General Information
Ukraine is a republic in eastern Europe, bounded by Belarus to the north; Russia to the north and east; the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in the south; on the southwest by Romania and Moldova; and on the west by Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland. Formerly the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Ukraine is a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which in December 1991 succeeded the USSR. Kyyiv (Kiev) is the capital and largest city.
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe after Russia, with a total area of about 603,700 sq km. Almost the entire country of Ukraine is a vast flat plain, with elevations generally below 300 m. The Carpathian Mountains intrude at the extreme west, and on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula are the Crimean Mountains. The highest point in Ukraine is Mount Hoverla in the Carpathians, with an elevation of 2061 m.
The climate is temperate continental, with a subtropical Mediterranean climate in the southern portions of the Crimean Peninsula. The average monthly temperature in winter ranges from -8° to 2° C (17.6° to 35.6° F), while summer temperatures average 17° to 25° C (62.6° to 77° F).
Ukraine has extremely fertile black-earth soils in the central and southern portions, totaling nearly two-thirds of the territory. Mixed forest vegetation occupied the northern third of the country, forest-steppe the middle portion, and steppe the southern third of the country. Now, however, much of the original vegetation has been cleared and replaced by cultivated crops. Much of the original wildlife has also disappeared, but many animal species still remain.
Capital (and largest city) Kiev (Kyiv)
Official languages Ukrainian
Government Semi-presidential system
- President Viktor Yushchenko
Independence from the Soviet Union
- Declared August 24, 1991
- Referendum December 1, 1991
- Finalized December 25, 1991
Area
- Total 603,628 km? (44th) (233,090 sq mi)
- Water (%) 7%
Population
- 2007 estimate 46,294 (27th)
- 2001 census 48,457,102
- Density 78 /km? (115th) (199 /sq mi)
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total $355.8 billion (28th)
- Per capita $8,059 (86th)
GDP (nominal) 2006 estimate
- Total $81.53 billion (53rd)
- Per capita $1,760 (108th)
HDI (2004) 0.774 (medium) (77th)
Currency Hryvnia (UAH)
The national flag (proportions 3 by 2) has two equal stripes, of blue over yellow.
Land and Resources
The total area of Ukraine is 603,700 sq km (233,090 sq mi). The country extends 1316 km (818 mi) east to west and 893 km (555 mi) north to south. Much of the country is a rolling upland plain, with the highest elevations in the western half of the country and the southeastern Donets'ka region. A lowland region of wooded bogs and swamps, called the Poles'ye (Pripet) Marshes, is located in northern Ukraine, although much of this region has been drained and cleared for agriculture. Low-lying plains are found in southern Ukraine in the lower Dnieper (Dnipro) River Basin and the Black Sea coastal region. Ukraine's coastline, including Crimea, extends about 1050 km (about 650 mi). The Carpathian Mountains in the extreme west and the Crimean Mountains in the southern end of Crimea take up about 5 percent of Ukraine's territory. Mount Hoverla in the Carpathians is the country's highest peak at 2061 m (6762 ft).
Natural Resources
Ukraine possesses rich and conveniently located natural resources. About half of its territory, especially the central and southern regions, consists of the exceptionally fertile black chernozem, a type of soil that is ideal for agriculture. Forests cover 13 percent of Ukraine's territory. The Donets Basin in the southeast is especially well endowed with large deposits of coal, while the east central Kryvyy Rih area is rich in iron ore. Ukraine has some of the world's largest manganese deposits, located in south central Ukraine at Nikopol' (Nykopil). There are also considerable deposits of oil and natural gas in the Carpathian foothills, the Donets Basin, and along the Crimean coast.
Environmental Issues
Soviet policies of raising industrial and agricultural productivity with little regard to ecological considerations have had a devastating effect on the environment. Air pollution is especially severe in such industrial centers as Zaporizhzhya, Luhans'k, and Donets'ka. Industrial and agricultural pollutants have contaminated soil in the south and drinking water throughout the country. High-level radioactive contamination of the soil and food chain has been a concern since the April 1986 explosion and core meltdown of a reactor at the Chernobyl' nuclear power station, located in northern Ukraine near the city of Chernobyl'. Northern Ukraine and especially southern Belarus were the most severely contaminated areas from the radioactive plume that was released in the explosion
Culture
Ukraine's geographical location between Europe and Asia meant that much of its early culture was a synthesis of Eastern and Western influences. When a developed culture emerged in the medieval, or Kyivan, period, the influence of the Byzantine Empire was paramount. In early modern times, major European currents such as the Renaissance reached Ukraine via Poland. A cultural dichotomy today exists within Ukraine, with western regions reflecting European, especially Polish, influence, while in the eastern regions the impact of Russian culture is evident.
The well-developed and colorful folklore of Ukraine has helped Ukrainians retain a cultural distinctiveness in the face of strong assimilatory pressures from neighboring lands. During the Soviet period the government extensively subsidized cultural activity, but culture was expected to serve as a vehicle for Communist propaganda. In the late 1920s and especially in the early 1930s, the Soviet regime began enforcing socialist realism as the only acceptable artistic style. Socialist realism mandated that all artists and writers glorify the Soviet regime and its goal of attaining communism. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought new freedoms for Ukrainian artists, but it also meant a sudden drop in government subsidies. Today government support is minimal and a funding crisis exists. The Westernization of cultural activity is moving ahead rapidly, with commercialized and previously taboo activities such as pop concerts becoming commonplace.
In Ukraine there are 50,000 social organizations and charitable organizations today.
In 2005 in Kiev the Eurovision 2005 contest took place.
Basic Indicators
Under-5 mortality rank 125
Under-5 mortality rate, 2005 17
Infant mortality rate (under 1), 2005 13
Annual no. of births (thousands), 2005 392
Annual no. of under-5 deaths (thousands), 2005 7
GNI per capita (US$), 2005 1520
Life expectancy at birth (years), 2005 66
Total adult literacy rate, 2000-2004* 99
