Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug (Buryat: Агын Буряадай автономито тойрог) was a federal subject of the Russian Federation. On 1 March 2008, the region merged with Chita Oblast (which it was surrounded by) to form the new Zabaykalsky Krai. The territory of the former ABAO is now the Agin-Buryat Okrug of Zabaykalsky Krai, in which it has a special status.
| Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous okrug of the Russian SFSR | |||||||||
|
Coat of arms | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Anthem | |||||||||
| Golden Land, Hurrah! | |||||||||
| Capital | Aginskoye | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• 2010
| 19,592 km2 (7,565 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 2010 | 77,167 | ||||||||
| ISO | RU-AGB | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • Type | Federated state | ||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||
• 1997 – 2008 | Bair Zhamsuyev | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 7 October 1977 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1 March 2008 | ||||||||
| Contained within | |||||||||
| • Federal district | Siberian | ||||||||
| • Economic region | East Siberian | ||||||||
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The district was first created in its modern form on 26 September 1937 as the Agin Buryat-Mongol National Okrug within Chita Oblast. Following the change of the ethnonym "Buryat-Mongol" to "Buryat" on 16 September 1958, the region was renamed to Agin-Buryat National Okrug, and became the Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug" on 7 October 1977.
From 31 March 1992, the district was both an independent federal subject of Russia and a part of Chita Oblast until it was abolished on 1 March 2008.[1][2]
Work on merging the region with Chita Oblast began in April 2006. The authorities of both regions sent a letter to president Vladimir Putin who supported this initiative to merge the two regions. The merger referendum was held on 11 March 2007.
In Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug, 94% (38,814 people) supported the merger, 5.16% (2,129 people) were against. 82.95% of the population of the autonomous okrug took part in the referendum.[3]
In Chita Oblast, 90.29% (535,045 people) supported the merger, 8.89% (52,698 people) were against. 72.82% of the population of the oblast took part in the referendum.[4]
As a result of the majority of voters in both regions supporting the unification of the two regions, Zabaykalsky Krai was formed on 1 March 2008.
The autonomous okrug had three districts:
