The above countries have/had larger Jewish populations, and are therefore being sub-divided into smaller regions for easier management and searching, and for sharing the overlapping regions in conjunction with the JewishGen “All Country” databases.


United States

The Regions for the United States are the 50 States, plus the District of Columbia (DC), and assorted territories.  The two-letter standard postal abbreviations are used.

Canada

The Regions for Canada are the 13 provinces and territories.  The two-letter standard postal abbreviations are used.

AlbertaAB
British ColumbiaBC
ManitobaMB
New BrunswickNB
     
Newfoundland & Labrador NL
Nova ScotiaNS
Northwest TerritoriesNT
NunavutNU
     
OntarioON
Prince Edward IslandPE
QuébecQC
SaskatchewanSK
YukonYT

Poland

The Regions for Poland are the same as the are for the JewishGen All Poland Database: the pre-WWI gubernias for the Russian Empire regions, the inter-war Polish województwo for the former Austrian Empire regions, and "Prussia" for the former pre-WWI German Empire regions.

Thus there are 14 regions for Poland.  They are: The 10 gubernias of Congress Poland: "Suwałki", "Łomża", "Płock", "Warszawa", "Siedlce", "Lublin", "Radom", "Kielce", "Piotrków" and "Kalisz";  part of "Grodno" gubernia (Russian Pale);  "Kraków" province and "Lwów" province (Galicia, former Austrian Empire);  and "Prussia" (former German Empire).

For more details on the regions for Poland see Geographical Regions for the All Poland Database.

[Note that "Grodno" is also used in the JewishGen Belarus Database; "Suwałki" is also used in the JewishGen Lithuania Database; and "Lwów" is also used in the JewishGen Ukraine Database, because these former regions overlap the modern country borders.]

Belarus

The Regions for Belarus are the pre-WWI Russian Empire gubernias, just as they are for the JewishGen Belarus Database.

There are five regions for Belarus: "Grodno", "Vilna", "Minsk", "Mogilev" and "Vitebsk".

For more details on the regions for Belarus see Geographical Regions for the JewishGen Belarus Database.

[Note that "Grodno" is also used in the JewishGen Poland Database, "Vilna" is also used in the JewishGen Lithuania Database, and "Vitebsk" is also used in the JewishGen Latvia Database, because these former regions overlap the modern country borders.]

Lithuania

The Regions for Lithuania are the pre-WWI Russian Empire gubernias, just as they are for the JewishGen Lithuania Database.

There are three regions for Lithuania: "Vilna", "Kovno", and "Suwałki".

For more details on the regions for Lithuania see Geographical Regions for the JewishGen Lithuania Database.

[Note that "Vilna" is also used in the JewishGen Belarus Database, and "Suwałki" is also used in the JewishGen Poland Database, because these former regions overlap the modern country borders.]

Latvia

The Regions for Latvia are the pre-WWI Russian Empire gubernias, just as they are for the JewishGen Latvia Database.

There are three regions for Latvia: "Courland", "Livland", and "Vitebsk".

For more details on the regions for Latvia see Geographical Regions for the JewishGen Latvia Database.

[Note that "Vitebsk" is also used in the JewishGen Belarus Database, because this region overlaps the modern country borders.]

Romania

The Regions for Romania follow those used in the JewishGen Romania Database:

  • "Banat"
  • "Bucovina"
  • "Crişana"
  • "Dobrogea"
  • "Maramureş"
  • "Muntenia"
  • "Moldavia"
  • "Oltenia"
  • "Transylvania"

For more details on the regions for Romania see Geographical Regions for the JewishGen Romania Database.

[Note that "Bukovina" is also used in the JewishGen Ukraine Database; and "Banat", "Crişana", "Maramureş" and "Transylvania" are also included in the JewishGen Hungary Database, because these regions overlap the modern country borders.]

Ukraine

The Regions for Ukraine are the same as they are for the JewishGen Ukraine Database: the pre-WWI gubernias for the former Russian Empire regions;  and the former Austrian Empire regions: one of "Lwów", "Tarnopol", "Stanisławów", "Bukovina" or "Transcarpathia".

