Krais of Russia

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Krais
Also known as: Krays
1. Altai Krai 2. Kamchatka Krai 3. Khabarovsk Krai 4. Krasnodar Krai 5. Krasnoyarsk Krai 6. Perm Krai 7. Primorsky Krai 8. Stavropol Krai 9. Zabaykalsky Krai
Category	Federated state
Location	Russian Federation
Number	9
Populations	322,079 (Kamchatka Krai) – 5,404,300 (Krasnodar Krai)
Areas	117,600 sq mi (304,500 km2) (Stavropol Krai) – 903,400 sq mi (2,339,700 km2) (Krasnoyarsk Krai)[1]
Government	Krai Government
Subdivisions	Raion, urban-type settlements, Selsovet, Closed City

A krai (Russian: край, romanized: kray, IPA: [kraj], lit. 'region, edge') is a type of federal subject of the Russian Federation. The country is divided into 85 federal subjects, of which nine are krais.^[2] Oblasts, another type of federal subject, are legally identical to krais and the difference between a political entity with the name "krai" or "oblast" is purely traditional; both are constituent entities equivalent in legal status in Russia with representation in the Federation Council (similar to the commonwealths and states in the United States being equivalent in legal status). During the Soviet era, the autonomous oblasts could be subordinated to republics or krais, but not to oblasts. Outside of political terminology, both words have a very similar general meaning ("region" or "area" in English) and can often be used interchangeably. When a distinction is desirable, "krai" is sometimes translated into English as "territory",^[3] while "oblast" can variously be translated to "province" or "region", but both of these translations are also reasonable interpretations of "krai".