GDP: purchasing power parity - $22.1 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $610 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 48.4% industry: 16.7% services: 34.9% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 51.1% (1991 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 30.1% (1993)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38.2 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 13.495 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $1.01 billion expenditures: $1.38 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Industries: primarily agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond and gold mining, oil refining, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer, salt
Industrial production growth rate: 8.4% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 2.765 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 18.08% hydro: 81.92% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 2.616 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 45 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves (Zanzibar), corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: $827 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton (2000)
Exports - partners: UK 22.0%, India 14.8%, Germany 9.9%, Netherlands 6.9% (2000)
Imports: $1.55 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil
Imports - partners: South Africa 11.5%, Japan 9.3%, UK 7.0%, Australia 6.2% (2000)
Debt - external: $6.8 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $963 million (1997)
Currency: Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Currency code: TZS
Exchange rates: Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 924.70 (January 2002), 876.41 (2001), 800.41 (2000), 744.76 (1999), 664.67 (1998), 612.12 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Tanzania
Telephones - main lines in use: 127,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 30,000 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system operating below capacity and being modernized for better service; VSAT (very small aperture terminal) system under construction domestic: trunk service provided by open wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 8.8 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (1999)
Televisions: 103,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .tz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 115,000 (2001)
Transportation Tanzania
Railways: total: 3,569 km narrow gauge: 2,600 km 1.000-m gauge; 969 km 1.067-m gauge note: the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia (of which 969 km are in Tanzania and 891 km are in Zambia) is not a part of Tanzania Railways Corporation; because of the difference in gauge, this system does not connect to Tanzania Railways (2001)
Highways: total: 85,000 km paved: 4,250 km unpaved: 80,750 km (2001)
Waterways: note: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa are principal avenues of commerce between Tanzania and its neighbors on those lakes
Pipelines: crude oil 982 km
Ports and harbors: Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Kilwa Masoko, Lindi,Mtwara, Mwanza, Pangani, Tanga, Wete, Zanzibar
Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,987 GRT/27,121 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 125 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 114 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 61 under 914 m: 35 (2001)
Military Tanzania
Military branches: Tanzanian People's Defense Force (including Army,Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary Police Field Force Unit (includingPolice Marine Unit and Police Air Wing), territorial militia
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 8,636,817 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,997,257 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $19 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.2% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Tanzania
Disputes - international: Tanzania and Malawi maintain a largely dormant dispute over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and current location of historical boundary in the meandering Songwe River
Illicit drugs: growing role in transshipment of Southwest and SoutheastAsian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African,European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound forSouthern Africa
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Uganda
Introduction
Uganda
Background: Uganda achieved independence from the UK in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed another 100,000 lives. During the 1990s the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.
Geography Uganda
Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 236,040 sq km water: 36,330 sq km land: 199,710 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 2,698 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December toFebruary, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Terrain: mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m highest point:Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land
Land use: arable land: 25% permanent crops: 9% other: 66% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 90 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; poaching is widespread
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, ClimateChange, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of theSea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note: landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers
People Uganda
Population: 24,699,073 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 50.9% (male 6,314,371; female 6,265,681) 15-64 years: 47% (male 5,803,430; female 5,789,713) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 247,798; female 278,080) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.94% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 47.15 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 17.53 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2001, Uganda was host to 178,815 refugees from a number of neighboring countries, including: Sudan 155,996, Rwanda 14,375, and Democratic Republic of the Congo 7,459 (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 89.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 44.67 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 110,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ugandan(s) adjective: Ugandan
Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%,Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%,Rundi 2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%
Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%
Languages: English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 62.7% male: 74% female: 54% (2000 est.)
