Krai

Krai or kray (Russian: край) was a type of an administrative division in the Russian Empire (see Krais of the Russian Empire) and the Russian SFSR, and is one of the types of the federal subjects of modern Russia (see Krais of Russia).

Etymologically, the word is related to the verb "кроить" (kroit'), i.e., "to cut". Historically, krais were vast territories located along the periphery of Russia, since the word krai also means border or edge, i.e., a place of the cut-off. Currently the administrative usage of the term is mostly traditional, as some oblasts also fit this description and there is no difference in legal status between the krais and the oblasts.