Ukraine

republicIndependence 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Ukraine as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 92 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalKiev (Kyyiv)
Position49 00 N, 32 00 E
Area603,700 sq km
LocationEastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland
1996

Every edition of Ukraine

Populationas each edition published it
50.86 million July 1996 est. · 51.94m in 1992
Population growth% a year
-0.4% 1996 est. · 0.06% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 38 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
66.8 years 1996 est. · 69.87 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.6 children per woman 1996 est. · 2 in 1992
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
22.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 22 in 1992
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$3,370 1995 est. · $3,960 in 1994
GDP real growth% a year
-4% 1995 est. · -13% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland | and Russia

15 fields

Land useshare of 603,700 sq km

arable land 56%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 12%forest and woodland 0%other 30%irrigated 26,000 sq km (1990)
Area
603,700sq km
land area: 603,700 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
Coastline
2,782km
continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: undefinedterritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
4,558km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (southwest) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km

Location

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia

Geographic coordinates

49 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States

International disputes

  • certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine - including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania;
  • this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940;
  • dispute with Romania over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which signifcant gas and oil deposits may exist;
  • potential dispute with Russia over Crimea;
  • 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

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 plateaux, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

lowest point:
Black Sea 0 m
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

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
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
  • party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
  • signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Geographic note

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

People

15 fields
Population
50,864,009
(July 1996 est.)growth rate: -0.4% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth
11.17Death
15.16Net migration
0.03

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years66.8
61.54 · 72.32
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy98%
100% · 97%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years:
20% (male 5,139,034; female 4,936,901)
15-64 years:
66% (male 16,135,671; female 17,433,600)
65 years and over:
14% (male 2,318,629; female 4,900,174) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.47 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.86 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

22.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Ukrainian(s)
adjective:
Ukrainian

Religions

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

Languages

Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian

Government

Republic; President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) was elected for a five-year term by direct popular vote; Prime Minister Yevhen MARCHUK (since NA June 1995), First Deputy Prime Minister Pavlo LAZARENKO (since NA), and eight deputy prime ministers were appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council

25 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

52.15%
Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%

Legislature, 450 seatsseats by party

Communists 91Rukh 22Agrarians 18Socialists 15Republicans 11Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5Labor 5Party of Democratic Revival 4Democrats 2Social Democrats 2Civil Congress 2Conservative Republicans 1Party of Economic Revival of Crimea 1Christian Democrats 1independents 225

Name of country

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Ukraine
local long form:
none
local short form:
Ukrayina
former:
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

Capital

Kiev (Kyyiv)

Administrative divisions

24 oblasti (singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalites (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), Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sevastopol'), Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka (Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr); note: names in parentheses are administrative centers when name differs from oblast' name

Independence

1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 August (1991)

Constitution

adopted 28 June 1996

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
  • President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) was elected for a five-year term by direct popular vote;
  • election last held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
  • results - Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%
head of government:
Prime Minister Yevhen MARCHUK (since NA June 1995), First Deputy Prime Minister Pavlo LAZARENKO (since NA), and eight deputy prime ministers were appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council
cabinet:
Council of Ministers was appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council

National Security Council

  • originally created in 1992, but significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA;
  • members include the president, prime minister, ministers of finance, environment, justice, internal affairs, foreign economic relations, economic and foreign affairs;
  • the NSC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president

Presidential Administration

helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president

Council of Regions

advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994; includes the chairmen of Oblast and Kiev and Sevastopol City Supreme Councils

Supreme Council

  • elections last held 27 March 1994 with repeat elections continuing through December 1998 to fill empty seats (next to be held NA);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (450 total) Communists 91, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialists 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democrats 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Revival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, independents 225;
  • note - most recent repeat election held in April 1996 filling 422 of 450 seats
as follows:
independents 238, Communist 95, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialist 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democratic Party of Ukraine 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Rivival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, vacant 28

Judicial branch

Supreme Court is the highest judicial body; Constitutional Court has exclusive jurisdiction over interpretation of the constitution and laws

Political parties and leaders

  • Green Party of Ukraine, Vitaliy KONONOV, leader;
  • Liberal Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr SHCHERBAN;
  • Liberal Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr KLYMCHUK, chairman;
  • Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych YAVORIVSKIY, chairman;
  • People's Party of Ukraine;
  • Peasants' Party of Ukraine;
  • Party of Democratic Rebirth (Revival) of Ukraine, Volodymyr FILENKO, chairman;
  • Social Democratic Party of Ukraine, Vasyl ONOPENKO, chairman;
  • Socialist Party of Ukraine, Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman;
  • Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party, Vitaliy ZHURAVSKYY, chairman;
  • Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party, Stepan KHMARA, chairman;
  • Ukrainian Labor Party, Valentyn LANDYK, chairman;
  • Ukrainian Party of Justice, Yuriy ZUBKO, chairman;
  • Ukrainian Peasants' Democratic Party, Serhiy PLACHINDA, chairman;
  • Ukrainian Republican Party, Bondan YAROSHPSKYY, chairman;
  • Ukrainian National Conservative Party;
  • Ukrainian People's Movement for Restructuring (Rukh), Vyacheslav CHORNOVIL, chairman;
  • Ukrainian Communist Party, Petr SYMONENKO;
  • Agrarian Party;
  • Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, Slava STESTKO;
  • Civil Congress, O. BAZYLUK;
  • Party of Economic Revival of Crimea;
  • Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Nataliya VITRENKO and Volodymyr MARCHENKO, leaders;
  • People's Democratic Party, Anatoliy MATVIYENKO, chairman

