1996 Edition

Description

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

Location

49 00 N, 32 00 E -- Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly smaller than Texas

land area

603,700 sq km

total 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

Coastline

2,782 km

Environment

current issues

inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

international agreements

party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

natural hazards

NA

Geographic coordinates

49 00 N, 32 00 E

Geographic note

strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe

International disputes

certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine - including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940; dispute with Romania over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which signifcant gas and oil deposits may exist; potential dispute with Russia over Crimea; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation

Irrigated land

26,000 sq km (1990)

Land boundaries

border countries

Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (southwest) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km

total

4,558 km

Land use

arable land

56%

forest and woodland

0%

meadows and pastures

12%

other

30%

permanent crops

2%

Location

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

undefined

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber

Terrain

most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaux, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

highest point

Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

lowest point

Black Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 20% (male 5,139,034; female 4,936,901) 15-64 years: 66% (male 16,135,671; female 17,433,600) 65 years and over: 14% (male 2,318,629; female 4,900,174) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

11.17 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

15.16 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%, Jewish 1%, other 4%

Infant mortality rate

22.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian

Life expectancy at birth

female

72.32 years (1996 est.)

male

61.54 years

total population

66.8 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)

female

97%

male

100%

total population

98%

Nationality

adjective

Ukrainian

noun

Ukrainian(s)

Net migration rate

0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

50,864,009 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.4% (1996 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

all ages

0.86 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Capital

Kiev (Kyyiv)

Constitution

adopted 28 June 1996

Council of Regions

advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994; includes the chairmen of Oblast and Kiev and Sevastopol City Supreme Councils

Data code

UP

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Yuriy Mikolayevych SHCHERBAK

telephone

[1] (202) 333-0606

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers was appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council

chief of state

President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) was elected for a five-year term by direct popular vote; 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

Prime Minister Yevhen MARCHUK (since NA June 1995), First Deputy Prime Minister Pavlo LAZARENKO (since NA), and eight deputy prime ministers were appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council

FAX

[1] (202) 333-0817

[380] (44) 244-7350

consulate(s) general

Chicago and New York

Flag

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

Independence

1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)

International organization participation

BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court is the highest judicial body; Constitutional Court has exclusive jurisdiction over interpretation of the constitution and laws

Legal system

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Ukraine

former

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

none

local short form

Ukrayina

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 August (1991)

National Security Council

originally created in 1992, but significantly 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

Other political or pressure groups

New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina); Congress of National Democratic Forces

Political parties and leaders

Green Party of Ukraine, Vitaliy KONONOV, leader; Liberal Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr SHCHERBAN; Liberal Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr KLYMCHUK, chairman; Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych YAVORIVSKIY, chairman; People's Party of Ukraine; Peasants' Party of Ukraine; Party of Democratic Rebirth (Revival) of Ukraine, Volodymyr FILENKO, chairman; Social Democratic Party of Ukraine, Vasyl ONOPENKO, 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, Yuriy ZUBKO, chairman; Ukrainian Peasants' Democratic Party, Serhiy PLACHINDA, chairman; Ukrainian Republican Party, Bondan YAROSHPSKYY, chairman; Ukrainian National Conservative Party; Ukrainian People's Movement for Restructuring (Rukh), Vyacheslav CHORNOVIL, chairman; Ukrainian Communist Party, Petr SYMONENKO; Agrarian Party; Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, Slava STESTKO; Civil Congress, O. BAZYLUK; Party of Economic Revival of Crimea; Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Nataliya VITRENKO and Volodymyr MARCHENKO, leaders; People's Democratic Party, Anatoliy MATVIYENKO, chairman

Presidential Administration

helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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 - most recent repeat election held in April 1996 filling 422 of 450 seats

as follows

independents 238, Communist 95, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialist 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democratic Party of Ukraine 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Rivival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, vacant 28

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador William Green MILLER

embassy

10 Yuria Kotsyubinskovo, 252053 Kiev 53

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[380] (44) 244-7345

Agriculture

grain, sugar beets, vegetables; meat, milk

Budget

expenditures

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$NA

Currency

on 2 September 1996, Ukraine introduced the long-awaited hryvnia (plural hryvni) as its national currency, replacing the karbovanets (in circulation since 12 November 1992) at a rate of 100,000 karbovantsi to 1 hryvnia

Economic aid

note

commitments, 1992-95, $4.5 billion ($4.1 billion drawn)

recipient

ODA, $220 million (1993)

Economic overview

After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied equipment and raw materials to industrial and mining sites in other regions of the former USSR. In early 1992, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July 1994, President KUCHMA has developed a comprehensive economic reform program, maintained financial discipline, and removed almost all controls over prices and foreign trade. Implementation of KUCHMA's economic agenda is encountering considerable resistance from parliament, entrenched bureaucrats, and industrial interests. However, should KUCHMA succeed in implementing aggressive market reforms during 1996, the economy may stabilize and possibly achieve real growth in the range of 0.5%-1%.

Electricity

capacity

54,380,000 kW

consumption per capita

3,200 kWh (1995 est.)

production

192.1 billion kWh

Exchange rates

hryvnia per US$1 - 1.76 (2 September 1996)

Exports

$11.3 billion (1995)

commodities

coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, grain, meat

partners

other FSU countries, China, Italy, Switzerland

External debt

$8.8 billion (including $4.5 billion to Russia) (late 1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $174.6 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

31%

industry

43%

services

26% (1993 est.)

GDP per capita

$3,370 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

-4% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Imports

$10.7 billion (1995)

commodities

energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles

partners

other FSU countries, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic

Industrial production growth rate

-11% (1995 est.)

Industries

coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food-processing (especially sugar)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9% monthly average (1995)

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)

Unemployment rate

0.7% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1995)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Internal Troops, National Guard, Border Troops

Defense expenditures

1.35 billion hryvni, less than 2% of GDP (Ukrainian Government's forecast for 1996); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

12,388,788

males fit for military service

9,716,127

males reach military age (18) annually

362,000 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note - there are at least two radio broadcast stations of NA type

Radios

15 million (1990)

Telephone system

system is unsatisfactory both for business and for personal use; 3.56 million applications for telephones had not been satisfied as of January 1991; electronic mail services have been established in Kiev, Odessa, and Luhans'k by Sprint

domestic

an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network operates in Kiev (Kyyiv) and allows direct dialing of international calls through Kiev's digital exchange

international

calls to other CIS countries are carried by landline or microwave radio relay; calls to 167 other countries are carried by satellite or by the 150 leased lines through the Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations - NA Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions), and NA Intersputnik

Telephones

NA

Television broadcast stations

at least 2

Televisions

17.3 million (1992) Defense

Airports

total

706

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

34

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

55

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

3

with paved runways over 3 047 m

14

with paved runways under 914 m

57

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

16

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

7

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

37

with unpaved runways over 3 047 m

7

with unpaved runways under 914 m

476 (1994 est.)

Highways

paved

168,094 km (including 1,767 km of expressways)

total

169,964 km

unpaved

1,870 km (1992 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

barge carrier 5, bulk 39, cargo 217, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 11, multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 21, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 5, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 32, short-sea passenger 3 (1995 est.)

total

353 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,262,341 GRT/4,356,374 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 2,010 km; petroleum products 1,920 km; natural gas 7,800 km (1992)

Ports

Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Pivdenne, Reni

Railways

broad gauge

23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)

total

23,350 km

Waterways

4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on the Pryp''yat' and Dnipro (1990)