Legend:
Definition
Field Listing
Rank Order
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Background:
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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 (1917-1920), 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 independence was achieved 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 civil liberties.
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Location:
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Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia
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Geographic coordinates:
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49 00 N, 32 00 E
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Map references:
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Asia, Europe
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Area:
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total: 603,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Texas
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,663 km
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
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Coastline:
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2,782 km
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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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
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Terrain:
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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
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
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Natural resources:
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iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 57.1%
permanent crops: 1.73%
other: 41.17% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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24,540 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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
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Geography - note:
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strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
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Population:
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48,055,439 (July 2003 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 16.3% (male 4,004,948; female 3,832,931)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 15,779,735; female 17,225,103)
65 years and over: 15% (male 2,419,612; female 4,793,110) (2003 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 38 years
male: 34.8 years
female: 40.9 years (2002)
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Population growth rate:
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-0.69% (2003 est.)
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Birth rate:
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9.89 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Death rate:
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16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 20.87 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 22.2 deaths/1,000 live births
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 66.5 years
male: 61.1 years
female: 72.17 years (2003 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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250,000 (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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11,000 (2001 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian
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Ethnic groups:
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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)
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Religions:
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Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish
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Languages:
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Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.6% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
local short form: Ukrayina
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Kiev (Kyyiv)
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Administrative divisions:
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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 - when using a place name with an adjectival ending "s'ka" or "z'ka," the word Oblast' should be added to the place name
note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses
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Independence:
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24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
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National holiday:
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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
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Constitution:
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adopted 28 June 1996
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 21 November 2002), First Deputy Prime Minister Mykola AZAROV (since 26 November 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council
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 October 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%
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 Kiev (Kyyiv) and Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the oblasti
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under Ukraine's new election law, 225 of the Supreme Council's seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 4% or more 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 - Our Ukraine 24%, CPU 20%, United Ukraine 12%, United Social Democratic Party 6%, SPU 7%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%, other 24%; seats by party - Our Ukraine 102, CPU 60, Regions of Ukraine 42, Working Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs 41, United Social Democratic Party 39, Democratic Initiatives 22, SPU 20, People's Power 19, European Choice 18, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 18, Agrarian Party 17, People's Democratic Party 16, People's Choice 15, others 21
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
elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
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Political parties and leaders:
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Agrarian Party [Kateryna VASHCHUK]; Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Initiatives [Stepan HAVRYSH]; European Choice [Volodymyr STASYUK]; Our Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; People's Choice [Mykola HAPOCHKA]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO, chairman]; People's Power [Bohdan HUBSKYY]; Regions of Ukraine [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; United Social Democratic Party [Leonid KRAVCHUK]; Working Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Ihor SHAROV]; Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]
note: and numerous smaller parties
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNMOVIC, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Konstantin Ivanovych HRYSHCHENKO
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos PASCUAL
embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynskyi Street, Kiev 01901
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000
FAX: [380] (44) 244-7350
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Flag description:
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two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
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Economy - overview:
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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 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. Now in his second term, President KUCHMA has pledged to reduce the number of government agencies, streamline the regulatory process, create a legal environment to encourage entrepreneurs, 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. 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 4.1% 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. Political uncertainty, centering around President KUCHMA's departure from office, could affect economic results in 2003, with growth now predicted as stable at 4%.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $218 billion (2002 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.1% (2002 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2002 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 23%
industry: 42%
services: 35% (2001 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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29% (2001 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 23.2% (1999)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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29 (1999)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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-1.2% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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22.8 million (yearend 1997)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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industry 32%, agriculture 24%, services 44% (1996)
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Unemployment rate:
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3.8% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (2002)
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Budget:
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revenues: $10.2 billion
expenditures: $11.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
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Industries:
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coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)
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Industrial production growth rate:
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6% (2002 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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164.7 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 48.6%
hydro: 7.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 43.5%
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Electricity - consumption:
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152.37 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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800 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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86,490 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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290,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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197.5 million bbl (January 2002 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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560.7 billion cu m (January 2002 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
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Exports:
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$18.1 billion (2002 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products
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Exports - partners:
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Russia 21.5%, Turkey 5.9%, Italy 4.9%, Germany 4.2%, US 3.3% (2001)
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Imports:
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$18 billion (2002 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals
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Imports - partners:
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Russia 34.4%, Turkmenistan 9.8%, Germany 8.2%, Italy 2.4%, Belarus 2.4% (2001)
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Debt - external:
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$14.2 billion (2002)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (1998)
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Currency:
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hryvnia (UAH)
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Currency code:
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UAH
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Exchange rates:
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hryvnia per US dollar - 5.3266 (2002), 5.3722 (2001), 5.4402 (2000), 4.1304 (1999), 2.4495 (1998)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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9.45 million (April 1999)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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236,000 (1998)
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Telephone system:
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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
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)
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Television broadcast stations:
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at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.ua
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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260 (2001)
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Internet users:
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750,000 (2001)
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Railways:
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total: 22,473 km
broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2002)
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Highways:
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total: 273,700 km
paved: 236,400 km (including 1,770 km of expressways and a substantial amount of all-weather roads with gravel surfaces)
unpaved: 37,300 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
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Waterways:
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4,499 km
note: 1,672 km are on the Pryp'yat' and Dniester (Dnister) (1990)
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Pipelines:
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crude oil 4,000 km (1995); petroleum products 4,500 km (1995); natural gas 34,400 km (1998)
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Ports and harbors:
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Berdyans'k, Feodosiya, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Kiliya, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Sevastopol', Yalta, Yuzhnyy
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Merchant marine:
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total: 131 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 633,932 GRT/640,743 DWT
ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 89, container 5, liquefied gas 2, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 10, railcar carrier 2, short-sea passenger 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 1, Greece 1, Panama 1, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 (2002 est.)
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Airports:
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790 (2002)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 182
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 81 (2002)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 608
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 50
914 to 1,523 m: 42
under 914 m: 466 (2002)
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Military branches:
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Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Interior Troops, Border Troops
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age (2003 est.)
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 12,236,811 (2003 est.)
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 9,597,172 (2003 est.)
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 389,499 (2003 est.)
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$617.9 million (FY02)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.4% (FY02)
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Disputes - international:
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1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and encouraging illegal cross-border activities; land delimitation of boundary with Russia is complete, but maritime regime of the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait remains unresolved; difficulties in the Transnistria region of Moldova complicate border crossing and customs, facilitating smuggling, arms transfers, and other illegal activities; has not resolved Romanian claims to Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary despite ongoing talks based on 1997 friendship treaty to find a solution in two years
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Illicit drugs:
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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; drug-related money laundering a minor, but growing, problem; lax anti-money-laundering regime
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This page was last updated on 1 August, 2003
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