Other political or pressure groups

New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina); Congress of National Democratic Forces

International organization participation

BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Yuriy Mikolayevych SHCHERBAK
chancery:
3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
[1] (202) 333-0606

FAX

[1] (202) 333-0817; consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador William Green MILLER
embassy:
10 Yuria Kotsyubinskovo, 252053 Kiev 53
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[380] (44) 244-7345

FAX

[380] (44) 244-7350

Flag

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

Economy

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.

21 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$3,370
(1995 est.)
Real growth rate
-4%
(1995 est.)industrial production growth: -11% (1995 est.)
Inflation, consumer prices
9%monthly average
(1995)
Unemployment rate
0.7%officially registered
large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1995)

GDP composition by sector(1993 est.)

agriculture 31%industry 43%services 26% (1993 est.)

Installed generating capacity, 54,380,000 kW

Electricity production
192.1 billionElectricity consumption per capita
3,200 (1995 est.)

Economic 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. In early 1992, 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.

Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July 1994, President KUCHMA has developed a comprehensive economic reform program, maintained financial discipline, and removed almost all controls over prices and foreign trade.

Implementation of KUCHMA's economic agenda is encountering considerable resistance from parliament, entrenched bureaucrats, and industrial interests. However, should KUCHMA succeed in implementing aggressive market reforms during 1996, the economy may stabilize and possibly achieve real growth in the range of 0.5%-1%.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $174.6 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)

Labor force

23.55 million (January 1994); by occupation: industry and construction 33%, agriculture and forestry 21%, health, education, and culture 16%, trade and distribution 7%, transport and communication 7%, other 16% (1992)

Budget

revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries

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

Agriculture

grain, sugar beets, vegetables; meat, milk

Illicit drugs

  • illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy;
  • mostly for CIS consumption;
  • limited government eradication program;
  • used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Exports

$11.3 billion (1995)

commodities:
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, grain, meat
partners:
other FSU countries, China, Italy, Switzerland

Imports

$10.7 billion (1995)

commodities:
energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles
partners:
other FSU countries, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic

External debt

$8.8 billion (including $4.5 billion to Russia) (late 1995 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $220 million (1993) note: commitments, 1992-95, $4.5 billion ($4.1 billion drawn)

Currency

on 2 September 1996, Ukraine introduced the long-awaited hryvnia (plural hryvni) as its national currency, replacing the karbovanets (in circulation since 12 November 1992) at a rate of 100,000 karbovantsi to 1 hryvnia

Exchange rates

hryvnia per US$1 - 1.76 (2 September 1996)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 706 in all

14
over 3 047 m
7
55
2 438 to 3 047 m
7
34
1 524 to 2 437 m
16
3
914 to 1 523 m
37
57
under 914 m
476
PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways
169,964Railways
23,350Waterways
4,400 (1990)
Highways: paved: 168,094 km (including 1,767 km of expressways) · unpaved: 1,870 km (1992 est.) · Railways: broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified) · Waterways: , of which 1,672 km were on the Pryp''yat' and Dnipro

Railways

total:
23,350 km
broad gauge:
23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)

Highways

total:
169,964 km
paved:
168,094 km (including 1,767 km of expressways)
unpaved:
1,870 km (1992 est.)

Waterways

4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on the Pryp''yat' and Dnipro (1990)

Pipelines

crude oil 2,010 km; petroleum products 1,920 km; natural gas 7,800 km (1992)

Ports

Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Pivdenne, Reni

Merchant marine

total:
353 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,262,341 GRT/4,356,374 DWT
ships by type:
barge carrier 5, bulk 39, cargo 217, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 11, multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 21, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 5, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 32, short-sea passenger 3 (1995 est.)

Communications

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Internal Troops, | National Guard, Border Troops

9 fields

Telephone system

  • system is unsatisfactory both for business and for personal use;
  • 3.56 million applications for telephones had not been satisfied as of January 1991;
  • electronic mail services have been established in Kiev, Odessa, and Luhans'k by Sprint
domestic:
an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network operates in Kiev (Kyyiv) and allows direct dialing of international calls through Kiev's digital exchange
international:
  • calls to other CIS countries are carried by landline or microwave radio relay;
  • calls to 167 other countries are carried by satellite or by the 150 leased lines through the Moscow international gateway switch;
  • satellite earth stations - NA Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions), and NA Intersputnik

Radio broadcast stations

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note - there are at least two radio broadcast stations of NA type

Radios

15 million (1990)

Televisions

17.3 million (1992) Defense

Branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Internal Troops, National Guard, Border Troops

Manpower availability

males age 15-49:
12,388,788
males fit for military service:
9,716,127
males reach military age (18) annually:
362,000 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

  • 1.35 billion hryvni, less than 2% of GDP (Ukrainian Government's forecast for 1996);
  • note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Central Intelligence Agency. “Ukraine.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ukraine/1996.

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