FACTS AND FIGURES
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
total: 603,700 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
total: 4,558 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km
Coastline: 2,782 km
Maritime claims: (water resources)
continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber
arable land: 58%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,050 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment—current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water air and water pollution deforestation radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography—note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia second-largest country in Europe
Population: 46,811,174 (July 2006 est.)
0-14 years: 18% (male 4,690,318 female 4,498,239)
15-64 years: 68% (male 16,136,296 female 17,572,011)
65 years and over: 14% (male 2,251,664 female 4,662,646) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.62% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 9.54 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 16.38 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.73 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.91 years
male: 60.23 years
female: 71.87 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.34 children born/woman (1999 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, Muslim.
Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: UA
Government type: republic
Administrative divisions: 24 oblasti (singular—oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular—misto) with oblast status** Cherkas'ka (Cherkasy), Chernihivs'ka (Chernihiv), Chernivets'ka (Chernivtsi), Dnipropetrovs'ka (Dnipropetrovs'k), Donets'ka (Donets'k), Ivano-Frankivs'ka (Ivano-Frankivs'k), Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv), Khersons'ka (Kherson), Khmel'nyts'ka (Khmel'nyts'kyy), Kirovohrads'ka (Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs'ka (Kiev), Luhans'ka (Luhans'k), L'vivs'ka (L'viv), Mykolayivs'ka (Mykolayiv), Odes'ka (Odesa), Poltavs'ka (Poltava), Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sumy), Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka (Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr).
note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age universal
DID YOU KNOW…
Ukraine occupies an area of 603,700 square kilometers, and is among the largest European countries. Territorially it is larger than France (544,000 sq. km.), Spain (505,000 sq. km.), Sweden (450,000 sq. km.), and Poland (312,7000 sq. km.).
In terms of population (47 million as of January 1, 2006), Ukraine ranks fifth in Europe after Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The population density per one square kilometer amounts to an average of 85.6 people, the European average being 67.
In its ethnic composition, Ukraine is a multi-ethnic Republic, inhabited by more than 110 ethnic groups, of which Ukrainian (72.7%) are the largest, followed by Russians, Jews, Belarussians, Moldovans, Bulgarians, Poles and Hungarians.
The easternmost point is in the township of Milove, Luhansk Region. The westernmost point is the city of Chop in Transcarpathia, the distance between them being 1,270 kilometers. In its widest central part, the distance between the northernmost village of Muravyi in the Chernihiv Region and the southernmost Sarych Promontory in Crimea equals 900 kilometers.
The largest mountain system is the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, which are part of the Eastern Carpathians. The mountains stretch to the west within the territories of the Transcarpathian, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi regions.
The highest mountain peak, Hoverla, is in the Ukrainian Carpathians within the territories of Transcarpathian and Ivano-Frankivsk.
The Black Sea borders Ukraine to the south. The Dnieper is the country’s largest river. The deepest river is the Danube. Yalpug is Ukraine’s largest lake in the Danube delta of the Odesa Region.
The deepest lake is Svitiaz in the basin of the Southern Buh. It is one of the Shatsk Lakes in Volyn.
The highest mountain lake is Brebeneskul, between the Carpathian range of Chornohora and the Hutyn-Tamnatyk Mountain.
The considerable remoteness from oceans and continental Siberia tells favorably on the climate of Ukraine. Almost al of its territory is located in the temperate zone. On the whole, the climate is temperately continental, and only on the southern shore of Crimea is it subtropical.
As of January 1, 1990, Ukraine numbered 436 cities inhabited by more than 68% of the country’s population. Over 75% of basic production assets and about 95% of scientific research institutions are concentrated in these metropolitan areas.