Essay/Term paper: Ukraine: facts

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Geography

Ukraine: Facts

Ukraine is a state in Eastern Europe, bounded on the north by Belarus, on the
north and east by the Russian Federation, on the west by Poland, Slovakia, on
the southwest by Hungary, Rumania, and Moldova, and on the south by the Black
Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine includes the Crimean Autonomous Republic, which was elevated from an
oblast to a constituent republic in 1991.

Kyiv is the capital and largest city.

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe after Russia. The total area of
Ukraine is 603,700 sq. km (compare the area of France - 551,000 sq. km; Germany
- 356,000; Great Britain - 244,000; Italy - 301,000; Spain - 505,000). The area
spanned in a west-east direction is 1300 km; from north to south - 900 km.

The population of Ukraine is 52 million (Germany - 78 million; France - 56
million; Great Britain - 58 million; Italy - 59 million; Spain - 40 million).

Ukraine's state border extends for a total of 7698 km: with Russia - 2484 km;
Belarus - 952 km; Rumania - 608 km; Poland - 542 km; Slovakia - 98 km; Hungary -
135 km; Moldova - 1194 km. The total length of Ukraine's sea coast is 1758 km
(Black Sea - 1533 km; Sea of Azov - 225 km).

The climate of Ukraine is moderate-continental; in the southernmost region of
the Crimea the climate is sub-tropical. The largest river of Ukraine is the
Dnipro, which is 2201 km in length, of which 981 km flow through Ukraine. The
largest mountain system in Ukraine is the Carpathian Mountains that extend for
more than 270 km and are 100-110 km wide. The highest peak is the Hoverla (2061
m).

Government

Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ukraine local long
form: none local short form: Ukrayina former: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic

Digraph: UP

Type: republic

Capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)

Administrative divisions: 24 oblasti (singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous
republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalites (mista, singular - misto)
with oblast status**; Cherkas'ka (Cherkasy), Chernihivs'ka (Chernihiv),
Chernivets'ka (Chernivtsi), Dnipropetrovs'ka (Dnipropetrovs'k), Donets'ka
(Donets'k), Ivano-Frankivs'ka (Ivano-Frankivs'k), Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv),
Khersons'ka (Kherson), Khmel'nyts'ka (Khmel'nyts'kyy), Kirovohrads'ka
(Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs'ka (Kiev), Luhans'ka (Luhans'k), L'vivs'ka (L'viv),
Mykolayivs'ka (Mykolayiv), Odes'ka (Odesa), Poltavs'ka (Poltava), Respublika
Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sevastopol'),
Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka (Luts'k),
Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr)
note: names in parentheses are administrative centers when name differs from
oblast' name

Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)

Constitution: using 1978 pre-independence constitution; new constitution
currently being drafted

Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July
1994); election last held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
results - Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06% head of government:
Acting Prime Minister Yeuben MARCHUK (since 3 March 1995); First Deputy Prime
Ministers Yevhen MARCHUK and Viktor PYNZENYK (since 31 October 1994) and six
deputy prime ministers cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
and approved by the Supreme Council National Security Council: originally
created in 1992, but signficantly revamped and strengthened under President
KUCHMA; members include the president, prime minister, Ministers of Finance,
Environment, Justice, Internal Affairs, Foreign Economic Relations, Economic and
Foreign Affairs; the NSC staff is tasked with developing national security
policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president
Presidential Administration: helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy
support to the president Council of Regions: advisory body created by President
KUCHMA in September 1994; includes the Chairmen of Oblast and Kiev and
Sevastopol City Supreme Councils

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council: elections last held 27 March
1994 with repeat elections continuing through December 1998 to fill empty seats
(next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (450 total)
Communists 91, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialists 15, Republicans 11, Congress of
Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democrats 2,
Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of
Economic Revival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, independents 225; note -
405 deputies have been elected; run-off elections for the remaining 45 seats to
be held by December 1998

Judicial branch: joint commission formed in April 1995 to define a program of
judicial reform by year-end

Political parties and leaders: Green Party of Ukraine, Vitaliy KONONOV, leader;
Liberal Party of Ukraine; Liberal Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr
KLYMCHUK, chairman; Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych
YAVORIVSKIY, chairman; People's Party of Ukraine, Leopol'd TABURYANSKYY,
chairman; Peasants' Party of Ukraine, Serhiy DOVHRAN', chairman; Party of
Democratic Rebirth (Revival) of Ukraine, Volodymyr FILENKO, chairman; Social
Democratic Party of Ukraine, Yuriy VUZDUHAN, chairman; Socialist Party of
Ukraine, Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman; Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party,
Vitaliy ZHURAVSKYY, chairman; Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party, Stepan
KHMARA, chairman; Ukrainian Labor Party, Valentyn LANDYK, chairman; Ukrainian
Party of Justice, Mykhaylo HRECHKO, chairman; Ukrainian Peasants' Democratic
Party, Serhiy PLACHINDA, chairman; Ukrainian Republican Party, Mykhaylo HORYN',
chairman; Ukrainian National Conservative Party, Viktor RADIONOV, chairman;
Ukrainian People's Movement for Restructuring (Rukh), Vyacheslav CHORNOVIL,
chairman; Ukrainian Communist Party, Petr SYMONENKO; Agrarian Party; Congress of
Ukrainian Nationalists, S. STESTKO; Civil Congress, O. BAZYLUK; Party of
Economic Revival of Crimea; Democratic Party Of Ukraine, Serhiy DOVMAN',
chairman

Other political or pressure groups: New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina); Congress of
National Democratic Forces

Member of: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest), CEI (associate members), CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user),
INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNPROFOR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy SHCHERBAK
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817 consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador William Green MILLER
embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsyubinskovo, 252053 Kiev 53 mailing address: use embassy
street address telephone: [7] (044) 244-73-49, 244-37-45 FAX: [7] (044) 244-73-
50

Flag: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent
grainfields under a blue sky

People

Population: 51,867,828 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 21% (female 5,217,850; male 5,407,450) 15-64 years:
65% (female 17,563,924; male 16,334,299) 65 years and over: 14% (female
4,976,893; male 2,367,412) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.04% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 12.31 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 12.67 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 20.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.11 years male: 65.59 years
female: 74.87 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: Ukrainian(s) adjective: Ukrainian

Ethnic divisions: Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%, Jewish 1%, other 4%

Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev
Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate),
Protestant, Jewish

Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989) total population: 98% male:
100% female: 97%

Labor force: 23.55 million (January 1994) by occupation: industry and
construction 33%, agriculture and forestry 21%, health, education, and culture
16%, trade and distribution 7%, transport and communication 7%, other 16% (1992)

Copyright by Vitaly Kukshin.