Transcarpathia (New Union)

Transcarpathian Autonomous Republic
Kárpátaljai Autonóm Köztársaság (hu)
Republica Autonomă Transcarpatia (ro)
Закарпатская Автономная Республика (ru)
Подкарпатьска Автономна Републіка (rue)
Закарпатська Автономна Республіка (uk)
Timeline: New Union
OTL equivalent: Zakarpattia Oblast

Autonomous Republic of the Soviet Union Flag Coat of Arms Location of Transcarpathia in Ukraine
Capital	Uzhhorod
Other Cities	Mukacheve, Khust, Vynohradiv
Language   Official	Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Rusyn, Ukrainian
Others	German, Romani, Slovak
Religion   Main	Eastern Catholicism
Others	Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy
Demonym	Transcarpathian
Legislature	Supreme Soviet
Area	12,777 km²
Population	1,254,393
Established	1992
Admission	1992
Time Zone	MSK (UTC+2)
Summer	MSD (UTC+3)
Abbreviations	SU-ZK

Transcarpathia (Russian: Закарпатье, Zakarpat'ye), officially known as the Transcarpathian Autonomous Republic, is an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union that is under the jurisdiction of Ukraine. The autonomous republic is located along the western slopes of the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe, marking the westernmost point in the contiguous USSR (with Baltia marking the westernmost point in the entire nation). Transcarpathia shares a unique border with four other nations: Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

Prior to the region's annexation by the Soviet Union in 1946, Transcarpathia was under the control of the Kingdom of Hungary throughout the 19th Century and by Czechoslovakia prior to World War II. Throughout the Cold War, Transcarpathia was organized as an oblast of the Ukrainian SSR, with the Rusyn people formally being labeled as being ethnically Ukrainian. These policies were relaxed as part of Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost policies. Following the ratification of the New Union Treaty in 1991, both the USSR and Ukraine allowed for a referendum to be held in Transcarpathia on whether they wished for greater autonomy, with over 80% of the population favoring this.

A group of native Rusyns, stylized in traditional folk-costumes.

Transcarpathia is one of the more culturally diverse regions within the Soviet Union, which is due in great part to the region being a junction in Eastern Europe. Ethnic Ukrainians currently make up the majority of the region, with Hungarians, Romanians, Russians, and Rusyns making up the largest minority groups. The autonomous republic recognizes five official languages: Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Rusyn, and Ukrainian (the later being the most spoken throughout the region). Unique within both the USSR and the broader region of Eastern Europe, the majority of the region adheres to the Eastern Catholic Church, with Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox being the minority.

The economy of Transcarpathia is reliant on agriculture, viticulture, and woodworking (with minor fields in industry and mechanical engineering). Much of the autonomous republic's economy is dependent on trans-border trade with its western neighbors.