Geography

Ukraine is situated in the central part of the Eastern Europe. It has common borders with Byelorussia in the north, Hungary, Romania and Moldova in the south and the southwest, Russia in the east, Poland and Slovakia in the west. The Southern coast of Ukraine is washed by Black and Azov seas. Ukraine stretches 893 kilometers from the north to the south, and 1316 kilometers from the west to the east . The country occupies the area of 603,7 square kilometers.

The Nature and the Climate of Ukraine

The relief of Ukraine is mainly flat. 95 % of its territory is occupied by plains and only 5 % by mountains. The Ukrainian Carpathian mountains (the highest point - mountain Goverla - 2061 meter) are situated near the western borders of the country, and the Crimean mountains (the highest point - mountain Roman Kosh - 1545 meters) are situated in the extreme south of the country.
The greatest river of Ukraine is the Dnipro river, which is 2201 kms long, and 981 kms of which flow through the territory of Ukraine. In general Ukraine is a country with a temperate climate and clearly recognizable change of four seasons. Average temperature of January is -7° C (19° F) in the northeast of Ukraine and +4°C (39° F) on the southern coast of Crimea, the average temperature of July is +19°C (66° F) and +24° C (75° F) respectively.
Ukraine is rich in various minerals such as coal, iron ores, oil and gas, stone, salt etc. The nature of Ukraine has created a rich raw-material base for the development of metallurgical, chemical, porcelain, faience industries, ceramics and building materials manufacturing. The great value is represented by the mineral waters of Ukraine the sources of which are located in Myrgorod, Svalyava, Truskavets and Feodosiya. The curative mud of Eupatoria and Saki is very useful for health.
Our country is rich in fertile lands 2/3 of which are represented by chernozems (black soil). According to the estimation of experts, the territory of Ukraine concentrates the quarter of world's chernozems.
The flora of Ukraine consists of about 30 thousands kinds of plants. Natural vegetative complexes are widely used as the base for animal industries, beekeeping, the hunting facilities, preparation of wild-growing medical grasses.

The administrative and territorial division

The capital of Ukraine is the city of Kiev (Kyiv). The territory of Ukraine is divided into Autonomous Republic of Crimea and 24 oblasts: Vinnitsa, Volynsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zhitomir, Zakarpatye, Zaporozhye, Ivano-Frankovsk, Kiev, Kirovograd, Lugansk, Lviv, Nikolaev, Odessa, Poltava, Rovno, Sumy, Ternopol, Kharkov, Kherson, Khmelnitskiy, Cherkassk, Chernovtsy, and Chernigov. The greatest cities of Ukraine are Kiev, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Odessa, Lviv.

The population of Ukraine The population of Ukraine

In the beginning of 2001 the population of Ukraine was 49,5 millions people. By the size of its population Ukraine occupies the 5-th place in Europe (after Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France) and 21-st place in the world. The urban population makes 68 %, rural - 32 %. The average population density is 85 persons per 1 sq. km. Average life expectancy for men is approximately 61 years, for women - 73 years. Ukrainians make 73% of the total population.
14 millions (27 %) of Ukrainian citizens are representatives of other nationalities: Russians, Byelorussians, Moldavians, Bulgarians, Poles, Hungarians, Romanians, Greeks, Tatars, Armenians, Gypsies, Crimean Tatars, Germans and others.

The authorities in Ukraine

The basic principles of the state order in Ukraine are defined by the Constitution of Ukraine. According to the Fundamental Law, Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic, social, and jural state.
Ukraine is a unitary state the territory of which is complete and inviolable. The uniform citizenship is established for all the citizens of Ukraine. The state language of Ukraine is Ukrainian. The President is the head of the state. Today the President of Ukraine is Leonid Danilovich Kuchma. The only legislative authority in Ukraine is the parliament - the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council) of Ukraine. The highest body of the executive authority in Ukraine is the Cabinet of Ministers. It acts according to the Constitution, the laws of Ukraine and the acts issued by the President.
Legal proceedings are carried out by the Constitutional Court and courts of the general jurisdiction. The highest judicial body in the system of courts of the general jurisdiction is the Supreme Court of Ukraine. Justice in Ukraine is carried out only by courts.

Economics of Ukraine

Ukraine is a state with highly developed scientific and industrial base. The economic complex of the country includes such industries heavy engineering, black and nonferrous metallurgy, shipbuilding. Our country manufactures busses, automobiles, lorries, tractors and other agricultural machinery, diesel locomotives, machine tools, turbines, aviation engines and planes, equipment for power stations, oil-and-gas and chemical industries etc. Ukraine is a powerful manufacturer of electricity.

National currency

The national currency of Ukraine is hryvna. Foreign currency may be exchanged for hryvnas in banks and in numerous currency exchange offices. The most widespread foreign currencies in Ukraine are US dollar and Euro. Credit cards become more and more widespread in Ukraine, but not all organizations accept them for payment. The majority of hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit cards for payment.

Holidays in Ukraine

1 Jan - New Year's Day
7 Jan - Russian Orthodox Christmas
8 Mar - International Women's Day
5 May - Easter (2002)
1, 2 May - Labor Day
9 May - Victory Day
25, 26 May - Kiev Days (2002)
23 June - Trinity Day (2002)
28 June - Constitution Day
24 Aug - Ukrainian Independence Day