UKRAINE. Ukraine, a republic in Eastern Europe, is bounded on the north by Belarus and Russia; on the east by Russia; on the south by the Black Sea and the Sea of

Ukraine, a republic in Eastern Europe, is bounded on the north by Belarus and Russia; on the east by Russia; on the south by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov; on the southwest by Romania and Moldova; and on the west by Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.

With a total area of about 603, 700 square kilometres, Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe after Russia. Kyiv is the capital and the largest city.

Almost the entire country of Ukraine is a vast flat plain, with elevations generally below 300 metres. The Carpathian Mountains intrude at the extreme west, and on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula are the Crimean Mountains. The highest point in Ukraine is Mount Hoverla in the Carpathians, with an elevation of 2, 061 metres. Most major rivers flow south to the Black Sea. the Dnieper courses through the country for 1, 204 kilometres. Other major rivers include the Dniester, Donets, Bug, and Danube. The Danube is an important water route linking the country with many European countries. There are many lakes throughout Ukraine. Lake Svytiaz, one of the largest natural lakes, has an area of 28 square kilometres. Ukraine has extremely fertile black-earth soils in the central and southern portions, totaling nearly two-thirds of the territory.

The climate of Ukraine is temperate continental, with a long summer and a short winter. The southern shores of the Crimea have a warm Mediterranean-type climate. Precipitation generally decreases from north to south; it is greatest in the Carpathians and least in the coastal lowlands of the Black Sea.

Ukraine is the second most populous country of the former USSR; only Russia has more people. Ukraine has a population of about 45, 700, 000 people. Average population density is 82 people per sq km. Settlement are densest in the far eastern and western regions. Around 67 percent of population inhabits urban areas. Population growth is relatively low. Ukrainians constitute 72 per cent and Russians constitute 22 per cent. Other minorities include Belarussians, Moldovans, Hungarians, Bulgarians and Crimean Tatars.

Ukraine is richly supplied with mineral resources, with many important deposits grouped closely together. Coal is Ukraine’s most abundant and heavily exploited mineral resource. Large iron ore deposits are located in the southeast, near the bituminous coal and anthracite deposits of the Donets Basin, the famous Donbas fields. The Nikopol region boasts one of the world’s richest concentrations of manganese ores. There are also commercial deposits of titanium ores, bauxite, mercury ores, mineral salts and sulphur.

Ukraine’s economy is highly industrialized. Industry contributes more than 40 per cent of total net material product and accounts for more than one-quarter of total employment. Industry is based largely on the republic’s vast mineral resources. Ukraine is the fourth largest steel producer in the world, and has a broad and diverse industrial base. However, economic policy since the world economic and financial crisis has had serious consequences for Ukraine’s competitiveness. Agriculture accounts for about 30 per cent of total net material product and one-quarter of total employment. Ukraine is a major producer and exporter of a wide variety of agricultural products, including wheat and sugar beet, being the world’s largest sugar beet producer. Other crops include potatoes, vegetables, fruit, sunflowers and flax. Animal husbandry is also important.

Ukraine is an independent democratic republic, as stated in the declaration of independence issued in August 1991. The head of state is president who is elected by a national ballot. The prime minister heads the council of ministers, which serves as the cabinet. Ukraine has the unicameral state legislature, the 450-member Supreme Council. Members are freely elected for a four-year term. The highest judicial court is the Supreme Court of five judges, elected for five-year terms by the legislature. At the regional level justice is administered by popularly elected “people’s courts”.

The chief political parties are the Party of Regions, the Communist Party of Ukraine, the Our Ukraine Bloc and Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko. There are also numerous smaller parties and independents represented in the legislature.