Administrative divisions of Murmansk Oblast

Infobox
|title=Murmansk Oblast, Russia
|headerstyle=background:#ccf;
|image=
|subheader=Administrative center: Murmansk
|header1=As of 2015:
|label2=Districts
|data2=6
|label3=Cities/towns
|data6=112
|label7=Uninhabited rural localities

Since establishing and maintaining the structure of the administrative divisions of the federal subjects is not explicitly specified in the Constitution of Russia as the responsibility of the federal government, this task falls within the scope of the responsibilities of Murmansk Oblast itself. Changes of the administrative territorial structure of Murmansk Oblast are authorized by the Murmansk Oblast Duma. The oblast's administrative divisions remained largely unchanged from the structure used during the Soviet era, with the notable exception of selsoviets—a low level administrative unit type abolished after the new law on the administrative territorial divisions had been adopted in January 1998.

The territory on which modern Murmansk Oblast is located has been settled by humans since the 3rd millennium BCE, and by the end of the 1st millennium CE, it was settled only by the Sami people. In the 12th century, Russian Pomors from the shores of Onega Bay and in the lower reaches of the Northern Dvina River started regular hunting and fishing visits to the area and started barter trade with the Sami. Administratively, this territory was divided into Varzuzhskaya and Umbskaya Volosts, which were governed by a posadnik from the area of the Northern Dvina. Newly established Kolsky Uyezd covered most of the territory of the modern oblast, the town of Kola went into decline. As a result, on , 1858, Tsar Alexander II approved a State Council opinion "On Changing the Governance in the Town of Kola and in Kolsky Uyezd" that Kolsky Uyezd be abolished and its territory merged into Kemsky Uyezd. In 1916, Romanov na Murmane (modern Murmansk) was founded On February 2, 1920, Murmansk Governorate was established by the Resolution of the Provisional Government of Northern Oblast; it included the territory of Alexandrovsky Uyezd. On August 1, 1927, the All Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", according to which Murmansk Governorate was transformed into Murmansk Okrug (which was divided into six districts) and included into Leningrad Oblast. This arrangement existed until May 28, 1938, when the okrug was separated from Leningrad Oblast, merged with Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR, and transformed into Murmansk Oblast. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR of September 11, 1938, the administrative center of Polyarny District was moved from Murmansk to Ura Guba and in December 1938, new Monchegorsky District was formed. At the same time, the territory of Teribersky District was also merged with the territory of Severomorsk, to which the district's subdivisions were subordinated. Teribersky District was nominally retained as an administrative division and renamed Severomorsky. Saamsky District was abolished by the Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee of January 26, 1963. The district's selsoviets were transferred to Lovozersky District, while Gremikha, the administrative center of the former district, was subordinated to Severomorsk. On December 26, 1962, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to re organize the Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais, oblasts, and districts into the industrial and agricultural soviets, Murmansk Oblast was not affected and kept one unified Oblast Soviet and the executive committee. Nevertheless, on February 1, 1963, the Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR established the new structure of the districts of Murmansk Oblast, which no longer included Kandalakshsky and Severomorsky Districts and classified the remaining districts as rural. Subordination of Olenegorsk to Monchegorsk and of Polyarny to Severomorsk remained unchanged. The classification of the districts as rural only lasted for less than two years. The November 21, 1964 Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR restored the unified Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais and oblasts where the division into the urban and rural districts was introduced in 1962, and the districts of Murmansk Oblast were re categorized as regular districts again by the January 12, 1965 Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree. On January 6, 1966, the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee petitioned to transform the work settlement of Molodyozhny in jurisdiction of Kirovsk into a town under oblast jurisdiction called Khibinogorsk and on subordinating a part of the territory under Kirovsk's jurisdiction to it. The petition was reviewed by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, which, however, decreed on July 7, 1966 to merge the work settlements of Molodyozhny and Apatity into a town under oblast jurisdiction, which would retain the name Apatity. Consequently, the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee subordinated a part of the territory in Kirovsk's jurisdiction to the new town by the decision of October 13, 1966. On November 29, 1979, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to establish Kovdorsky District on the parts of the territories previously in jurisdiction of Apatity. Olenegorsk was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction by the August 10, Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree, and several inhabited localities previously subordinated to Monchegorsk were transferred to Olenegorsk by the August 26, 1981 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee. Next was the town of Polyarny, which was granted the same status by the June 17, 1983 Decree, and to which several inhabited localities previously subordinated to Severomorsk were transferred by the August 10, 1983 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee. On November 17, 1987, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to transfer the settlement of the railway station of Poyakonda from Tedinsky Selsoviet of Loukhsky District of the Karelian ASSR to Murmansk Oblast. By the Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee of January 20, 1988, the settlement was merged with the inhabited locality of Poyakonda on the territory in jurisdiction of the town of Kandalaksha. The transfer marked the only time the external borders of the oblast changed between 1947 and present. By the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR Decree of April 22, 1991, the work settlement of Polyarnye Zori in jurisdiction of the town of Apatity was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction. A part of the territory in jurisdiction of Apatity was also transferred to Polyarnye Zori by the Decision of the Presidium of the Murmansk Oblast Soviet of People's Deputies of May 16, 1991. The administrative territorial structure of the oblast remained unchanged until January 1998, when a new law on the administrative territorial division was adopted. The new law no longer included selsoviets as a lower level administrative division, but it recognized closed administrative territorial formations as a new type of an administrative territorial unit, the status of which was equal to that of the districts and the cities/towns with jurisdictional territories.