Jewish Autonomous Oblast

The Jewish Autonomous Oblast extends across 36,000 square kilometers between the Bureya Range and Lesser Khingan mountains, with the Amur River forming its border.

The Soviet Union established this territory in 1934 as a designated region for Jewish settlement, reaching a population of 46,000 Jewish residents by late 1940s.

The city of Birobidzhan maintains traces of Jewish heritage through street signs in both Russian and Yiddish, along with a synagogue and cultural center.

The Trans-Siberian Railway connects the region to major Russian cities, while the Amur River provides transportation routes for trade with neighboring Chinese provinces.

This territory remains one of two official Jewish jurisdictions in the world, alongside Israel, despite its current Jewish population of less than 2,000 people.

Location: Russia

Inception: May 7, 1934

Capital city: Birobidzhan

Website: http://www.eao.ru/

Part of: Far Eastern Federal District

Shares border with: Amur Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, Heilongjiang

Website: http://eao.ru

GPS coordinates: 48.47861,132.13917

Latest update: May 27, 2025 20:45