Chernivtsi

City in southwestern Ukraine, capital of the oblast (region) of the same name; population (1990) 257,000. The city is located in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, which extend south from here into Romania. Industries include the manufacture of textiles, clothing, machinery, and rubber, together with sawmilling and engineering.

Chernivtsi was the principal city of the former region of Bukovina. Under Austrian rule from 1775, the city was called Czernowitz. With the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, it became part of Romania until 1940; during this period, it was known as Cernǎuţi. Northern Bukovina was ceded to Russia in 1940, and the capital city was given the Russian name Chernovtsy.