80 districts; Abim, Adjumani, Amolatar, Amuria, Amuru, Apac, Arua,Budaka, Bududa, Bugiri, Bukedea, Bukwa, Bulisa, Bundibugyo,Bushenyi, Busia, Butaleja, Dokolo, Gulu, Hoima, Ibanda, Iganga,Isingiro, Jinja, Kaabong, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala,Kaliro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese,Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kiruhara, Kisoro, Kitgum, Koboko,Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Lyantonde, Manafwa, Maracha,Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Mityana, Moroto, Moyo,Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakaseke, Nakasongola,Namutumba, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Oyam, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri,Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe
Independence:
9 October 1962 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
Constitution:
8 October 1995; amended in 2005
note: the amendments in 2005 removed presidential term limits and legalized a multiparty political system
Legal system:
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 on 26 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 on 26 January 1986); Prime Minister Apolo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 23 February 2006 (next to be held on 18 February 2011)
election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (332 seats; 215 members elected by popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 13 ex-officio members; members to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 23 February 2006 (next to be held on 18 February 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NRM 205, FDC 37, UPC 9, DP 8, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 37, other 34
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:
Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP [Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza BESIGYE]; Inter-Party Co-operation or IPC (a coalition of opposition groups); Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Peoples Progressive Party or PPP [Bidandi SSALI]; Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Miria OBOTE]
note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's transition to a multi-party political system
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Lord's Resistance Army or LRA [Joseph KONY]; Young ParliamentaryAssociation [Henry BANYENZAKI]; Parliamentary Advocacy Forum orPAFO; National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda or NAWOU[Florence NEKYON]; The Ugandan Coalition for PoliticalAccountability to Women or COPAW
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol,IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC,OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI,UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Perezi Karukubiro KAMUNANWIRE
chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jerry P. LANIER
embassy: 1577 Ggaba Road, Kampala
mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
telephone: [256] (414) 259 791 through 93, 95
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; black symbolizes the African people, yellow sunshine and vitality, red African brotherhood; the crane was the military badge of Ugandan soldiers under the UK
National anthem:
name: "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty!"
lyrics/music: George Wilberforce KAKOMOA
note: adopted 1962
Economy ::Uganda
Economy - overview:
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil. Uganda has never conducted a national minerals survey. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee 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. Since 1990 economic reforms ushered in an era of solid economic growth based on continued investment in infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, lower inflation, better domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Uganda has received about $2 billion in multilateral and bilateral debt relief. In 2007 Uganda received $10 million for a Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program. The global economic downturn has hurt Uganda's exports; however, Uganda's GDP growth is still relatively strong due to past reforms and sound management of the downturn. Oil revenues and taxes will become a larger source of government funding as oil comes on line in the next few years. Instability in southern Sudan is the biggest risk for the Ugandan economy in 2011 because Uganda's main export partner is Sudan and Uganda is a key destination for Sudanese refugees.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$41.7 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $39.41 billion (2009 est.)
$36.76 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$17.12 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 42 7.2% (2009 est.)
8.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,200 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 207 $1,200 (2009 est.)
$1,200 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.6%
industry: 24.5%
services: 51.9% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
15.51 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 82%
industry: 5%
services: 13% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Population below poverty line:
35% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 34.1% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
45.7 (2002) country comparison to the world: 39 37.4 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.9% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Public debt:
20.4% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 20.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 196 14.2% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
9.65% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 13 19.42% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
20.96% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 20.45% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$1.997 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 119 $1.603 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$3.905 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 127 $3.322 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.882 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 126 $1.716 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2009)
$NA (31 December 2007)
$116.3 million (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
Industries:
sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production
Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Electricity - production:
2.256 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Electricity - consumption:
2.068 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Electricity - exports:
30 million kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
NA bbl/day (2009 est.)
Oil - consumption:
13,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 142
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 167
Oil - imports:
13,090 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 165
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 105
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 124
Current account balance:
-$784 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 127 -$451 million (2009 est.)
