Ruthenia is a historic region in Ukraine. Ruthenia lies on the southern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains and on the nearby southwest highland. It covers approximately 4,940 square miles (12,800 square kilometers) and has about 1,257,000 people. Uzhhorod is the region’s principal city.
Most Ruthenians are farmers. The principal industries of the region include wood processing, winemaking, and such handicrafts as basket weaving, embroidery, and leathercraft. Ruthenia’s chief natural resources are timber and rock salt.
In the 900’s and 1000’s, Ruthenia was part of Kievan Rus (also spelled Kyivan Rus), the first state founded by the East Slavs. It later came under the control of Magyar (Hungarian) landlords. In 1919, Ruthenia became a province of Czechoslovakia.
Ruthenia once had great strategic value because of its location near several countries. Germany, Hungary, Poland, and the Soviet Union all tried to gain control of the area in the 1930’s. In 1939, Hungary took control of the entire region. The Soviet Union occupied Ruthenia in 1944, during World War II. It officially annexed the region in 1945. Ruthenia was made part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991, the republic became the independent country of Ukraine.
