Don Host Oblast[a] was a province (oblast) of the Russian Empire which consisted of the territory of the Don Cossacks, coinciding approximately with present-day Rostov Oblast in Russia. Its administrative center was Cherkassk, and later Novocherkassk.[2]
It comprised the areas where the Don Cossack Host settled in the Russian Empire. From 1786, the territory was officially named Don Host Land (Russian: Земля Войска Донского, romanized: Zemlya Voyska Donskogo), renamed Don Host Oblast in 1870.[3]
During 1914, the oblast, with an area of 164,000 km², had about 3.9 million inhabitants.[1] Of these, 55% (2.1 million) were Cossacks in possession of all the land; the remaining 45% of the population being townsfolk and agricultural guest labourers from other parts of Russia.[citation needed]
It was abolished in 1920; from the major part of it the Don Oblast of the RSFSR was created, which was incorporated into the North Caucasus Krai in 1924.[3]
The districts (okrugs) of the Don Host Oblast in 1897 were as follows:
47°26′09″N 40°05′55″E / 47.4358°N 40.0986°E / 47.4358; 40.0986