Government Uganda
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Uganda conventional short form: Uganda
Government type: republic
Capital: Kampala
Administrative divisions: 45 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri,Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole,Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kibale, Kiboga,Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mbale,Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakasongola, Nebbi,Ntungamo, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Soroti, Tororo note:there may be eleven more districts: Kaberamaido, Kamwenge, Kanungu,Kayunga, Kyenjojo, Mayngc, Nakapiripiti, Pader, Sironko, Wakiso, Yumbe
Independence: 9 October 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
Constitution: 8 October 1995; adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved upon the promulgation of the constitution in October 1995
Legal system: in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 69.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 27.8% elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 12 March 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); note - first popular election for president since independence in 1962 was held in 1996; prime minister appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex officio members; members serve five-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted elections: last held 26 June 2001 (next to be held May or June 2006);
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders: only one political organization, the National Resistance Movement or NRM [President MUSEVENI, chairman] is allowed to operate unfettered; note - the president maintains that the NRM is not a political party, but a movement which claims the loyalty of all Ugandans note: the new constitution requires the suspension of political parties while the Movement organization is in governance; of the political parties that exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Milton OBOTE]; Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE]; Conservative Party or CP [Joshua S. MAYANJA-NKANGI]; Justice Forum [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; and National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA,FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU,OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA FAX: [1] (202) [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 chancery: Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Martin G. BRENNAN embassy: Ggaba, Plot 1577, Kampala mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (41) 259791 through 259795 FAX: [256] (41) 259794
Flag description: six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side
Economy Uganda
Economy - overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee is the major export crop and accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Ongoing Ugandan involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, corruption within the government, and slippage in the government's determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001 was held back because of a continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $29 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 44% industry: 18% services: 38% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 21% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.4 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 12 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $959 million expenditures: $1.04 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1999)
Electricity - production: 1.599 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.94% hydro: 99.06% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 1.314 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 174 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 1 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry, cut flowers
Exports: $367 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: coffee, fish and fish products, tea; gold, cotton, flowers, horticultural products
Exports - partners: Germany 12.0%, Netherlands 10.2%, US 8.7%, Spain 8.0%, Belgium 7.1% (2000)
Imports: $1.26 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
Imports - partners: Kenya 43.1%, US 7.0%, India 6.8%, South Africa 6.1%,Japan 3.4% (2000)
Debt - external: $3.4 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.4 billion (2000)
Currency: Ugandan shilling (UGX)
Currency code: UGX
Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,738.7 (January 2002), 1,755.7 (2001), 1,644.5 (2000), 1,454.8 (1999), 1,240.2 (1998), 1,083.0 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Uganda
Telephones - main lines in use: 50,074; however, 80,868 main lines have been installed (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 9,000 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short range traffic international: analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios: 5 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)
Televisions: 500,000 (2001)
Internet country code: .ug
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 25,000 (2000)
Transportation Uganda
Railways: total: 1,241 km narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge note: a program to rehabilitate the railroad is underway (2001)
Highways: total: 27,000 km paved: 1,800 km unpaved: 25,200 km (of which about 4,200 km are all-weather roads) (1990)
Waterways: Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, LakeEdward, Victoria Nile, Albert Nile
Ports and harbors: Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,091 GRT/8,229 DWT ships by type: roll on/roll off 3 note: these ships are in cargo and passenger (ferry) service on Uganda's inland waterways (2002 est.)
Airports: 27 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: 6 914 to 1,523 m: Military Uganda
Military branches: Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (including Army,Marine unit, Air Wing)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,302,787 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,879,083 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $121.3 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Uganda
Disputes - international: Tutsi, Hutu, and other ethnic groups, political rebels, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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United Kingdom
Introduction
United Kingdom
Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the European Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999.
