Sumy Raion

Sumy Raion (Ukrainian: Сумський район, romanized: Sumskyi raion) is a raion (district) in Sumy Oblast in central Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion is the city of Sumy, which was formerly administratively incorporated as a city of oblast significance until 2020. Population: 434,316 (2022 estimate).^[1]

Sumy Raion Сумський район
Raion
Flag Coat of arms
Raion location in Sumy Oblast
Coordinates: 51°1′32.8944″N 34°51′39.7152″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Sumy Oblast
Admin. center	Sumy
Subdivisions	16 hromadas
Area
• Total	6,503.7 km2 (2,511.1 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Total	434,316
• Density	67/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Website	http://sumy-region.gov.ua/

On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Sumy Oblast was reduced to five, and the area of Sumy Raion was significantly expanded.^[2][3] The January 2020 estimate of the raion population was 61,836 (2020 est.).^[4]

Location of Sumy Raion prior to the 2020 administrative reforms

Geographic characteristics

The area of the district is 6503.7 km².^[5] Sumy Raion is located on the slopes of the Central Russian Upland.^[6]

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.^[7][8]

Psel, left tributary of the Dnipro flow through the Sumy Raion. The river in the floodplain has many oxbow lakes and artificial lakes.^[6][9]

Sumy Raionis located in the forest-steppe natural zone. Among the trees in the forests, oaks, lindens, and maples dominate. Typical large mammals are elk, roe deer, wild boar, squirrels, beavers, hares and wolves.^[8] The most common soils in the area are typical black earths, gray, meadow, and meadow-bog soils.^[8]

Sumy Raion has reserves of clay, sapropel, phosphorite.^[10][11]

Environmental protection activities

In the Sumy Raion, the Michael's Virgin Land Nature Reserve, the Kyianytskyi Park is a monument of landscape architecture of national importance, the Banny Yar and Srednoseymsky nature reserves of national importance are located. ^[12] Animals and plants listed in the Red Book of Ukraine that are found in the territory of the Sumy Raion: Adonis vernalis, Pulsatilla patens, Stipa capillata, Greater blind mole-rat, Great jerboa.^{[13] [14][15]}Among the rare bird species, there are the gray magpie, Montagu's harrier, Common kestrel, and woodcock.^[8]

Communities of the district

The number of settlements in Sumy district is 450. Number of cities – 4. The Sumy Raion includes 16 territorial communities. The Sumy district includes: Sumy, Bilopol, Vorozhbyan, Lebedyn urban territorial communities, Krasnopil, Mykolaiv, Stepaniv, Khotin settlement communities and Bezdrytska, Verkhnyosyrovatska, Mykolaiv, Myropilska, Nyzhnyosyrovatska, Richkivska, Sadivska, Yunakivska rural territorial communities.^[5]

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.