Guberniya () (also gubernia, guberniia, gubernya) was a major administrative subdivision of the Imperial Russia, usually translated as government, governorate, or province. A guberniya was ruled by a governor or (gubernator), a word borrowed from either Latin gubernator or Greek kybernates. Sometimes the term "guberniya" was informally used to refer to the office of a governor. This subdivision type was created by the edict (ukase) of Peter the Great on December 18, 1708, which divided Russia i… (More on Guberniya)