Map of Ukraine | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Eastern Europe bordering the Black Sea between Poland and Russia

Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N 32 00 E

Map reference: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area
Total: 603,700 km²
Land: 603,700 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 4,558 km
Border countries: (7) 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

Coastline: 2,782 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM

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

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 58%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 13%
Forests and woodland: 18%
Other: 9% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 26,050 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

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


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Population: 48,760,474 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: -0.78% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 50% (1999 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ukrainian
Adjective: Ukrainian

Ethnic groups: Ukrainian 73% Russian 22% Jewish 1% other 4%

Languages: Ukrainian Russian Romanian Polish Hungarian

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.3% (male 4,310,158; female 4,127,677)
15-64 years: 68.57% (male 15,965,079; female 17,468,035)
65 years and over: 14.13% (male 2,275,004; female 4,614,521) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.78% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 9.31 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 16.43 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.63 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements 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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male/female
Total population: 0.86 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 21.4 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 66.15 years
Male: 60.62 years
Female: 71.96 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.29 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.96% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 240,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 4,000 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: 100%
Female: 97% (1989 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Ukraine
Local long form: none
Local short form: Ukrayina
Former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type: republic

Capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)

Administrative divisions
Note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Dependent areas

Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 24 August (1991)

Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996

Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)
Head of government: Prime Minister Anatoliy KINAKH (since 29 May 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Oleh DUBYNA (since 29 May 2001)
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 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
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 Supreme Council
Election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of vote - Leonid KUCHMA 57.7%, Petro SYMONENKO 38.8%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 29 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party (for parties clearing 4% hurdle on 29 March 1998) - Communist Party 24.7%, Rukh (combined) 9.4%, SPU/SelPU 8.6%, PZU 5.3%, People's Democratic Party 5.0%, Hromada Party 4.7%, Progressive Socialist Party 4.0%, United Social Democratic Party 4.0%; seats by party (as of 25 February 2000) - Communist Party 115, PRVU 36, Fatherland Party 35, United Social Democratic Party 34, People's Democratic Party 27, Trudova Ukrayina Party 27, Rukh K 27, left-center 23, PZU 18, Rukh U 17, SelPU 15, Hromada Party 14, Reforms-Congress 12, independents 14, unaffiliated 31, vacant 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders
Note: and numerous smaller parties

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 MONUC NAM (observer) NSG OAS (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL UNMEE UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UNMOT UNTAET UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO (observer) ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Konstantin Ivanovych HRYSHCHENKO
In the us chancery: 3,350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
In the us fax: [1] (202) 333-0817
In the us consulates general: Chicago and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos PASCUAL
From the us embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsubynskoho, 254,053 Kiev 53
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [380] (44) 490-4,000
From the us fax: [380] (44) 244-7,350

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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 late 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. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Now in his second term President KUCHMA has pledged to reduce the number of government agencies and streamline the regulation process create a legal environment to encourage entrepreneurs and protect ownership rights and enact a comprehensive tax overhaul. 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 and have threatened to withdraw financial support. GDP in 2000 showed strong export-based growth of 6% - the first growth since independence - and industrial production grew 12.9%. As the capacity for further export-based economic expansion diminishes GDP growth in 2001 is likely to decline to around 3%.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,850 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12%
Industry: 26%
Services: 62% (1998 est.)

Agriculture products: grain sugar beets sunflower seeds vegetables; beef milk

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

Industrial production growth rate: 12.9% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 22.8 million (yearend 1997)
By occupation industry: 32%
By occupation agriculture: 24%
By occupation services: 44% (1996)

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

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 50% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.9%
Highest 10: 26.4% (1996)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $8.3 billion
Expenditures: $8.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 25.8% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $14.6 billion (2000 est.)
Commodities: ferrous and nonferrous metals fuel and petroleum products machinery and transport equipment food products
Partners: Russia 24% Europe 30% US 5% (2000 est.)

Imports: $15 billion (2000 est.)
Commodities: energy machinery and parts transportation equipment chemicals
Partners: Russia 42% Europe 29% US 3% (2000 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $10.3 billion (2000)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: hryvnia per US dollar - 5.4331 (January 2001) 5.4402 (2000) 4.1304 (1999) 2.4495 (1998) 1.8617 (1997) 1.8295 (1996)


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Electricity
Production: 157.823 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 47.67%
Production by source hydro: 9.65%
Production by source nuclear: 42.67%
Production by source other: 0.01% (1999)
Consumption: 146.675 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 2.3 billion kWh (1999)
Imports: 2.2 billion kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 9.45 million (April 1999)
Mobile cellular: 236,000 (1998)

Telephone system
General assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the 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; 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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .ua
Service providers isps: 32 (2000)
Users: 200,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $500 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 1.4% (FY99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 718 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 114
With paved runways over 3047 m: 14
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 50
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 21
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 26 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 604
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 13
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 37
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 52
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 45
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 457 (2000 est.)

Heliports

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

Railways
Total: 23,350 km
Broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)

Roadways

Waterways
Note: (1,672 km are on the Pryp'yat' and Dnistr) (1990)

Merchant marine
Total: 156 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 757,582 GRT/841,755 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 110, container 3, liquefied gas 2, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 14, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 2 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs