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Ukraine, formerly The Ukraine (when as a part of USSR), is a country in eastern Europe which borders the Black Sea to the south, the Russian Federation to the east, Belarus to the north and Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova to the west.

Україна
Ukrayina

Flag of Ukraine Ukraine: Coat of Arms (In Detail)
National motto: "Volia, Zlahoda, Dobro" (Ukrainian: Freedom, Accord, Goodness)
Official language	Ukrainian
Capital	Kiev
President	Leonid Kuchma
Prime minister	Viktor Yanukovych
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 43rd 603,700 km2 Negligible
Population  - Total (2002)  - Density	Ranked 24th 48,396,470 80/km²
Independence  - Date	From the Soviet Union August 24, 1991
Currency	Hryvnia
Time zone	UTC +2
National anthem	Sche ne vmerla Ukraina
Internet TLD	.UA
Calling Code	380

History

Main article: History of Ukraine

The current territory of what is today the nation of Ukraine was a southern part of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus'. Its capital was Kyiv, the capital of the modern Ukraine. Kievan Rus' was founded by Vikings, or so-called Varangians, from the area that later became Sweden. Varangians later became assimilated to the local population of Rus' (Ruthenian/Ukrainian) and gave Ukraine its first powerful dynasty, the Rurik dynasty. During the 10th and 11th centuries the territory of Ukraine became the center of the most important state in Europe--laying the foundation for Ukrainian national identity through subsequent centuries.

Eventually, Kievan Rus' became weakened by internal quarrels and Mongol invasions. On Ukrainian territory, the state of Kievan Rus' was succeeded by the principalities of Halych and Volodymyr-Volynskii, which were merged, separated and eventually conquered by Poland and Lithuania (see the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth).

During the mid-17th century a Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established in central Ukraine, which remained for well over a century despite continuous Muscovite pressure. However, eventually Ukraine was split between the neighboring states of Poland and Russia. During the latter part of the 18th century, the central and eastern parts of Ukrainian ethnographic territory were annexed by the Russian Empire, with the west becoming part of Austria-Hungary after the partitions of Poland.

Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Ukraine was briefly independent, but not united, until 1920. By 1922 it was split between Poland and Soviet Union. The Soviet Ukraine experienced two famines (1921-1922 and 1932-1933) - the second of which was deliberate, and termed the "Holodomor" - in which many millions died (scholarly estimates range from 4 to 10 million dead).

At the onset of the World War II, in 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland and incorporated the Westen Ukraine into the Ukrainian SSR. In 1941 the German invaders and their Axis allies crushed the Red Army. In the encirclement battle of Kiev, acclaimed by the Soviets as a "Hero City," more than 660,000 Soviet troops were taken captive. Initially, the Germans were warmly received as "liberators" by the Ukrainian population on the borders. Soon, however, the Germans began their bloody regime of genocide, killing and deporting Jews and Ukrainian civilians and burning down entire villages, leading many Ukrainians to conclude that Nazi rule was even worse than the Soviet regime which had killed 4 to 10 million of the Ukrainian nation, albeit over a longer period of time. Total civilian losses during the War and German occupation in Ukraine are estimated at 7 million, including over half a million Jews shot and killed by the Einsatzgruppen. Of the estimated 11 million Soviet troops who fell in battle against the Nazis, about a fourth (2.7 million) were ethnic Ukranians. Thus, the Ukrainian nation is distinguished as the first nation to fight the Axis powers during WW II in Carpatho-Ukraine and one that saw one of the greatest bloodsheds during the War.

After the WWII, the borders of then Soviet Ukraine were extended to the West, (see Curzon line), uniting most Ukrainians under one political state. In 1954, Crimea was transferred from RSFSR to Ukraine (Crimea has no continuous land bridge to the Russian Federation.) This decision of Nikita Khrushchev, intended to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the controversial Treaty of Pereyaslav, seen in Soviet historiography as the 'union of two fraternal peoples', led to tensions between Russia and Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Renewed independence was achieved in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine was a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Ukraine

Ukraine is a parliamentary democracy with separate executive, judicial, and legislative branches. The president, elected by popular vote for a five-year term, nominates the prime minister as well as the rest of the cabinet, who must be confirmed by the parliament.

The Ukrainian parliament is the unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada which holds 450 seats, 225 of which 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 members serve four-year terms and the parliament initiates legislation, ratifies international agreements, and approves the budget.

The national flag of Ukraine represents the blue sky over the wheat fields of the steppes. The two colors have long been used as banners for the Ukrainian people.

Regions

Main article: Regions of Ukraine

Ukraine is subdivided into 24 regions (oblasti, singular - oblast), 1 autonomous republic (avtomna respublika) in the Crimea, and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with regional status, marked by a *:

Map of Ukraine
Map

Geography

Main article: Geography of Ukraine

The Ukrainian landscape consists mostly of fertile plains or steppes and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the Dniepr, Donets, Dnister and the Southern Bug as they flow down into the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. To the southwest the delta of the Danube forms the border with Romania. Mountains are found only in the western range of the Carpathian Mountains, of which the highest is the Hora Hoverla at 2,061 m, and in the Crimean peninsula in the extreme south along the coast.

Ukraine has a temperate continental climate, though a more mediterranean clime is found on the southern Crimean coast. Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it's highest in the west and north and lesser in the 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, but generally hot in the south.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Ukraine

Formerly an important agricultural and industrial region of the Soviet Union, Ukraine now depends on Russia for most energy supplies, especially natural gas, and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. After 1991 the government liberalised 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.

The current government 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.

The 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.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Ukraine

Ethnic Ukrainians make up about 75% of the total population, ethnic Russians number about 20%. The industrial regions in the east and southeast are the most heavily populated, and about 70% of the population is urban. Ukrainian (the official state language) and Russian are the principal languages and although Russian is very widely spoken most of the population identifies Ukrainian as their native language. Other minorities include small groups of Belarussians, Moldovans, Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Romanians, Poles and Jews.

The dominant religions are the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, an Eastern Orthodox church, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which practices eastern Christian rites but recognises the Roman Pope as head of the church. The largest part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church belongs to the Moscow Patriarchy; however, following Ukrainian independence a separate Kiev Patriarchy also was established, which declared independence from Moscow. In addition to these, there also is a Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, as well as smaller Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Moslem communities.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Ukraine

• Ukrainian Language, Culture and Travel Page
• List of famous Ukrainians

• Music of Ukraine

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Ukraine
• Transportation in Ukraine
• Military of Ukraine
• Foreign relations of Ukraine
• Tourism in Ukraine
• List of cities in Ukraine
• Chernobyl accident
• Polish Autonomous Region

External links

• Government Portal - Official governmental portal
• Verkhovna Rada - Official parliamentary site (in Ukranian)
• Web cam shots for selected cities across Ukraine