General 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 remains entrenched, stalling efforts at economic
reform, privatization, and civil liberties.
Area comparative: Slightly smaller than Texas.
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.
Population: 48,396,470 (July 2002 est.)
Ethnic groups: Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%,
Jewish 1%, other 4%
Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate,
Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian
Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate),
Protestant, Jewish
Language: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish,
Hungarian
Government type: Republic
Capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)
Legal system: Based on civil law system; judicial
review of legislative acts.
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 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 privatisation, 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% 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 has 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 privatisation 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%. The economy continued to expand
in 2001 as real GDP rose 9% and industrial output
grew by over 14%. Growth was undergirded by strong
domestic demand and growing consumer and investor
confidence.
Communication/Telephone system: Ukraine's telecommunication
development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes
improving domestic trunk lines, international connections,
and the mobile cellular system.
Places of interest: The country rewards travelers
with hospitable people, magnificent architecture and
kilometers of gently rolling steppe.
Travel tips:
|
