A raion (or rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries (such as part of an oblast). The term, which is from French "rayon" (meaning "honeycomb, department"),[1] describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district". The term "raion" also can be used simply as a second degree of administrative division without anything to do with ethnicity or nationality. A raion is usually an administrative entity as subdivided two steps below the national level. However, in smaller countries, it could be the primary level of administrative division.
The word "raion" (or "rayon") is often used in translated form: Russian and Ukrainian: райо́н, Azerbaijani: rayon; Belarusian: раён; Georgian: რაიონი, raioni; Latvian: rajons; Lithuanian: rajonas; Romanian: raion.
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In the Soviet Union, raions were administrative divisions created in the 1920s to reduce the number of territorial divisions inherited from the Russian Empire and to simplify their bureaucracies.[2] The process of conversion to the system of raions was called raionirovanie ("regionalization"). It was started in 1923 in the Urals, North Caucasus, and Siberia as a part of the Soviet administrative reform and continued through 1929, by which time the majority of the country's territory was divided into raions instead of the old volosts and uyezds.[2]
The concept of raionirovanie was met with resistance in some republics, especially in Ukraine, where local leaders objected to the concept of raions as being too centralized in nature and ignoring the local customs. This point of view was backed by the Soviet Commissariat of Nationalities.[2] Nevertheless, eventually all of the territory of the Soviet Union was regionalized.
Soviet raions had self-governance in the form of an elected district council (raysovet) and were headed by the local head of administration, who was either elected or appointed.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, raions as administrative units continued to be used in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine.
In Belarus, raions are administrative units subordinated to voblasts. See also: Category:Districts of Belarus.
In Bulgaria, raions are subdivisions of three biggest cities: Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. Sofia is subdivided to 24 raions (Sofia districts), Plovdiv - 6, Varna - 5 raions.
In modern Russia, division into administrative raions largely remained unchanged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The term "raion" is used to refer to an administrative division of a federal subject or to a district of a big city. In two federal subjects, however, the terminology was changed to reflect national specifics:
A municipal raion (municipal district, муниципа́льный райо́н) is a type of municipal formation which comprises a group of urban and/or rural settlements, as well as inter-settlement territories, sharing a common territory. The concept of the municipal districts was introduced during the 2004 municipal reform.
Municipal districts are commonly formed within the boundaries of existing administrative districts, although in practice there are some exceptions to this rule—Neryungrinsky Municipal District in the Sakha Republic, for example, is formed around the town of Neryungri, which neither has a status of nor is a part of any administrative district.
In Ukraine, raions are administrative divisions of oblasts, big cities, and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
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Jinn (ジン) is a 4-member Japanese rock band. They are part of SMEJ's Palm Beach record label.
The members of Jinn all attended the same high school, and formed the band in Tokyo in the summer of 2003. In March 2004, the band recorded a demo CD, 0~Zero~ (0~ゼロ~), with 500 copies selling out quickly.
After that in 2005, the band recorded a mini album, Kotosabi no Ki (言錆の樹). In August 2006, the single Raion (雷音) was released, which was featured as the final opening theme to the Blood+ anime series. On November 22 the same year, Jinn also released another single, Malachite (マラカイト Marakaito).
In 2007, Jinn performed the second opening theme to the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Kaidoku Funō (解読不能), which was released on January 31, 2007. Their first full album, Lemmings (レミングス Remingusu), was released on February 28, 2007. Their second album, Qualia was released on February 6, 2008.
A mini album was released July 2010 entitled 'Engine'.
After 2 years,they returned with 2 singles:Mugen No Hikari/Blue Scale and Rizing.On June 5,2013 the band released its 3rd album,For The Seeker.