View source for Krai

{{Short description|Federal divisions of Russia}}
{{Distinguish|Kraj}}
{{Other uses|KRAI (disambiguation){{!}}KRAI}}
{{Other uses|Kray (disambiguation){{!}}Kray}}
A '''krai''' or '''kray''' ({{IPAc-en|k|r|aɪ}}; {{langx|ru|[[wikt:край|край]]}}, {{small|plural:}} {{lang|ru|края}}, ''kraya'') is one of the types of [[federal subjects of Russia|federal subjects]] of [[Krais of Russia|modern Russia]], and was a type of geographical [[administrative division]] in the [[Krais of the Russian Empire|Russian Empire]] and the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]].

Etymologically, the word is related to the verb "{{lang|ru|кроить}}" (''kroit<nowiki>'</nowiki>''), "to cut".<ref>[http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=%2Fusr%2Flocal%2Fshare%2Fstarling%2Fmorpho&morpho=1&basename=%5Cusr%5Clocal%5Cshare%5Cstarling%5Cmorpho%5Cvasmer%5Cvasmer&first=1&text_word=%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B9&method_word=substring&text_general=&method_general=substring&text_origin=&method_origin=substring&text_trubachev=&method_trubachev=substring&text_editorial=&method_editorial=substring&text_pages=&method_pages=substring&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=word Etymology of the word] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120527041949/http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=/usr/local/share/starling/morpho&morpho=1&basename=%5Cusr%5Clocal%5Cshare%5Cstarling%5Cmorpho%5Cvasmer%5Cvasmer&first=1&text_word=%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B9&method_word=substring&text_general=&method_general=substring&text_origin=&method_origin=substring&text_trubachev=&method_trubachev=substring&text_editorial=&method_editorial=substring&text_pages=&method_pages=substring&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=word |date=May 27, 2012 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref> Historically, krais were vast territories located along the periphery of the Russian state, since the word ''krai'' also means ''border'' or ''edge'', i.e., ''a place of the cut-off''. In [[English language|English]] the term is often translated as "territory". {{As of | 2015}}, the administrative usage of the term is mostly traditional, as some [[oblast]]s also fit this description and there is no difference in constitutional legal status in Russia between the krais and the oblasts.<ref>
{{Cite Russian law|ru_date=12 декабря 1993 г
|ru_title=Конституция Российской Федерации. Статья 5.
|ru_amendment_type=Федерального конституционного закона
|ru_amendment_number=5-ФКЗ
|ru_amendment_date=21 июля 2007 г
|en_date=December 12, 1993
|en_title=Constitution of the Russian Federation.  Article 5.
|en_amendment_type=Federal Constitutional Law
|en_amendment_number=5-FKZ
|en_amendment_date=July 21, 2007
}}
</ref>

==See also==
* [[Krais of the Russian Empire]]
* [[Krais of Russia]]
* [[Governorate-General (Russian Empire)]], a general term for Krais, Oblasts, and special city municipalities in the Russian Empire
*[[Oblast]]
;Foreign terms (in relation to the Russian "Krai") with similar designation
*[[Kraj]], an equivalent term used in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
*[[Krajina]]
*[[Marches]] (Mark, in German) compare to Denmark (literally ''the borderland of [[Danes]]'').
*[[Name of Ukraine]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Slavic terms for country subdivisions}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}

[[Category:Types of administrative division]]
[[Category:Political divisions of Russia]]
[[Category:Russian-language designations of territorial entities]]