2000 Edition

Background

Richly endowed in natural resources, Ukraine has been fought over and subjugated for centuries; its 20th-century struggle for liberty is not yet complete. A short-lived independence from Russia (1917-1920) was followed by brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died, and World War II, in which German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 million more deaths. Although independence was attained in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive as many of the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civic liberties.

Area

land

603,700 sq km

total

603,700 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas

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

Elevation extremes

highest point

Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

lowest point

Black Sea 0 m

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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates

49 00 N, 32 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

26,050 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

4,558 km

Land use

arable land

58%

forests and woodland

18%

other

9% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

2%

permanent pastures

13%

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

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 18% (male 4,482,754; female 4,296,206) 15-64 years: 68% (male 16,018,331; female 17,509,078) 65 years and over: 14% (male 2,243,266; female 4,603,392) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

9.03 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

16.48 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

21.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian

Life expectancy at birth

female

71.85 years (2000 est.)

male

60.39 years

total population

65.98 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

97% (1989 est.)

male

100%

total population

98%

Nationality

adjective

Ukrainian

noun

Ukrainian(s)

Net migration rate

-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

49,153,027 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.83% (2000 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female

total population

0.86 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.26 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

24 oblasti (singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalities (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), Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sumy), Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka (Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr)

note

oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Capital

Kiev (Kyyiv)

Constitution

adopted 28 June 1996

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Ukraine

former

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

none

local short form

Ukrayina

Data code

UP

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Steven Karl PIFER

embassy

10 Yuria Kotsubynskoho, 254053 Kiev 53

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

(44) 246-9750

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Konstantin Ivanovych HRYSHCHENKO

telephone

(202) 333-0606

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)

election results

Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of vote - Leonid KUCHMA 56.21%, Petro SYMONENKO 37.77%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the People's Council

head of government

Prime Minister Viktor YUSHCHENKO (since 22 December 1999), First Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy YEKHANUROV (since 30 December 1999), and three deputy prime ministers

note

there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kyyiv (Kiev) and Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the oblasti

FAX

(202) 333-0817

(44) 244-7350

consulate(s) general

Chicago and New York

Flag description

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

Government type

republic

Independence

1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union, by voter approval)

International organization participation

BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Legal system

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under Ukraine's new election law, half of the Rada's seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 4% of the national electoral vote; the other 225 members are elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies; all serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party (for parties clearing 4% hurdle on 29 March 1998) - Communist 24.7%, Rukh (combined) 9.4%, Socialist/Peasant 8.6%, Green 5.3%, People's Democratic Party 5.0%, Hromada 4.7%, Progressive Socialist 4.0%, United Social Democratic Party 4.0%; seats by faction (as of 25 February 2000) - Communist 115, PRVU 36, Fatherland Party 35, United Social Democratic 34, People's Democratic Party 27, Trudova Ukrayina 27, Rukh (K) 27, left-center 23, Green 18, Rukh (U) 17, Peasant Party 15, Hromada 14, Reforms Congress 12, independents 14, unaffiliated 31, vacant 5

elections

last held 29 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 August (1991)

Political parties and leaders

Agrarian Party of Ukraine or APU ; Communist Party of Ukraine [Petro SYMONENKO]; Fatherland (Motherland) All Ukrainian Party [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, chairperson]; Green Party of Ukraine or PZU [Vitaliy KONONOV, chairman]; Hromada ; Liberal Party of Ukraine or LPU ; Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine or PRVU ; Peasant Party of Ukraine or SelPU ; People's Democratic Party [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO, chairman]; People's Movement of Ukraine or Rukh U [Hennadiy UDOVENKO, chairman]; Progressive Socialist Party ; Reforms Congress ; Reforms and Order Party ; Sobor Party ; Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (United) ; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU ; Trudova Ukrayina/Working Ukraine ; Ukrainian Popular Movement or Rukh K ; United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine ; Yabluko Party

note

and numerous smaller parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk

Budget

expenditures

$8.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

revenues

$8.3 billion

Currency

1 hryvna = 100 kopiykas

Debt - external

$12.6 billion (January 2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (1998)

Economy - 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. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas. Shortly after the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, 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. Output in 1992-99 fell to less than 40% the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July 1994, President KUCHMA has pushed economic reforms, maintained financial discipline, and tried to remove almost all remaining controls over prices and foreign trade. The onset of the financial crisis in Russia dashed Ukraine's hopes for its first year of economic growth in 1998 due to a sharp fall in export revenue and reduced domestic demand. Output continued to drop, slightly, in 1999. The government has also not been able to significantly decrease its huge backlog of wage and pension arrears. Despite increasing pressure from the IMF to accelerate reform, substantial economic restructuring remains unlikely in 2000, largely because of resistance in the communist-dominated legislature to further privatization.

Electricity - consumption

144.011 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

7 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

4.15 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

171 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

52%

hydro

5.9%

nuclear

42.1%

other

0% (1999)

Exchange rates

hryvnia per US$1 - 5.59 (February 2000), 5.3811 (January 2000), 4.1304 (1999), 2.4495 (1998), 1.8617 (1997), 1.8295 (1996), 1.4731 (1995)

Exports

$11.6 billion (1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, food products

Exports - partners

Russia 20%, EU 17%, China 7%, Turkey 6%, US 4% (1999)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $109.5 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

12%

industry

26%

services

62% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,200 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-0.4% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 20.8% (1992)

Imports

$11.8 billion (1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

Russia 48%, EU 23%, US 3% (1999)

Industrial production growth rate

4.3% (1999 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

20% (1999 est.)

Labor force

22.8 million (yearend 1997)

Labor force - by occupation

industry and construction 32%, agriculture and forestry 24%, health, education, and culture 17%, trade and distribution 8%, transport and communication 7%, other 12% (1996)

Population below poverty line

50% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate

4.3% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1999)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

35 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios

45.05 million (1997)

Telephone system

Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines and international connections, and developing a mobile cellular system

domestic

at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; from a small base, the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate

international

two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project which connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems

Telephones - main lines in use

9.45 million (April 1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

236,000 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

at least 33 (plus 21 repeater stations that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997)

Televisions

18.05 million (1997)

Airports

706 (1994 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

163 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 55 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 57 (1994 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

543 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)

Highways

paved

170,139 km (including 1,770 km of expressways); note - these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel-surfaced

total

176,310 km

unpaved

6,171 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 9, cargo 105, container 4, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 14, rail car carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off 5, short-sea passenger 3 (1999 est.)

total

156 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 862,690 GRT/963,550 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 4,000 km (1995); petroleum products 4,500 km (1995); natural gas 34,400 km (1998)

Ports and harbors

Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, 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 Dnistr (1990)

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Internal Troops, National Guard, Border Troops

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$500 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (FY99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 12,311,052 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 9,645,925 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

373,595 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

dispute with Romania over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist; agreed in 1997 to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the ICJ; 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

Illicit drugs

limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey, and to Europe and Russia; drug-related money laundering a minor, but growing, problem

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES