Shostka Raion

Shostka Raion (Ukrainian: Шосткинський район) is a raion (district) of Sumy Oblast in central Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion is the town of Shostka. Population: 179,432 (2022 estimate).^[1]

Shostka Raion Шосткинський район
Raion
Flag Coat of arms
Raion location in Sumy Oblast
Coordinates: 51°52′18.0474″N 33°25′21.1722″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Sumy Oblast
Admin. center	Shostka
Subdivisions	10 hromadas
Area
• Total	5,066.1 km2 (1,956.0 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Total	179,432
• Density	35/km2 (92/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Website	http://shst.sm.gov.ua/index.php/uk/

On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of the raions in the Sumy Oblast was reduced to five, and the area of the Shostka Raion was significantly expanded.^[2][3] The January 2020 estimate of the raion population was 19,420 (2020 est.).^[4]

Location of Shostka Raion prior to the 2020 Administrative divisions of Ukraine

Geographic characteristics

The area of the district is 5066.09 km².^[5] Shostka Raion is located on the slopes of the Central Russian Plain. ^[6]The relief of the district is mostly lowland. Shostka Raion has reserves of silt, sapropel, peat.^[7]

The climate is moderately continental. Winter is cool, summer is not hot. The average temperature in July is +19 °C, in January -7.5 °C. The maximum precipitation falls in the summer in the form of rain. The average annual amount is from 650 to 700 mm, changing from west to east.^[8][9]

The left tributaries of the Desna River flow through the Shostka district. The river in the floodplain has many oxbow lakes and artificial lakes.^[6][10]

The territory of the district is covered with coniferous and broad-leaved forests. The most common forests are pine, oak-linden, and oak. The forests of Shostka Raion are rich in mushrooms and berries. Among the mushrooms, chanterelles, tricholoma equestre, suillus luteus, armillaria mellea, russula and porcini mushrooms predominate. The most common berries are blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.^[9]

Desna-Stara Huta National Nature Park is located in Shostka Raion in the Desna Valley. ^[11] The area includes wide meadows with tall grasses, alder bogs and forest stands of ash, oak and aspen. Typical large mammals are elk, roe deer, wild boar, squirrels, beavers, hares and wolves. The park is home to 134 species of birds. The rivers are home to the sterlet and the endangered Eurasian otter.^[12]

Communities of the district

Number of settlements 247. Number of cities – 4. The Shostka Raion includes 10 territorial communities. It includes: Shostka, Glukhiv, Druzhbiv, Seredino-Bud city communities, Esman, Znob-Novgorod, Sve, Shalygin, Yampil, Bereziv settlement and rural territorial communities.^[5]

Transport

Shostka railway station carries out cargo and passenger transportation within the Sumy region and in the direction of Kyiv.^[13][14]

Bibliography

• Національний атлас України/НАН України, Інститут географії, Державна служба геодезії, картографії та кадастру; голов. ред. Л. Г. Руденко; голова ред. кол.Б.Є. Патон. — К.: ДНВП «Картографія», 2007. — 435 с. — 5 тис.прим. — ISBN 978-966-475-067-4.
• Географічна енциклопедія України : [у 3 т.] / редкол.: О. М. Маринич (відповід. ред.) та ін. — К., 1989—1993. — 33 000 екз. — ISBN 5-88500-015-8.