UKRAINE

Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic, social, jural state located in the southeast of Europe between 44° and 52° of northern latitude and 22° and 40° of eastern longitude. The distance from west to east comprises 1 316 km, and from north to south it makes 893 km. The extremities of Ukraine are: Chop, from Zakarpattia Oblast’, in the west; Chervona Zirka, Luhans’k Oblast’, in the east; Hremiach, Chernihiv Oblast’, in the north; Cape Sarych, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, in the south. Ukraine is washed by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in the south. The area of Ukraine is 603.7 km2 and it is the largest in Europe. The population by the beginning of 2007 comprised 46.6 mln, including 31.8 mln of urban inhabitants.

The name Ukraine for the first time appeared in the 12th c. chronicles. Initially it referred to the lands in the middle flow of the Dnipro River. Beginning with the 17th c. it started to refer to all the lands on which the Ukrainian people lived. One of the best-known cultures on Ukrainian territory – the Trypillia Culture – existed on Ukrainian lands in the 4th – 3rd millennia BC. Scythia Major was the first state on the territory of Ukraine (7th–3rd c. BC). Greek colonization played an important part in the development of the Northern Black Sea Coastal area between the 8th and the 6th c. BC. Among the founded by the Greeks slave-owning states the Bosporan Kingdom was the most influential. The impact of Byzantine Empire was felt in Chersonesos (modern Sevastopol’) and Pantikapaion (modern Kerch).

In the 4th c. AD new states began forming on the basis of the Slavic tribal unions. Kyiv became the political center of one of such unions – Polians’kyi (Polans). This center formed the core of Kyivan Rus as the ethnocultural, political, and social basis of Old Rus state at the end of the 9th c. In its golden age its eastern boundary was drawn along the lands between Oka and Volga; the western limit went along the Carpathians, the rivers Dnister, Zakhidnyi Buh, Niman, Zakhidna Dvina; the northern one – along the lakes Chudskoye, Ladozhskoye and Onezhskoye, and the southern one – along the rivers Don, Ros’, Sula and Pivdennyi Buh. Adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Kievan Rus by Prince Volodymyr in 988 facilitated the consolidation of the state. However, the contemporary domestic and global social and political developments caused the decay of the state and it’s disappearance from the political arena in the 13th c.

During the ensuing three hundred years Ukrainian lands had been controlled by different states and empires: the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Principality of Moscow, and the Ottoman Empire.

In the middle of the 17th c. the Cossackdom (Kozatstvo) that was becoming the major social force, together with peasants during several years of continuous combat with Rzeczpospolita significantly undermined Polish domination of Ukrainian lands. The Kozak state was in the making. However, the rule of Muscovy set in in 1654 and the state development came to a halt.

Ukraine got the next historical chance of gaining independence during the WWI (1914–1918). Both Russian and Austrian-Hungarian empires domineering Ukrainian lands disintegrated in its course; in 1917 the Ukrainian People’s Republic appeared and in 1918 the West Ukrainian People’s Republic. However, foreign intervention aborted the state making in Ukraine. Ukraine as a part of the Soviet Union was not a sovereign state.

Ukraine as a recognized sovereign and independent state emerged in 1991. The Act of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR on August 24, 1991. More than 90% of the citizens voted in favor of the Act at the All-Ukrainian referendum on December 1, 1991. On June 28, 1996 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Constitution of Ukraine. According to the Constitution, Ukraine is a republic. Its capital is the City of Kyiv.

The President of Ukraine is the head of state representing it; he is the guarantor of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, the observation of Constitution, human and civil rights and freedoms. The parliament, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, consisting of 450 deputies, is the legislative body. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is the highest executive body.

The administrative and territorial division of Ukraine is as follows: the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC), oblast’s, raions, cities and towns, city districts, settlements, and villages. The administrative-territorial structure of the country (for 01.01.2007) includes 27 regions (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, 24 oblast’s and 2 cities with a special status – Kyiv and Sevastopol’), 490 administrative raions, 458 cities with 118 districts in them, 886 settlements, and 28 540 villages.

The frontiers of Ukraine are the borders of the former Ukrainian SSR. The frontiers are 6 993.63 km long. The neighbors of Ukraine are Belarus, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, and Romania; the sea neighbors are Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, and Russia.

The territory of Ukraine is situated in three physiographic countries: East European Plain (95% of the state territory), the Carpathian (partly) and the Crimean Mountains. The highest point on the plain is Mt. Berda (515 m) on Khotyn Upland. The highest mountain of Ukraine Hoverla is in Ukrainian Carpathians (2 061 m).

Ukraine is rich in deposits of hydrocarbons, metals (ferrous, manganese, uranium, titanium, mercury etc.) and non-metal (graphite, kaolin, limestone) minerals. There are rare minerals, semi-precious stones, and auriferous ores in Ukraine.

The climatic conditions of Ukraine are formed under the influence of global climate and regional factors. The climate on almost all the territory is moderate continental, and the southern shore of the Crimea has subtropical climate. Ukraine has considerable solar-, wind-power, agroclimatic, and recreational-climatic resources.

The hydrographical network of Ukraine belongs to the drainage area of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov (90% of the territory) and, partly, the Baltic Sea. The major river is the Dnipro (its length within Ukraine makes 1 121 km). Transborder rivers are the Desna, the Dnipro, the Dnister, the Danube, the Prypiat’, and the Sivers’kyi Donets’. There are many estuaries, lakes and water basins in Ukraine, which play a considerable role in recreation and economic activity.

The soil mantle in Ukraine is versatile (about five thousand varieties), but the leading role belongs to fertile chernozems (about 40% of land total).

