| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Asia , Europe |
| Geographical Location |
49° 00' North Latitude
32° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
603,700 sq km |
| Climate |
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north,
lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south |
| Natural Resources |
Iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Ukraine |
| Capital City |
Kiev (Kyyiv) |
| Government Type |
Republic |
| Administrative Divisions |
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy,
Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad,
Kiev (Kyyiv)**, Kyyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr |
| Independence Day |
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
47,425,336 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Ukrainian |
| Ethnic Groups |
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census) |
| Religion |
Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate 19%, Orthodox (no particular jurisdiction) 16%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous
Orthodox 1.7%, Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.) |
| Languages |
Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%; small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities |
| Population Growth Rate |
-0.63% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Hryvnia (UAH) |
| Industries |
Coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar) |
| Labor Force |
21.11 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 24%, industry 32%, services 44% (1996) |
| Agriculture Products |
Grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk |
| Export Commodities |
Ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products |
| Export Partners |
Russia 17.4%, Turkey 7.1%, Italy 5.7% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals |
| Import Partners |
Russia 31.9%, Germany 11.9%, Turkmenistan 5.8%, Italy 4.5% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
22,473 km |
| Highways |
169,679 km |
| Pipelines |
Gas 20,069 km; oil 4,540 km; refined products 4,169 km (2004) |
| Airports |
656 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Berdyans'k, Feodosiya, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Kiliya, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Sevastopol', Yalta, Yuzhnyy |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+380 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.ua |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe.
Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate,
was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years.
During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able
to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33)
in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991
with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.
A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored
vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. The new government presents its citizens with hope that the country may at last attain true freedom and prosperity. |
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