Area of Forest Lands, Covered with Forests

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION *

The Highest Tops of the Mountains, m

Psel

Area of Forest Lands, Covered with Forests,

mil. ha – 9.4 (15.6 % of the area)

Reserves and National Nature Parks

Total – 31

area, ths. ha – 887.5

of which:

nature reserves - 16 (145.3 ths. ha)

biosphere reserves - 4 (226.7 ths. ha - Askania-Nova,

Karpatsky, Chornomorsky, Dunaysky)

national nature parks - 11(515.5 ths. ha)

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* Source: Geographic Encyclopadia of Ukraine.

Average Temperature in Ukraine

January - 4.2 0 C

July + 19.6 0 C

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* Source: Hydrometcentre of Ukraine.

POLITICAL SYSTEM*

Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic, social and legal state.

Ukraine is a Republic. Ukraine's people represent the sovereignty and the unified source of power in the country. People executed power directly as well as through state authorities and local self-administration offices. State power in Ukraine is exercised on the basis of its legislative, executive and judicial branches. Ukraine's Constitution has supreme judicial power.

The President of Ukraine is the Head of the State and acts on its behalf. He is elected by the citizens of Ukraine who are entitled to exercise their common, equal and direct right to vote through ballot. His term of office is five years with two terms limit. The President of Ukraine is Leonid D. Kuchma.

The legislative branch consists of a one-chamber Parliament - the Verkhovna Rada. Executive power is carried out by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Political parties and public organisations are taken an active part in the creation of a democratic state. They are the source of innovation and social and political technologies suggested to the society. They also act as guarantors of the democratic development of Ukraine's state.

There are 109 political parties and 1,267 public organisations in Ukraine which have international and all-Ukrainian status.

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*Source: Constitution of Ukraine, K., Yurinkom, 1996.

RELIGIONS

The majority of believers are Eastern Orthodox. There are also believers of Greek-Catholic, Roman-Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Moslem and Eastern religions.

The Largest Churches

Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchy

Evangelical Christians-Baptists

Roman-Catholic Church

Christians of Evangelical Faith

Seventh-day Adventists

Jehovah's Witnesses

POPULATION

Ukraine is a country with many nationalities: Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Belorussians, Moldavans, Bulgarians, Poles, Hungarians, Romanians, Greeks, Tatars, Germans and others.

Resident Population Distribution by Sex and Age,

as of January 1, 2001, ths.

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EMPLOYMENT

Labour Force Demand and Supply at the Labour Market,

(as of January 1, ths.)

Economic Entities by type of Ownership

as of January 1, 2001

(percent)

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* In current prices.

*Сentner equals one hundred kilograms.

Gross Agricultural Output

(1996 comparable prices, bil. hrn.)

Gross Agricultural Output of All Types

of Enterprises by Region, 2000

(1996 comparable prices, mil. hrn.)

In 2000 24 cities had tram way services and 46 had trolley-bus services. The cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk have subways. The number of subway stations in Kyiv - 40, Kharkiv - 26, Dnipropetrovsk - 6.

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* Buses.

Location of the transport communications lines on interception of trade routes between Europe and Asia makes Ukraine a transit country. The transit freight traffic basically pass through two directions: by main pipelines between points on north-eastern and western borders and also among points on northern, eastern and particulate western borders. Over the year 2000, more than 180 million tons of transit goods have passed through Ukraine’s territory. The frieghts that prevailed were power supplies, oil and products of its distillation, bituminous materials and mineral wax (from 82 to 90 of % of total freight). Pipeline plays a key role, it has 69.5% of total transit, while rails account for 22.8 % and sea transport for 6.7%.

The air space of Ukraine is actively used. The annual number of transit flights performed by international air companies increased by 130% over the last three years.

42 cities of the world have direct air routes[*] with Kyiv. Flights to Kyiv are performed by 18 national air companies.The largest of them are: Ukraine's Airlines, Aerosvit and International Airlines of Ukraine. Flights to Kyiv are also performed by 36 international air companies.

Among the services rendered by Ukraine to other countries in 2000 transportation services held the largest share – 84% (2.9 billion USA $), of which pipeline services accounted for 60%, sea transport - 15% and rail transport - 11%.

There are 18 commercial sea ports, 4 fishing and 13 river ports in Ukraine which are engaged in processing of 99 million tons of freight. Exports of goods (45%) and transit commodities (38%) dominate in the freight flow passing through Ukrainian ports. Sea and river ports render services to more than 21 thousand vessels, almost 10 thousand of them are of foreign origin.

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[*] Source: State Air Transport Administration of Ukraine.

[**] Source: State Committee of Ukraine for State Border Securing.