2005 Edition

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 note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15.6% (male 3,783,725/female 3,619,754) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 15,619,989/female 16,992,628) 65 years and over: 15.6% (male 2,497,851/female 4,911,389) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

656 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

174 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 57 1,524 to 2,437 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 70 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

482 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 428 (2004 est.)

Area

land

603,700 sq km

total

603,700 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas

Background

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. Geography Ukraine

Birth rate

10.49 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$12.26 billion, including capital expenditures of NA; note - these estimates probably do not include the government's doubling of pensions in September of 2004 (2004 est.)

revenues

$13.57 billion

Capital

Kiev (Kyyiv)

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

Constitution

adopted 28 June 1996

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Ukraine

former

Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

none

local short form

Ukrayina

Currency (code)

hryvnia (UAH)

Currency code

UAH

Current account balance

$4.584 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

16.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$16.37 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador John E. HERBST

embassy

10 Yuriia Kotsiubynskoho Street, 04053 Kiev

FAX

[380] (44) 490-4085

mailing address

5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850

telephone

[380] (44) 490-4000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Mykhailo B. REZNIK

consulate(s) general

Chicago, New York, San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 333-0817

telephone

[1] (202) 349-2920

Disputes - international

1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete but the parties have agreed to defer demarcation; maritime boundary through the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going expert-level discussions; Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Region which remains under OSCE supervision; Ukraine and Romania have taken their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through the Ukraine to the Black Sea

Distribution of family income - Gini index

29 (1999)

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 the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements. Shortly after independence 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 by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Ukrainian government officials have taken some steps to reform the country's Byzantine tax code, such as the implementation of lower tax rates aimed at bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including closing tax loopholes and eliminating tax privileges and exemptions. Reforms in the more politically sensitive areas of structural reform and land privatization are still lagging. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. GDP in 2000 showed strong export-based growth of 6% - the first growth since independence - and industrial production grew 12.9%. The economy continued to expand in 2001 as real GDP rose 9% and industrial output grew by over 14%. Growth of 4.6% in 2002 was more moderate, in part a reflection of faltering growth in the developed world. In general, growth has been undergirded by strong domestic demand, low inflation, and solid consumer and investor confidence. Growth was a sturdy 9.3% in 2003 and a remarkable 12% in 2004, despite a loss of momentum in needed economic reforms.

Electricity - consumption

132 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

1.2 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

180 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

48.6%

hydro

7.9%

nuclear

43.5%

other

0% (2001)

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

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)

Exchange rates

hryvnia per US dollar - 5.3192 (2004), 5.3327 (2003), 5.3266 (2002), 5.3722 (2001), 5.4402 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January 2005)

election results

Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; note - a special repeat runoff presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21 November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant violations; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council

head of government

Prime Minister Yuriy YEKHANUROV (since 22 September 2005); First Deputy Prime Minister - Stanislav STASHEVSKYY (since 27 September 2005)

Exports

$32.91 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Russia 18%, Germany 5.8%, Turkey 5.7%, Italy 5%, US 4.6% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Ukraine

Flag description

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

18%

industry

45.1%

services

36.9% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

12% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$299.1 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

49 00 N, 32 00 E

Geography - note

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

Government type

republic

Heliports

8 (2004 est.) Military Ukraine

Highways

paved

164,249 km

total

169,679 km

unpaved

5,430 km (2002)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

20,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

360,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 23.2% (1999)

Illicit drugs

limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$31.45 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

Russia 41.8%, Germany 9.6%, Turkmenistan 6.7% (2004)

Independence

24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Industrial production growth rate

16.5% (2004 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

19.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

21.55 deaths/1,000 live births

total

20.34 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC

Internet country code

.ua

Internet hosts

94,345 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

260 (2001)

Internet users

3.8 million (2003) Transportation Ukraine

Investment (gross fixed)

18.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

24,540 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Labor force

21.11 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 24%, industry 32%, services 44% (1996)

Land boundaries

border countries

Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km

total

4,663 km

Land use

arable land

56.21%

other

42.18% (2001)

permanent crops

1.61%

Languages

Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%; small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities

Legal system

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under recent amendments to Ukraine's election law, the Rada's seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the national electoral vote; members serve five-year terms beginning with the next election in 2006)

election results

percent of vote by party/bloc - Our Ukraine 24%, CPU 20%, United Ukraine 12%, SPU 7%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%, United Social Democratic Party 6%, other 24%; seats by party/bloc - Our Ukraine 101, Regions of Ukraine 61, CPU 59, Working Ukraine 14, United Social Democratic Party 33, Agrarian Party 22, SPU 20, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 19, United Ukraine 19, People's Democratic Party-Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs 16, Center Group 15, Democratic Initiatives 14, unaffiliated 57 (December 2004) note: following the election, United Ukraine splintered into the Agrarian Party, European Choice, People's Choice, People's Democratic Party, Regions of Ukraine, and Working Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; these factions have since undergone a number of changes

elections

last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.31 years (2005 est.)

male

64.39 years

total population

69.68 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.6% (2003 est.)

male

99.8%

total population

99.7%

Location

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 11,067,239 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 7,114,337 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

378,176 (2005 est.)

Map references

Asia, Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

41.21 years (2005 est.)

male

34.91 years

total

38.22 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 6, cargo 148, container 4, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2

foreign-owned

1 (Russia 1)

registered in other countries

113 (2005)

total

201 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 675,904 GRT/709,802 DWT

Military branches

Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani Syly), Air Defense Forces (2002)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$617.9 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (FY02) Transnational Issues Ukraine

Military service age and obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24 months for Navy (2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 August (1991); the date of 22 January (1918), the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia), is now celebrated as Unity Day

Nationality

adjective

Ukrainian

noun

Ukrainian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

79.86 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports

5.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports

60.4 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - production

19.6 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

560.7 billion cu m (9 November 2004)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

-0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

303,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

72,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

395 million bbl (9 November 2004)

People - note

the sex trafficking of Ukrainian women is a serious problem that has only recently been addressed Government Ukraine

Pipelines

gas 20,069 km; oil 4,540 km; refined products 4,169 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Agrarian Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Initiatives [Stepan HAVRYSH]; Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; Our Ukraine bloc (comprised of several parties the most prominent of which are Rukh, the Ukrainian People's Party, Reforms and Order, and Solidarity) [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO]; Regions of Ukraine [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; United Social Democratic Party [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]; Working Ukraine [Serhiy TYHYPKO]; Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO] note: as well as numerous smaller parties; United Ukraine and Center Group are not actual political parties, but rather deputy groups (factions not based on a party)

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

47,425,336 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

29% (2003 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.63% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Feodosiya, Kerch, Kherson, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Yuzhnyy

Public debt

24.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios

45.05 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2004)

total

22,473 km

Religions

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.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$11.33 billion (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female

total population

0.86 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone 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; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate

general assessment

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

international

country code - 380; 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 that 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

10,833,300 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4.2 million (2002)

Television broadcast stations

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

Televisions

18.05 million (1997)

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

Total fertility rate

1.4 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

3.5% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is around 9-10 percent (2004 est.)

Waterways

1,672 km (most on Dnieper River) (2004)