Chernivtsi (Ukrainian: Чернівці́, pronounced [tʃern⁽ʲ⁾iu̯ˈts⁽ʲ⁾i]; Romanian: Cernăuți, pronounced [tʃernəˈutsʲ]; see also ) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the upper course of the Prut river in the Southwestern Ukrainian territory. Chernivtsi serves as the administrative center for the Chernivtsi raion, the , and the oblast itself. In 2021, the Chernivtsi population, by estimate, is 265,471, and the latest census in 2001 was 240,600. The first document that refers to this city dates back to 1408, when Chernivtsi was a town in the region of Moldavia, formerly as a defensive fortification, and became the center of Bukovina in 1488. In 1538, Chernivtsi was under the control of the Ottoman Empire, and the Turkish control lasted for two centuries until 1774, when Austria took control of Bukovina in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War. Chernivtsi (known at that time as Czernowitz) became the center of the Galicia's Bukovina District until 1848, later becoming the Duchy of Bukovina until 1918. In the aftermath of World War I, Romania took Bukovina from Ukraine, which led to the city's being renamed to Cernăuți, which lasted until the Soviets occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Chernivtsi was under the control of Ukraine since 1940, though the Soviet Union collapsed, which affected the independence of the country. Chernivtsi is viewed as one of Western Ukraine's main cultural centers. The city is also considered one of Ukraine's important educational and architectural sites. Historically a cosmopolitan community, Chernivtsi was once dubbed "Little Vienna" and "Jerusalem upon the Prut". Chernivtsi is twinned with seven other cities around the world. The city is a major regional rail and road transportation hub, also housing an international airport.