 In terms of the population, the biggest administrative district is Vologodsky District (50,956 in 2002), the smallest one is Mezhdurechensky District (7,641).Most of the administrative districts of Vologda Oblast are municipally incorporated as municipal districts, and two of the cities and towns of oblast significance are municipally incorporated as urban okrugs.There are, however, several exceptions,

, 1708 Tsar Peter the Great issued an edict which established seven governorates.