View source for Kraj

{{short description|First-level administrative division in various countries}}
{{Distinguish|Krai}}
{{For|the radio station in Johannesburg, California|KRAJ}}
{{Redirect|Kraje|the region in Montenegro|Skadarska Krajina{{!}}Krajë}}

{{Unreferenced|date=February 2023}}
A ''[[:cs:Kraj|Kraj]]'' ({{small|plural:}} ''kraje'') is the highest-level administrative unit in the [[Czech Republic]] and the [[Slovak Republic]]. For lack of other English expressions, the [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] term is often translated as "[[province]]", "[[region]]", or "[[territory (country subdivision)|territory]]", although it approximately means "(part of) country", or "(part of) countryside". A ''kraj'' is subdivided into ''[[okres]]y'' ("districts").

The first ''kraje'' were created in the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] during the reign of [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] in the 14th century and they lasted till 1862/68. ''Kraje'' were reintroduced in 1949 in [[Czechoslovakia]] and still exist today (except for the early 1990s) in its successor states despite many rearrangements.

In [[Russia]] nine of the 85 federal subjects are called [[krai]]s ({{langx|ru|края}}, ''kraya''), coequal to [[oblast]]s. The toponym [[Krajina]] refers to several historical regions in Slavic countries.

==Kraje in the Czech Republic==
{{Main|Regions of the Czech Republic}}

==Kraje in Slovakia==
{{Main|Regions of Slovakia}}

==Toponymy==

Kraj is also found as a toponym outside of Czech- and Slovak-speaking areas.

* [[Almaški Kraj]], a part of Novi Sad, Serbia
* [[Gerovski Kraj]], a village near Čabar, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia
* [[Jovanovski Kraj]], a former name of Rotkvarija/Žitni Trg, a part of Novi Sad, Serbia
* [[Končarev Kraj]], a village near Plitvička Jezera, Lika-Senj County, Croatia
* [[Kraj, Pašman]], a village in Zadar County, Croatia
* [[Kraj, Split-Dalmatia County]], a village in Dicmo, Croatia
* [[Kraj, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County]], a village near [[Mošćenička Draga]], Croatia
* [[Kraj Donji]], a village near Marija Gorica, Croatia
* [[Kraj Drage]], a village near Sveta Nedelja, Istria County, Croatia
* [[Kraj Gornji]], a village near [[Marija Gorica]], Croatia
* [[Rašića Kraj]], a hamlet near Vranići, Serbia
* [[Srednji Kraj]], a village near Barajevo, Serbia

==Anthroponymy==

Kraj is also found as a surname. Notable people with the name include:

* [[Rudolf Kraj]] (born 1977), a Czech boxer

==Other uses==

* [[Kraj (song)]], 2009 single by the Macedonian singer Karolina Gočeva

==See also==
*{{section link|Bohemia|Historical administrative divisions}}
*[[Federal subjects of Russia]]
*[[Krajina]]
*[[wikibooks:False Friends of the Slavist/Map kraj|Semasiological map for *krajь]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{in lang|ru}} [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]

{{Slavic terms for country subdivisions}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Regions of the Czech Republic| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Slovakia| ]]
[[Category:Types of administrative division]]
[[Category:Slovak words and phrases]]