Interwar Kresy and Its Population
The population of Kresy was multi-ethnic, primarily comprising Poles, Ukrainians and Belarusians. According to official Polish statistics from interwar period, Poles formed the largest ethnic group in these regions, and were demographically the largest ethnic group in the cities. Other national minorities included Lithuanians (in the north), Jews (scattered in cities and towns across the area), Czechs (in Volhynia), and also Russians.
Mother language given in 1931 Polish census was following:
- Lwów Voivodeship; 58% Polish, 34% Ukrainian, 8% Yiddish
- Nowogrodek Voivideship; 53% Polish, 39% Belarusian, 7% Yiddish, 1% Russian
- Polesie Voivodeship; 63% "Other" or Tutejsi, 14% Polish, 10% Yiddish, 6% Belarusian, 5% Ukrainian
- Stanisławów Voivodeship; 69% Ukrainian, 23% Polish, 7% Yiddish, 1% German
- Tarnopol Voivodeship; 49% Polish, 46% Ukrainian, 5% Yiddish
- Wilno Voivodeship; 60% Polish, 23% Belarusian, 8% Yiddish, 3% Russian, 8% Other (including Lithuanian)
- Volhynia Voivodeship; 68% Ukrainian, 17% Polish, 10% Yiddish, 2% German, 1% Russian, 2% Other
- Białystok Voivodeship; 67% Polish, 16% Belarusian, 12% Yiddish, 3% Russian, 2% Other
In 1931, according to the Polish National Census, the largest cities in Polish Eastern Borderlands were:
- Lwów - pop. 312 200,
- Wilno - pop. 195 100,
- Stanisławów - pop. 60 000,
- Brześć nad Bugiem - pop. 50 700,
- Grodno - pop. 49 700,
- Równe - pop. 41 900,
- Borysław - pop. 41 500,
- Łuck - pop. 35 600,
- Tarnopol - pop. 33 900.
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)