Oblast's a type of administrative division in Slavic countries and in some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast"'s a loanword in English, but it's nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region". The last translation may lead to confusion, because the subdivision of "oblast"'s called "raion" which's translated as "region" or "district", depending on the context. Oblasts are a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,… (More on Oblast)