Thus there are 14 regions for Ukraine.  They are: The 9 former Russian Empire gubernias: "Chernigov", "Ekaterinoslav", "Kiev", "Kharkov", "Kherson", "Podolia", "Poltava", "Taurida" and "Volhynia";  plus the former Austrian Empire regions of "Lwów", "Tarnopol", "Stanisławów", "Bukovina" and "Transcarpathia".

[Note that "Lwów" is also used in the JewishGen Poland Database, "Bukovina" is also used in the JewishGen Romania Database, and "Transcarpathia" is also used in the JewishGen Hungary Database, because these former regions overlap the modern country borders.]

Czech Republic

The Regions for the Czech Republic are "Bohemia", "Moravia", and "Silesia".


Summary

There are 47 non-country Regions for Eastern Europe:  The 28 Russian Empire gubernias (10 Congress Poland, 15 Pale of Settlement, plus Courland, Livland and Kharkov);  Nine regions for the former Austrian Empire (the four inter-war Polish provinces of Galicia, three regions now in the Czech Republic, and two regions now in Ukraine);  Nine regions for Romania;  and Prussia.

  • Russian Empire gubernias:
    1. Suwałki (Congress Poland, and Lithuania)
    2. Łomża (Congress Poland)
    3. Płock (Congress Poland)
    4. Warszawa (Congress Poland)
    5. Siedlce (Congress Poland)
    6. Lublin (Congress Poland)
    7. Radom (Congress Poland)
    8. Kielce (Congress Poland)
    9. Piotrków (Congress Poland)
    10. Kalisz (Congress Poland)
    11. Grodno (Poland and Belarus)
    12. Vilna (Belarus and Lithuania)
    13. Minsk (Belarus)
    14. Mogilev (Belarus)
    15. Vitebsk (Belarus and Latvia)
    16. Kovno (Lithuania)
    17. Courland (Latvia)
    18. Livland (Latvia)
    19. Chernigov (Ukraine)
    20. Ekaterinoslav (Ukraine)
    21. Kiev (Ukraine)
    22. Kharkov (Ukraine)
    23. Kherson (Ukraine)
    24. Podolia (Ukraine)
    25. Poltava (Ukraine)
    26. Taurida (Ukraine)
    27. Volhynia (Ukraine)
    28. Bessarabia (Romania)
  • Austrian Empire regions:
    1. Kraków (Poland)
    2. Lwów (Ukraine, Poland)
    3. Tarnopol (Ukraine)
    4. Stanisławów (Ukraine)
    5. Transcarpathia (Ukraine)
    6. Bukovina (Ukraine and Romania)
    7. Bohemia (Czech Republic)
    8. Moravia (Czech Republic)
    9. Silesia (Czech Republic)
  • Romanian regions:
    1. Banat (Romania, Hungary)
    2. Bucovina (Romania, Ukraine)
    3. Crişana (Romania, Hungary)
    4. Dobrogea (Romania)
    5. Maramureş (Romania, Hungary)
    6. Muntenia (Romania)
    7. Moldavia (Romania)
    8. Oltenia (Romania)
    9. Transylvania (Romania, Hungary)
  • Prussia (Poland)

The following table lists all of the regions which JewishGen has defined for Eastern and Central Europe.  The table also contains the name of the country(s) which that region was in during three historical time periods: Today, Between the Two World Wars, and Before WWI.  The last column lists which JewishGen “All Country” Database(s) contain data for that region.  This table is alphabetically sortable by any of its five columns, by clicking on the column header.