The variety of the animal world of Ukraine (including the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov) includes 117 species of mammals, almost 400 species of birds, 21 reptiles, and 17 species of amphibians. Over 44 ths invertebrates have been described until now.

The percent of forest area is about 15. The most forested are northern and western parts of Ukraine. Natural vegetation is partly preserved in nature reserves occupying 4.65% of the territory of Ukraine.

Ukrainian ethnogenesis began in Kyiv, Halych, Volyn’, Chernihiv-Sivers’ky’, Pereiaslav, Podillia, Bukovyna, and Zakarpattia lands. Ethnic dynamics of Ukrainian population over last 100 years shows gradual simplification as a result of changing quantity of population of different ethnic groups, namely: a considerable increase of Russians (4.7 times) and a decrease of other ethnic groups’ share. The population of Jews at the end of this period comprised only 18.6% of their population in 1897; the same figures for Poles and Germans are 17.4% and 6.1% accordingly. At the same time some ethnoses increased in number (Belorusians, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Armenians, etc.), though absolute values at the time and in 1897 remained low. The All-Ukrainian census 2001 registered the representatives of 130 ethnoses.

Due to migration the share of Ukrainians tended to decrease, especially after 1654. It peaked (85.6%) in the early 18th c. (1719) and was the lowest (72.7%) at the end of 20th c. (1989). In 2001 Ukrainians made 77.8%. During one hundred years their number increased by a factor of 1.75.

The official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian; it belongs to the ten most widespread languages of the world. According to the All-Ukrainian census (2001), Ukrainian was called the mother tongue by 67.5% of respondents, Russian – by 30% of respondents. 87.8% of citizens have free command of Ukrainian, and two thirds of the population – of Russian.

There are different beliefs and cultures in Ukraine. Christians are the most numerous group (Orthodox, Greek and Roman Catholics and Protestants). Crimean Tatars and Tatars practice Islam. Hungarian Reformed Church, German Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Armenian Apostolic Church satisfy religious needs of national minorities.

The culture of Ukrainian people was formed on the basis of achievements of previous settlers, which had left material and spiritual monuments. Archaeological findings in Scythian tumuli are the evidence of the high cultural level of the predecessors. The most famous are the Tovsta Mohyla pectoral, the architecture of dwellings and household items from the excavations of Greek polises, ceramics of Slavic cultures (Trypillian, Zarubynets’ka, and Cherniakhivs’ka). The best samples of Kyivan Rus times include folklore (tales, bylynas (sagas), and songs), architectural masterpieces of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Halych, chronicles (Kyivan, Halych-Volyn’), philosophical treatise On Law and Grace by Hilarion, literary works (The Lay of Igor’s Campaign).

The first schools were opened in the days of Kyivan Rus; the first libraries were created under Yaroslav the Wise.

The first educational establishments in Ukraine were brethren’s schools; higher educational establishments included the Ostroh and Kyiv-Mohyla academies and colleges. The oldest university was founded in Lviv in 1661. The Kozak starshyna (elected officials) contributed significantly to the development of education and culture; they sponsored the opening of educational establishments, building of churches (in Hustyn’ Monastery, Kyiv- Pechers’k Lavra etc.), opening of libraries and creation of various private collections. Outstanding were the achievements in instrumental and choral music, iconography, temple architecture, and painting. Dramatic art, theater, music, and literature flourished since 19th c.

By the early 21st c. 350 higher educational establishments function in Ukraine including 166 universities, 125 branch institutes, and 58 educational academies. The main scientific establishment is the National Academy of Sciences founded in 1918. It was preceded by numerous associations of scientists and scientific societies (the Taras Shevchenko Scientific Society was inaugurated in Lviv in 1892; the South-West Department of Russian Imperial Geographical Society (now the Ukrainian Geographical Society) was founded in Kyiv in 1873 etc. The National Academy of Sciences combines over 160 research institutes. Ukraine has research station in Antarctic Continent.

Besides the National Academy of Sciences the fundamental science is developed in several state branch academies of sciences: agrarian, architecture and building, medical, art, pedagogical sciences, and juridical sciences.

Regarding the economic aspect, Ukraine belongs to the early-developed regions of Europe. Ukraine is an industrial-agrarian country with great economic potential with priorities of natural and labor resources. The natural resources include land and mineral ones. The labor resources are characterized by high expertise and intellectual potential. The industry is the main component of national economy. Its main branches include ferrous metallurgy, power industry, engineering, fuel, chemical, light and food industry. The most developed branches of agriculture are growing of cereals (wheat, rye, barley), industrial crops (sugar beet, sunflower), vegetables, and the development of stockbreeding, pig breeding, poultry farming, beekeeping, sheep breeding, and horse breeding.

The transformations in social and economic spheres depend on socially oriented market economy and also on Ukraine’s integration into European and world economy. The geopolitical position of Ukraine, which is neighbouring the countries of the European Union in the west and Russia in the east, is instrumental in the process of integration. The important factor of geopolitical position of Ukraine is its status of sea power.

The developed transport infrastructure assists in establishing economic relations of Ukraine with many countries of the world.

Earlier, similarly to most countries of the world, Ukrainian population and state administrations downplayed the problems of nature management and conservation. The Chornobyl’ Disaster in 1986 became an ecocatastrophe for Ukraine and its neighbours. Nowadays environmentalism and the improvement of landscape ecology have become generally acknowledged.

In the past the Ukrainian people experienced many hard trials such as wars, national oppression and assimilation attempts. However, the originality of the multimillion nation, the sense of freedom and independence, its mentality, will integrate Ukraine, a co-founder of the United Nations, into the processes of global and European development.

 

The Editorial Board of the National Atlas of Ukraine