Geography United Kingdom
Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 244,820 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands land: 241,590 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km
Coastline: 12,429 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over theNorth Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Fenland -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land
Land use: arable land: 26% permanent crops: 0% other: 74% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,080 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: winter windstorms; floods
Environment - current issues: continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move towards a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the Government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3%
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, AirPollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty,Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, MarineDumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone LayerProtection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-PersistentOrganic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
People United Kingdom
Population: 59,778,002 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.7% (male 5,732,385; female 5,443,900) 15-64 years: 65.5% (male 19,803,478; female 19,381,734) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 3,931,463; female 5,485,042) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.21% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 11.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 80.84 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.11% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 20,800 (1999)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 450 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective:British
Ethnic groups: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%,Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions: Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million,Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000,Jewish 350,000
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales),Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% (2000 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Government United Kingdom
Country name: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: London
Administrative divisions: England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties*, 29 Londonboroughs**, 12 cities and boroughs***, 10 districts****, 12 cities*****,3 royal boroughs******; Barking and Dagenham**, Barnet**, Barnsley, Bathand North East Somerset****, Bedfordshire*, Bexley**, Birmingham***,Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, BracknellForest, Bradford***, Brent**, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol*****,Bromley**, Buckinghamshire*, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire*, Camden**,Cheshire*, Cornwall*, Coventry***, Croydon**, Cumbria*, Darlington,Derby*****, Derbyshire*, Devon*, Doncaster, Dorset*, Dudley, Durham*,Ealing**, East Riding of Yorkshire****, East Sussex*, Enfield**, Essex*,Gateshead, Gloucestershire*, Greenwich**, Hackney**, Halton, Hammersmithand Fulham**, Hampshire*, Haringey**, Harrow**, Hartlepool, Havering**,Herefordshire*, Hertfordshire*, Hillingdon**, Hounslow**, Isle of Wight*,Islington**, Kensington and Chelsea******, Kent*, City of Kingston uponHull*****, Kingston upon Thames******, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth**,Lancashire*, Leeds***, Leicester*****, Leicestershire*, Lewisham**,Lincolnshire*, Liverpool***, City of London*****, Luton, Manchester***,Medway, Merton**, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne***,Newham**, Norfolk*, Northamptonshire*, North East Lincolnshire****, NorthLincolnshire****, North Somerset****, North Tyneside, Northumberland*,North Yorkshire*, Nottingham*****, Nottinghamshire*, Oldham, Oxfordshire*,Peterborough*****, Plymouth*****, Poole, Portsmouth*****, Reading,Redbridge**, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames**, Rochdale,Rotherham, Rutland****, Salford***, Shropshire*, Sandwell, Sefton,Sheffield***, Slough, Solihull, Somerset*, Southampton*****,Southend-on-Sea, South Gloucestershire****, South Tyneside,Southwark**, Staffordshire*, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees,Stoke-on-Trent*****, Suffolk*, Sunderland***, Surrey*, Sutton**, Swindon,Tameside, Telford and Wrekin****, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets**,Trafford, Wakefield***, Walsall, Waltham Forest**, Wandsworth**,Warrington, Warwickshire*, West Berkshire****, Westminster***, WestSussex*, Wigan, Wiltshire*, Windsor and Maidenhead******, Wirral,Wokingham****, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire*, York*****; Northern Ireland- 24 districts, 2 cities*, 6 counties**; Antrim, County Antrim**,Ards, Armagh, County Armagh**, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge,Belfast*, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon,Down, County Down**, Dungannon, Fermanagh, County Fermanagh**, Larne,Limavady, Lisburn, County Londonderry**, Derry*, Magherafelt, Moyle,Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane, CountyTyrone**; Scotland - 32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire,Angus, Argyll and Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfriesand Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, EastLothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, GlasgowCity, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, NorthLanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, ShetlandIslands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire,Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian; Wales - 11 county boroughs,9 counties*, 2 cities and counties**; Isle of Anglesey*, Blaenau Gwent,Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff**, Ceredigion*, Carmarthenshire*, Conwy,Denbighshire*, Flintshire*, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire*,Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire*, Powys*, Rhondda Cynon Taff,Swansea**, Torfaen, The Vale of Glamorgan*, Wrexham
Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena,South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, celebrated on the second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; British courts and legislation are increasingly subject to review by European Union courts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: majority party in the House of Commons (assuming there is no majority party, a prime minister would have a majority coalition or at least a coalition that was not rejected by the majority)
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier) elections: elections); House of Commons - last held 7 June 2001 (next to be held by NA May 2006) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 42.1%, Conservative and Unionist 32.7%, Liberal Democrats 18.8%, other 6.4%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and Unionist 166, Liberal Democrat 52, other 29; note - seating as of 15 February 2002: 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and was twice rescinded before reinstatement in November 2001); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly
