The Pale of Settlement

In 1772 and 1793, portions of Poland were ceded to Prussia, Austria, and Russia. In 1795 the final partition of Poland ceded the balance of Poland to these three countries, and Poland ceased to exist as an independent country until 1918. In the part ceded to Russia, Jews were permitted to live only in the area just acquired. This area became known as the Pale of Settlement and is represented on the map above. (Livia and Courland were not part of the Pale.)

The district centers are listed below with the names they bore around 1900. Where the current name differs, it is given in parentheses. Countries represented are Byelorussia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia, and the Ukraine.