Baku Governorate

Baku Governorate (, Pre-Reform Russian: ) was one of the guberniyas of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Baku. Area (1897): 34,4000 sq. versts, population (1897): 789,659. The only foreign border of the governorate was Persia, in the south. Within the empire it bordered with Elisabethpol Governorate (Tiflis and Erivan Governorates before 1868) and Dagestan Oblast.

The governorate was established in 1846 as Shemakha Governorate, in place of several military precincts. In 1849 Shahur-Daralagoz uzeyd was part of newly founded Erivan Governorate. After the devastating 1859 Shamakhi earthquake it was decided to transfter the capital of the governorate from Shemakha to Baku. On July 12, 1859 the governorate's name was changed accordingly. The coat of arms of the governorate was instituted on July 5, 1878. Initially Baku Governorate included Karabakh and Zangezur, which were separated in 1868 to create Elisabethpol Governorate.

The governorate was preserved until the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, when it was split into Baku Governorate and Lankaran General-Governorate.

Administrative division
Baku Governorate had six uyezds (in 1868 Nukha and Shusha uyezds were attached to Elisabethpol Governorate):
Baku
Kuba (attached in 1860)
Shemakha
Geokchai
Djevatskoye Uyezd
Lenkoran

Demographics
As of 1897, 789,659 people populated the governorate, of them 55% were male. Azeris (then-known as Caucasian Tatars, mostly Shiite) constituted the majority of the population. Significant minorities consisted of Russians, Armenians, Lezgins, Tats, Talysh and Jews.

Ethnic groups in 1897

Ethnic groups at the start of the 20th century
The ethnic group composition was notable different as compared to several decades earlier. At the beginning of the 20th century in Baku, it had 214,700 inhabitants, amongst them Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians - 76,3 thousand -> (35.5%), Azerbaijanis ("Caucasian Tatars" back then) - 46 thousand -> (21.4%), Armenians - 42 thousand -> (19.4%), Persians\Iranians - 25 thousand -> (11.7%), Jews - 9,7 thousand -> (4.5%), Georgians - 4 thousand -> (1, 9%), Germans - 3.3 thousand -> (1.5%), the Kazan Tatars - 2.3 thousand -> (1.1%). Muslims generally lived in the historical center (Old Baku), surrounded by the khan's castle in the west of the city. In the industrial zone lived the Armenians - in the north of the city. During the construction of the new city center, various ethnic groups started to live in different districts.

Known governors

Konstantin Tarkhanov-Mouravov, 1859–1863
Mikhail Kolyubakin, 1863–1872
Dmitry Staroselsky, 1872–1875
Valery Pozen, 1875–1882
Justin von Huebsch Grostal, 1882–1888
Vladimir Rogge, 1888–1899
Dmitry Odintsov, 1899–1904
Mikhail Nakashidze, 1904–1905
Andrei Fadeyev, 1905
Vladimir Alyshevsky, 1905–1915
Leo Potulov, 1916–1917

References

External links
 

 
Category:Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917)
Category:Governorates of the Caucasus
Category:History of Baku
Category:Modern history of Azerbaijan
Category:19th century in Azerbaijan
Category:1900s in Azerbaijan
Category:1910s in Azerbaijan
Category:States and territories established in 1859
Category:States and territories disestablished in 1917
Category:1859 establishments in the Russian Empire
Category:1917 disestablishments in Russia
Category:1859 establishments in Asia
Category:1917 disestablishments in Asia