Judicial branch: House of Lords (highest court of appeal; severalLords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life);Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising theCourts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts);Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary
Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party [IainDuncan SMITH]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. IanPAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [CharlesKENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; ScottishNational Party or SNP [John SWINNEY]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [GerryADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland)[Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament;Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; TradesUnion Congress
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,BIS, C, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB,ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG,UNRWA, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorSir Christopher J. R. MEYER chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW,Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870Dallas, Denver, Miami, and Seattle consulate(s) general: and SanFrancisco telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William S. FARISH embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (0) 207499-9000 (switchboard) FAX: [44] (0) 207 629-8288 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) and which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories
Economy United Kingdom
Economy - overview: The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth slipped in 2001 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Still, the economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low, and the government expects growth of 2% to 2.5% in 2002. The relatively good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The Prime Minister has pledged to hold a public referendum if membership meets Chancellor of the Exchequer BROWN's five economic "tests." Scheduled for assessment by mid-2003, the tests will determine whether joining EMU would have a positive effect on British investment, employment, and growth. Critics point out, however, that the economy is thriving outside of EMU, and they point to public opinion polls that continue to show a majority of Britons opposed to the single currency.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.47 trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.4% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.7% industry: 24.9% services: 73.4% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 17%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 27.3% (1991)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.1 (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 29.7 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry 25%, services 74% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $565 billion expenditures: $540 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01)
Industries: machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: -1.6% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 355.761 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 73.26% hydro: 1.46% other: 2.31% (2000) nuclear: 22.97%
Electricity - consumption: 345.032 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 134 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 14.308 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Exports: $287 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners: EU 54% (Germany 11%, France 9%, Netherlands 7%,Ireland 7%), US 15% (2000)
Imports: $337 billion (c.i.f., 2001)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: EU 48% (Germany 11%, France 7%, Netherlands 6%),US 13%, Japan 5% (2000)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $4.5 billion (2000)
Currency: British pound (GBP)
Currency code: GBP
Exchange rates: British pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications United Kingdom
Telephones - main lines in use: 34.878 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 13 million (yearend 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations: AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 84.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 30.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: .uk
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 245 (2000)
Internet users: 33 million (2001)
Transportation United Kingdom
Railways: total: 16,878 km standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double- or multiple-tracked) broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double-tracked) note: all 1.600-m gauge track is in common carrier service in Northern Ireland (1996)
Highways: total: 371,603 km paved: 371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 3,200 km
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth,Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London,Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton,Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Merchant marine: total: 212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,308,232 GRT/4,171,757 DWT ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 32, chemical tanker 13, combination ore/oil 1, container 53, liquefied gas 3, passenger 13, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 48, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Bermuda 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 21, Germany 6, Greece 3, Hong Kong 4, Italy 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Russia 1, South Africa 2, Sweden 11, Taiwan 2, United States 5 (2002 est.)
Airports: 470 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 332 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 914 to 1,523 m: 84 under 914 m: 57 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 150
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 138 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 114 (2001)
Heliports: 13 (2001)
Military United Kingdom
Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), RoyalAir Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,632,418 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 12,151,734 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $31.7 billion (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.32% (2002)
Transnational Issues United Kingdom
Disputes - international: Spain and UK are discussing "total shared sovereignty" over Gibraltar, subject to a constitutional referendum by Gibraltarians, who have largely expressed opposition to any form of cession to Spain; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; Argentina claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark and Iceland; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM
Illicit drugs: gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; major consumer of synthetic drugs, producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Ukraine
Introduction
Ukraine
Background: Richly endowed in natural resources, Ukraine has been fought over and subjugated for centuries; its 20th-century struggle for liberty is not yet complete. A short-lived independence from Russia (1917-1920) was followed by brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died, and World War II, in which German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 million more deaths. Although independence was attained in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive as many of the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.
