Country name: Ukraine
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east
Area: 603,700 sq km
Population: 46,710,816 (July 2006 EST.)
Capital: Kyiv (Kiev)
Language: Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
Government type: republic
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Currency: hryvnia (UAH)
Republic of Ukraine is a country located in Eastern Europe with a population of approximately 46,000,000 people. It is the second largest country in Europe after Russia with a total area of 603,627 square kilometers. The capital city is called Kiev. Ukraine shares borders with 7 other countries: Russia to the East and Northeast, Belarus to the North, Poland to the Northwest, Slovakia and Hungary to the West and Romania to the Southwest. The relief of the country is homogeneous. It is comprised almost entirely of lowlands that run through the whole country. However, the homogeneity of the relief is broken down by some high hills and the Carpathian Mountains that are on the Western border. The climate of the country is one of diverse nature. The country is being influenced by continental climate- warm air coming from the Atlantic Ocean. The diversity in the climate comes from the vast area that the country comprises of. The winters in the East are a lot colder than those in the West; however summers in the East are usually hotter than those in the West. The rain season in Ukraine is the summer period, when most of the precipitation occurs. Snowfall occurs during late autumn and early winter, highly depending on the topography of the country. The Crimean coast distinguishes itself with mild winters and dry and hot summers which comes from the influence of the Mediterranean climate.
The lands that occupy nowadays Ukraine had been in the possession of other nationalities such as Poles, Russians and Lithuanians but Ukraine gained a short period of independence in the 1920s but in 1922 was conquered and forced to apply the brutal communist regime. The country remained part of the USSR until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The country declared independence in August 1991. However, the transition to market economy has not been as successful as other former Soviet countries. The heritage of the communist regime and the high level of corruption halted the privatization of state enterprises and the shift to democracy.
Ukrainians comprise of more than 75% of the population of the country. The largest minority is that of Russians which counts to about 17%. There are many other minorities which comprise the rest of the population such as Poles, Bulgarians, Lithuanians, and Hungarians. Although the official language is Ukrainian, Russian language is very similar to Ukrainian and they are mutually understandable. Moreover, in some parts of Ukraine, such as the Crimea, Russian is the official language. There is no official religion in Ukraine, but the majority of the individuals are part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. There is a small percentage of people that are Protestant, Jewish and Catholic.
The form of the government is parliamentary-presidential. Its currency is hryvnia (UAH). 1 US dollar can be exchanged for 4.83 UAH, while 1 Euro can be exchanged for 7.51 UAH.
Ukraine used to be the second major country in the USSR after Russia. The country contributed largely to the union in agricultural and industrial terms. Thanks to its chernozem (black) soils which are very fertile, Ukraine was able to provide huge amounts of agricultural products to the Union such as milk, grain, vegetables, meat and other crops. Its heavy industry helped the USSR by providing high-quality equipment for mining and other heavy metal sites. Although Ukraine had a stable economic background, after the collapse of the USSR and regaining its independence the country fell into a trap of consistent decline until the end of the 20th century. The living standard of people fell by more than 50% which led to many of the residents go under the poverty line. The output fell by around 40% from the levels before the collapse of the USSR.
Since the beginning of the new millennium the Ukrainian economy has experienced significant economic growth with an average of 7% real GDP growth. The high inflation that was the effect of the dissolution of the USSR is gone; however nowadays there is more than 11% inflation which is still high compared to the average in the EU. On the other hand, incomes are rising and the macroeconomic level is stable. Ukraine can sustain this economic growth if the government succeeds in privatizing major energy and telecommunication enterprises, reduce corruption and organized crime and allow the free sale of farmland. The government removed tax and customs privileges and in that aimed at boosting the Ukrainian economy. Steel comprises around 40% of the exports. Although, large part of the international partners is post communist countries, Ukraine has business relations with Western European countries. It is a member of IMF and is currently negotiating on its future acceptance into the WTO.
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