Exports:
$2.941 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 125 $2.7 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold
Exports - partners:
Sudan 13.47%, Kenya 8.98%, UAE 7.52%, Rwanda 7.5%, Switzerland 7.42%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.85%, Netherlands 5.67%, Belgium 5.66%, Germany 5.18%, Italy 4.33% (2009)
Imports:
$4.474 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 125 $3.844 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
Imports - partners:
Kenya 13.9%, India 12.79%, UAE 11.16%, China 8.91%, South Africa 5.08%, France 4.6%, Japan 4.37%, US 4.07% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.743 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 $2.995 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
note: excludes gold
Debt - external:
$2.888 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 132 $2.554 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Exchange rates:
Ugandan shillings (UGX) per US dollar - 2,166 (2010), 2,038.9 (2009), 1,658.1 (2008), 1,685.8 (2007), 1,834.9 (2006)
Communications ::Uganda
Telephones - main lines in use:
233,500 (2009) country comparison to the world: 124
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.384 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 68
Telephone system:
general assessment: mobile cellular service is increasing rapidly, but the number of main lines is still deficient; work underway on a national backbone information and communications technology infrastructure; international phone networks and Internet connectivity provided through satellite and VSAT applications
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile-cellular systems for short-range traffic; mobile-cellular teledensity about 30 per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Broadcast media:
public broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), operates radio and television networks; Uganda first began licensing privately-owned stations in the 1990s; by 2007 there were nearly 150 radio and 35 TV stations, mostly based in and around Kampala; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available in Kampala (2007)
Internet country code:
.ug
Internet hosts:
19,927 (2010) country comparison to the world: 111
Internet users:
3.2 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 66
Transportation ::Uganda
Airports:
46 (2010) country comparison to the world: 95
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 41
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 8 (2010)
Railways:
total: 1,244 km country comparison to the world: 84 narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 70,746 km country comparison to the world: 68 paved: 16,272 km
unpaved: 54,474 km (2003)
Waterways:
there are no long navigable stretches of river in Uganda; parts of the Albert Nile that flow out of Lake Albert in the northwestern part of the country are navigable; several lakes including Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga have substantial traffic; Lake Albert is navigable along a 200 km stretch from its northern tip to its southern shores (2009)
Ports and terminals:
Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Military ::Uganda
Military branches:
Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF): Army (includes Marine Unit),Uganda Air Force (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-26 years of age for voluntary military duty; 18-30 years of age for professionals; no conscription; 9-year service obligation; the government has stated that recruitment below 18 years of age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"; Ugandan citizenship and secondary education required (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,972,134
females age 16-49: 6,752,005 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,138,180
females age 16-49: 4,028,125 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 412,640
female: 408,521 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.2% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 67
Transnational Issues ::Uganda
Disputes - international:
Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese, 27,560 Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 215,700 (Sudan); 28,880 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 24,900 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 1.27 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following ongoing peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda) (2007)
page last updated on January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@Ukraine (Europe)
Introduction ::Ukraine
Background:
Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to achieve a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in August of 2006. An early legislative election, brought on by a political crisis in the spring of 2007, saw Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, as head of an "Orange" coalition, installed as a new prime minister in December 2007. Viktor YANUKOVUYCH was elected president in a February 2010 run-off election that observers assessed as meeting most international standards. The following month, the Rada approved a vote of no-confidence prompting Yuliya TYMOSHENKO to resign from her post as prime minister.
Geography ::Ukraine
Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 603,550 sq km country comparison to the world: 45 land: 579,330 sq km
water: 24,220 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 4,566 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 940 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 176 km, Romania (southwest) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km
Coastline:
2,782 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m or to the depth of exploitation
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: 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
Land use:
arable land: 53.8%
permanent crops: 1.5%
other: 44.7% (2005)
Irrigated land:
22,080 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
139.5 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 37.53 cu km/yr (12%/35%/52%)
per capita: 807 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
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, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, ShipPollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
Geography - note:
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
People ::Ukraine
Population:
45,415,596 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 28
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 3,238,280/female 3,066,594)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 15,399,488/female 16,742,612)
65 years and over: 15.9% (male 2,422,311/female 4,831,110) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.7 years
male: 36.5 years
female: 42.9 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.619% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 226
Birth rate:
9.62 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 202
Death rate:
15.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Net migration rate:
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
Urbanization:
urban population: 68% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.065 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.73 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 160 male: 10.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.46 years country comparison to the world: 149 male: 62.56 years
female: 74.74 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.27 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 213
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.6% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
440,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 21
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
19,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 23
Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian
Ethnic groups:
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%,Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%,Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)
Religions:
Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 50.4%, Ukrainian Orthodox -Moscow Patriarchate 26.1%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 8%, UkrainianAutocephalous Orthodox 7.2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Protestant 2.2%,Jewish 0.6%, other 3.2% (2006 est.)