Geography Ukraine
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Asia, Europe
Area: total: 603,700 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 603,700 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 4,663 km border countries: Belarus 891 km,Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km,Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km
Coastline: 2,782 km
Maritime claims: 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
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: HoraHoverla 2,061 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 57% permanent crops: 2% other: 41% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 24,540 sq km (1998 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
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, AirPollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-MarineLiving Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law ofthe Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
People Ukraine
Population: 48,396,470 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.8% (male 4,147,344; female 3,970,343) 15-64 years: 68.7% (male 15,881,821; female 17,366,172) 65 years and over: 14.5% (male 2,341,885; female 4,688,905) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.72% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 9.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 16.4 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 72.06 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 1.32 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.96% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 240,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ukrainian(s) adjective: Ukrainian
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
Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 100% female: 97% (1989 est.)
Government Ukraine
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:Ukraine local long form: none former: Ukrainian National Republic,Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic local short form:Ukrayina
Government type: republic
Capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)
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 - when using a place name with an adjectival ending 's'ka' or 'z'ka,' the word Oblast' should be added to the place name note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Independence: 24 August 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
Executive branch: chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Anatoliy KINAKH (since 29 May 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Oleh DUBYNA (since 29 May 2001) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council election results: 57.7%, Petro SYMONENKO 38.8% note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kyyiv (Kiev) and Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the oblasti
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under Ukraine's new election law, 225 of the Supreme Council's seats 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 serve four-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - Our Ukraine 24%, For One Ukraine 12%, CPU 20%, Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine 6%, SPU 7%, Juliya Tymochenko Election Bloc 7%, other 24%; seats by party - Our Ukraine 112, For One Ukraine 101, CPU 67, Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine 24, SPU 23, Juliya Tymochenko Election Bloc 21, Democratic Party of Ukraine 4, Unity 3, others 95 elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party [Mykhaylo HLADIY];Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Union[Oleksandr OMELCHENKO]; Fatherland (Motherland) All Ukrainian Party[Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, chairperson]; For One Ukraine [leader NA]; Green Partyof Ukraine or PZU [Vitaliy KONONOV, chairman]; Juliya Tymochenko ElectionBloc [leader NA]; Liberal Party [Volodymyr SHCHERBAN]; Our Ukraine [leaderNA]; Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; Partyof Regions [Volodymyr SEMYNOZHENKO]; Party of Ukrainian Unity [IvanBILAS]; Peasant Party of Ukraine or SelPU [Serhiy DOVHAN]; People'sDemocratic Party or PDP [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO, chairman]; People'sMovement of Ukraine or Rukh U [Hennadiy UDOVENKO, chairman]; ProgressiveSocialist Party [Nataliya VITRENKO]; Reforms Congress [Viktor PYNZENYK];Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine (United) [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]; SocialistParty of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; Solidarity [PetroPOROSHENKO]; Trudova Ukrayina/Working Ukraine [Viktor PINCHUK, chairman];Ukrainian Popular Movement or Rukh K [Yuriy KOSTENKO, chairman]; Unity[Oleksandr OMELCHENKO]; Working Ukraine/Labort Ukraine [Serhiy TYHYPKO];Yabluko [BRODSKY] note: and numerous smaller parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS,EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer),OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE,UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNMOVIC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Konstantin Ivanovych HRYSHCHENKO FAX: [1] Chicago and New York telephone: Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos PASCUAL embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynskyi Street, Kiev 01901 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000 FAX: [380] (44) 244-7350
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
Economy Ukraine
Economy - overview: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements. Shortly after independence in late 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, 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. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Now in his second term, President KUCHMA 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 privatization 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. 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $205 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 9% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13% industry: 40% services: 47% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 29% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 23.2% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 30 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 22.8 million (yearend 1997)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 32%, agriculture 24%, services 44% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 3.6% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (November 2001)
Budget: revenues: $10.2 billion expenditures: $11.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)
Industrial production growth rate: 14.2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 163.57 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 49.54% hydro: 7.02% other: 0.01% (2000) nuclear: 43.44%
Electricity - consumption: 151.72 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 400 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
Exports: $17.3 billion (2001 est.)