Region Name Modern Country(s) Inter-war Country(s) Pre-WWI Country(s) JewishGen Database(s)
AustriaAustriaAustriaAustrian Empire Austria-Czech
BanatRomaniaRomaniaHungary Romania, Hungary
BessarabiaMoldova, UkraineRomaniaRussian Empire Romania, Ukraine
BohemiaCzech RepublicCzechoslovakiaAustrian Empire Austria-Czech
Bosnia-HerzegovinaBosnia-HerzegovinaYugoslaviaAustrian Empire -
BucovinaRomania, UkraineRomaniaAustrian Empire Romania, Ukraine
BulgariaBulgariaBulgariaBulgaria -
ChernigovUkraine, RussiaU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
CourlandLatviaLatviaRussian Empire Latvia
CrişanaRomaniaRomaniaHungary Romania, Hungary
CroatiaCroatiaYugoslaviaHungary Hungary
DenmarkDenmarkDenmarkDenmark Scandinavia
DobrogeaRomania, BulgariaRomaniaRomania, Bulgaria Romania
EkaterinoslavUkraineU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
EstoniaEstoniaEstoniaRussian Empire Latvia
FinlandFinlandFinlandFinland Scandinavia
GermanyGermanyGermanyGermany Germany
GreeceGreeceGreeceGreece -
GrodnoBelarus, PolandPolandRussian Empire Belarus, Poland
HungaryHungaryHungaryHungary Hungary
KaliszPolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
KharkovUkraineU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
KhersonUkraineU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
KielcePolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
KievUkraineU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
KovnoLithuaniaLithuaniaRussian Empire Lithuania
KrakówPolandPolandAustrian Empire Poland
LivlandLatviaLatviaRussian Empire Latvia
ŁomżaPolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
LublinPolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
LwówPoland, UkrainePolandAustrian Empire Poland, Ukraine
MacedoniaMacedoniaYugoslaviaOttoman Empire -
MaramureşRomania, UkraineRomaniaAustrian Empire Romania, Hungary
MinskBelarusU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Belarus
MogilevBelarus, RussiaU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Belarus
MoldaviaRomaniaRomaniaRomania Romania
MoraviaCzech RepublicCzechoslovakiaAustrian Empire Austria-Czech
MunteniaRomaniaRomaniaRomania Romania
OlteniaRomaniaRomaniaRomania Romania
PiotrkówPolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
PłockPolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
PodoliaUkraineU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
PoltavaUkraineU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
PrussiaPoland, GermanyPoland, GermanyGermany Poland, Germany
RadomPolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
SerbiaSerbiaYugoslaviaSerbia, Hungary Hungary
SiedlcePolandPolandRussian Empire Poland
SilesiaCzech Republic, PolandCzechoslovakiaAustrian Empire Austria-Czech
SlovakiaSlovakiaCzechoslovakiaHungary Hungary
SloveniaSloveniaYugoslaviaHungary, Austrian Empire Hungary
StanisławówUkrainePolandAustrian Empire Poland, Ukraine
SuwałkiPoland, LithuaniaPolandRussian Empire Poland, Lithuania
SwedenSwedenSwedenSweden Scandinavia
TarnopolUkrainePolandAustrian Empire Poland, Ukraine
TauridaUkraineU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Ukraine
TranscarpathiaUkraineCzechoslovakiaHungary Hungary, Ukraine
TransylvaniaRomaniaRomaniaHungary Romania, Hungary
VilnaLithuania, BelarusPolandRussian Empire Belarus, Lithuania
VitebskBelarus, Latvia, RussiaU.S.S.R.Russian Empire Belarus, Latvia
VolhyniaUkrainePoland, U.S.S.R.Russian Empire Poland, Ukraine
WarszawaPolandPolandRussian Empire Poland


What Region Is My Town In?

  1. Search for your town in the "JewishGen Communities Database":

  2. In the results display, click on the JewishGen icon next to your town's name.  This will bring you to the "JewishGen Locality Page" for your town.

  3. The town's Region is listed in the top-left of its "JewishGen Locality Page".  The Region is in the top section, immediately under the "Alternate names" list.

Note that these regions apply to all JewishGen “All Country” and “All Topic” Databases.  The “All Topic” Databases include:

For more information about these regions, see the “Provinces and Regions” section of the JewishGen Eastern Europe FAQ; and the “Geographical Regions” pages for each of the JewishGen “All Country” Databases: Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania.



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