Languages:
Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% (includes smallRomanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 54
Government ::Ukraine
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Kyiv (Kiev)
note: pronounced KAY-yiv
geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); note - 22 January 1918, the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the day the short-lived Western and Greater (Eastern) Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day
Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 25 February 2010)
head of government: Prime Minister Mykola AZAROV (since 11 March 2010); First Deputy Prime Minister Andriy KLYUYEV (since 11 March 2010); Deputy Prime Ministers Borys KOLESNIKOV, Serhiy TIHIPKO, Viktor TYKHONOV (all since 11 March 2010)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the president and approved by the Rada (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 January 2010 with runoff on 7 February 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
election results: Viktor YANUKOVYCH elected president; percent of vote - Viktor YANUKOVYCH 48.95%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO 45.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; members allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the national electoral vote; members to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 30 September 2007 (next must be held in 2012 or sooner if a ruling coalition cannot be formed in the Rada)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Party of Regions 34.4%, Block of Yuliya Tymoshenko 30.7%, Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 14.2%, CPU 5.4%, Lytvyn Bloc 4%, other parties 11.3%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 175, Block of Yuliya Tymoshenko 156, Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 72, CPU 27, Lytvyn Bloc 20
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
Block of Yuliya Tymoshenko-Batkivshchyna (BYuT-Batkivshchyna)[Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]; Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [PetroSYMONENKO]; European Party of Ukraine [Mykola KATERYNCHUK]; ForwardUkraine! [Viktor MUSIYAKA]; Front of Change [Arseniy YATSENYUK];Lytvyn Bloc (composed of People's Party and Labor Party of Ukraine)[Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Our Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party ofIndustrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; Party of Regions[Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Party of the Defenders of the Fatherland [YuriyKARMAZIN]; People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK];People's Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Peoples' Self-Defense [YuriyLUTSENKO]; PORA! (It's Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV]; ProgressiveSocialist Party [Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party [ViktorPYNZENYK]; Sobor [Anatoliy MATVIYENKO]; Social Democratic Party[Yevhen KORNICHUK]; Social Democratic Party (United) or SDPU(o)[Yuriy ZAHORODNIY]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [OleksandrMOROZ]; Strong Ukraine [SERHIY TIHIPKO]; Ukrainian People's Party[Yuriy KOSTENKO]; United Center [Viktor BALOHA]; Viche [InnaBOHOSLOVSKA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Aleksandr CHERNENKO]; OPORA [OlhaAIVAZOVSKA]
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CICA (observer), CIS (participating member, has not signed the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings), EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Oleksandr MOTSYK
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT
embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 01901 Kyiv
mailing address: 5850 Kyiv Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grain fields under a blue sky
National anthem:
name: "Sche ne vmerla Ukraina" (Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished)
lyrics/music: Paul CHUBYNSKYI/Mikhail VERBYTSKYI
note: music adopted 1991, lyrics adopted 2003; the song was first performed in 1864 at the Ukraine Theatre in Lviv; the lyrics, originally written in 1862, were revised in 2003
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. Shortly after independence in August 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% of the 1991 level. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Ukraine depends on imports to meet about three-fourths of its annual oil and natural gas requirements and 100% of its nuclear fuel needs. After a two-week dispute that saw gas supplies cutoff to Europe, Ukraine agreed to ten-year gas supply and transit contracts with Russia in January 2009 that brought gas prices to "world" levels. The strict terms of the contracts have further hobbled Ukraine's cash-strapped state gas company, Naftohaz. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. Ukrainian Government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework. Ukraine's economy was buoyant despite political turmoil between the prime minister and president until mid-2008. Real GDP growth exceeded 7% in 2006-07, fueled by high global prices for steel - Ukraine's top export - and by strong domestic consumption, spurred by rising pensions and wages. Ukraine reached an agreement with the IMF for a $16.4 billion Stand-By Arrangement in November 2008 to deal with the economic crisis, but the Ukrainian Government's lack of progress in implementing reforms has twice delayed the release of IMF assistance funds. The drop in steel prices and Ukraine's exposure to the global financial crisis due to aggressive foreign borrowing lowered growth in 2008 and the economy contracted more than 15% in 2009, among the worst economic performances in the world; growth resumed in 2010, buoyed by exports. External conditions are likely to hamper efforts for economic recovery in 2011.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$306.3 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 $293.7 billion (2009 est.)
