Political subdivision of the Russian Federation. Derived from the Russian word that means “an end of something” or “a far distance,” the term is usually rendered in English as “province” and carries subtle undertones of the frontier, annexation, and historical imperialism. Out of Russia’s current 83 federal subjects, there are a total of nine krais: Altay, Kamchatka, Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Primorsky, Stavropol, and Zabaykalsky. With the exception of Perm and Krasnoyarsk, the krais are all located at the periphery of the federation, especially the Russian Far East. The distinction between krais and oblasts is largely historical, and the two entities are fairly similar in administrative terms.
Historical Dictionary of the Russian Federation. Robert A. Saunders and Vlad Strukov. 2010.