thumb|200px|small coat of arms of Orenburg Oblast
Orenburg Oblast (also Orenburzhye) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), mainly located in Eastern Europe, with some land in the southern and eastern portions of the oblast falling within Asia. Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name Chkalov Oblast in honor of Valery Chkalov. As of the 2021 Census, the oblast had a population of 1,862,767, down from 2,033,072 in the 2010 Census.
309x309px|thumb|right|The [[House of the Soviets (Orenburg)|House of the Soviets (oblast administrative centre)]]
Geography
Orenburg Oblast's internal borders are with the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan to the north, Chelyabinsk Oblast to the north-east, and with Samara and Saratov oblasts to the west. Orenburg Oblast also shares an international border with Kazakhstan to the east and south. The oblast is situated on the boundary between Europe and Asia. The majority of its territory lies west of the continental divide in European Russia and smaller sections in the east situated on the Asian side of the divide. The most important river of the oblast is the Ural and the largest lake Shalkar-Yega-Kara. Orenburg is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude. The highest point of the oblast is the -high Nakas.
History
In the first half of the 18th century, the Russian Empire constructed the , a series of 46 forts, including Orenburg, to prevent Kazakh and Dzungar nomads from raiding Russian territory.
Orenburg played a major role in Pugachev's Rebellion (1773–1774), the largest peasant revolt in Russian history.
During the Russian Civil War, the region was heavily affected by the Russian famine of 1921–1922.
During World War II in 1941, the command and staff of the newly formed Polish Anders' Army was based in Buzuluk, and in 1942, the First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion was based there. Both formations afterwards fought against Nazi Germany.
On 26 May 2024, a Ukrainian drone attacked the Voronezh M long-range radar station near Orsk.
Administrative divisions
Demographics
Population:
Ethnic composition (2021)
{| class="wikitable"
!Ethnic group ||Population
!Percentage
|-
|Russians|| 1,380,674
|79.3%
|-
|Tatars|| 116,605
|6.7%
|-
|Kazakhs
|107,734
|6.2%
|-
|Bashkirs|| 36,181
|2.1%
|-
|Mordvins|| 18,300
|1.1%
|-
|Ukrainians|| 16,639
|1.0%
|-
|Others|| 65,056
|3.7%
|-
|Ethnicity not stated|| 121,578
|—
|}
Vital statistics for 2024:
- Births: 15,366 (8.4 per 1,000)
- Deaths: 26,368 (14.5 per 1,000)
Total fertility rate (2024):<br />
1.47 children per woman
Life expectancy (2021): <br />
Total — 68.21 years (male — 63.91, female — 72.48)
Settlements
Religion
As of a 2012 survey,