$345.9 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$136.6 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 -15.1% (2009 est.)
2.1% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,700 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 $6,400 (2009 est.)
$7,500 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.8%
industry: 32.3%
services: 57.9% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
22.06 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 28
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 15.8%
industry: 18.5%
services: 65.7% (2008)
Unemployment rate:
8.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 8.8% (2009 est.)
note: officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers
Population below poverty line:
35% (2009)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.4%
highest 10%: 25.7% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31 (2006) country comparison to the world: 105 29 (1999)
Investment (gross fixed):
16.1% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 123
Public debt:
38.4% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 78 30% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.8% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 198 15.9% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10.25% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 32 12% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
20.86% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 30 17.49% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$34.97 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 51 $30 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$73.91 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 59 $62.22 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$110.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 $103.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$16.79 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 56 $24.36 billion (31 December 2008)
$111.8 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
Industries:
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing
Industrial production growth rate:
8% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Electricity - production:
172.9 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
Electricity - consumption:
134.6 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
Electricity - exports:
4 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Oil - production:
99,930 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Oil - consumption:
348,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Oil - exports:
154,400 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 56
Oil - imports:
147,600 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 54
Oil - proved reserves:
395 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Natural gas - production:
21.2 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - consumption:
52 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Natural gas - exports:
5 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Natural gas - imports:
26.83 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.104 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Current account balance:
$603 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 -$1.732 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$49.71 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 $40.39 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products
Exports - partners:
Russia 21.1%, Turkey 5.3%, China 3.8% (2009)
Imports:
$53.54 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $45.05 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Russia 28%, Germany 8.6%, China 6.1%, Kazakhstan 4.9%, Poland 4.9% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$32.91 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 33 $26.51 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$97.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 $94.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$52.31 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 $46.81 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$2.327 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 65 $2.067 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
hryvnia (UAH) per US dollar - 7.9111 (2010), 7.7912 (2009), 4.9523 (2008), 5.05 (2007), 5.05 (2006)
Communications ::Ukraine
Telephones - main lines in use:
13.026 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 20
Telephones - mobile cellular:
55.333 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 20
Telephone system:
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile-cellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is rising and the domestic trunk system is being improved; about one-third of Ukraine's networks are digital and a majority of regional centers now have digital switching stations; improvements in local networks and local exchanges continue to lag; the mobile-cellular telephone system's expansion has slowed, largely due to saturation of the market which has reached 120 mobile phones per 100 people
international: country code - 380; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and 3 Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by an unknown number of earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
Broadcast media:
TV coverage is provided by Ukraine's state-controlled nationwide broadcast channel (UT1) and a number of privately-owned television broadcast networks; Russian television broadcasts have a small audience nationwide, but larger audiences in the eastern and southern regions; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; Ukraine's radio broadcast market, a mix of independent and state-owned networks, is comprised of some 300 stations (2007)
Internet country code:
.ua
Internet hosts:
1.098 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 42
Internet users:
7.77 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 38
Transportation ::Ukraine
Airports:
425 (2010) country comparison to the world: 19
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 189