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
plateaux, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians),
and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil,
salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel,
mercury, timber
Land use:
arable land: 56%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 12%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 30%
Irrigated land: 26,000 sq km (1990)
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
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed,
but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Geographic note: strategic position at the crossroads between
Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
People
------
Population: 50,864,009 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 5,139,034; female 4,936,901)
15-64 years: 66% (male 16,135,671; female 17,433,600)
65 years and over: 14% (male 2,318,629; female 4,900,174) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: -0.4% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 11.17 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 15.16 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.86 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 22.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.8 years
male: 61.54 years
female: 72.32 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian
Ethnic divisions: 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: age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)
total population: 98%
male: 100%
female: 97%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: UP
Type of government: republic
Capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)
Administrative divisions: 24 oblasti (singular - oblast'), 1
autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalites
(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), Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'),
Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sevastopol'),
Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka
(Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya),
Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr)
note: names in parentheses are administrative centers when name
differs from oblast' name
Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) was
elected for a five-year term by direct popular vote; election last
held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results -
Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%
head of government: Prime Minister Yevhen MARCHUK (since NA June
1995), First Deputy Prime Minister Pavlo LAZARENKO (since NA), and
eight deputy prime ministers were appointed by the president and
approved by the Supreme Council
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the president and
approved by the Supreme Council
National Security Council: originally created in 1992, but
significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA;
members include the president, prime minister, ministers of finance,
environment, justice, internal affairs, foreign economic relations,
economic and foreign affairs; the NSC staff is tasked with
developing national security policy on domestic and international
matters and advising the president
Presidential Administration: helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president
Council of Regions: advisory body created by President KUCHMA in
September 1994; includes the chairmen of Oblast and Kiev and
Sevastopol City Supreme Councils
Legislative branch: unicameral
Supreme Council: elections last held 27 March 1994 with repeat
elections continuing through December 1998 to fill empty seats (next
to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (450
total) Communists 91, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialists 15,
Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party
of Democratic Revival 4, Democrats 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil
Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Revival of
Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, independents 225; note - most
recent repeat election held in April 1996 filling 422 of 450 seats
as follows: independents 238, Communist 95, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18,
Socialist 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5,
Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democratic Party of Ukraine
2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1,
Party of Economic Rivival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, vacant
28
Judicial branch: Supreme Court is the highest judicial body;
Constitutional Court has exclusive jurisdiction over interpretation
of the constitution and laws
Political parties and leaders: Green Party of Ukraine, Vitaliy
KONONOV, leader; Liberal Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr SHCHERBAN;
Liberal Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr KLYMCHUK, chairman;
Democratic Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych YAVORIVSKIY,
chairman; People's Party of Ukraine; Peasants' Party of Ukraine;
Party of Democratic Rebirth (Revival) of Ukraine, Volodymyr FILENKO,
chairman; Social Democratic Party of Ukraine, Vasyl ONOPENKO,
chairman; Socialist Party of Ukraine, Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman;
Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party, Vitaliy ZHURAVSKYY, chairman;
Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party, Stepan KHMARA, chairman;
Ukrainian Labor Party, Valentyn LANDYK, chairman; Ukrainian Party of
Justice, Yuriy ZUBKO, chairman; Ukrainian Peasants' Democratic
Party, Serhiy PLACHINDA, chairman; Ukrainian Republican Party,
Bondan YAROSHPSKYY, chairman; Ukrainian National Conservative Party;
Ukrainian People's Movement for Restructuring (Rukh), Vyacheslav
CHORNOVIL, chairman; Ukrainian Communist Party, Petr SYMONENKO;
Agrarian Party; Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, Slava STESTKO;
Civil Congress, O. BAZYLUK; Party of Economic Revival of Crimea;
Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Nataliya VITRENKO and
Volodymyr MARCHENKO, leaders; People's Democratic Party, Anatoliy
MATVIYENKO, chairman
Other political or pressure groups: New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina);
Congress of National Democratic Forces
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS,
EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOT,
UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Mikolayevych SHCHERBAK
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador William Green MILLER
embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsyubinskovo, 252053 Kiev 53
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [380] (44) 244-7345
FAX: [380] (44) 244-7350
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow
represent grainfields under a blue sky
Economy
-------
Economic 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 equipment and raw
materials to industrial and mining sites in other regions of the
former USSR. In early 1992, 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. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to
hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July
1994, President KUCHMA has developed a comprehensive economic reform
program, maintained financial discipline, and removed almost all
controls over prices and foreign trade. Implementation of KUCHMA's
economic agenda is encountering considerable resistance from
parliament, entrenched bureaucrats, and industrial interests.
However, should KUCHMA succeed in implementing aggressive market
reforms during 1996, the economy may stabilize and possibly achieve
real growth in the range of 0.5%-1%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $174.6 billion (1995 estimate as
extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP real growth rate: -4% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $3,370 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 31%
industry: 43%
services: 26% (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% monthly average (1995)
Labor force: 23.55 million (January 1994)
by occupation: industry and construction 33%, agriculture and
forestry 21%, health, education, and culture 16%, trade and
distribution 7%, transport and communication 7%, other 16% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 0.7% officially registered; large number of
unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1995)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals,
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food-processing
(especially sugar)
Industrial production growth rate: -11% (1995 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 54,380,000 kW
production: 192.1 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,200 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture: grain, sugar beets, vegetables; meat, milk
Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy;
mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program;
used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe
Exports: $11.3 billion (1995)
commodities: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals,
chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, grain, meat
partners: other FSU countries, China, Italy, Switzerland
Imports: $10.7 billion (1995)
commodities: energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment,
chemicals, textiles
partners: other FSU countries, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic
External debt: $8.8 billion (including $4.5 billion to Russia)
(late 1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $220 million (1993)
note: commitments, 1992-95, $4.5 billion ($4.1 billion drawn)
Currency: on 2 September 1996, Ukraine introduced the long-awaited
hryvnia (plural hryvni) as its national currency, replacing the
karbovanets (in circulation since 12 November 1992) at a rate of
100,000 karbovantsi to 1 hryvnia
Exchange rates: hryvnia per US$1 - 1.76 (2 September 1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 23,350 km
broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 169,964 km
paved: 168,094 km (including 1,767 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,870 km (1992 est.)
Waterways: 4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on
the Pryp''yat' and Dnipro (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,010 km; petroleum products 1,920 km;
natural gas 7,800 km (1992)
Ports: Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev
(Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Pivdenne, Reni
Merchant marine:
total: 353 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,262,341
GRT/4,356,374 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 5, bulk 39, cargo 217, chemical tanker
2, combination bulk 1, container 11, multifunction large-load
carrier 3, oil tanker 21, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 5, railcar
carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 32,
short-sea passenger 3 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 706
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 14
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 55
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 34
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3
with paved runways under 914 m: 57
with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 7
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 7
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 16
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 37
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: NA
Telephone system: system is unsatisfactory both for business and
for personal use; 3.56 million applications for telephones had not
been satisfied as of January 1991; electronic mail services have
been established in Kiev, Odessa, and Luhans'k by Sprint
domestic: an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network operates in
Kiev (Kyyiv) and allows direct dialing of international calls
through Kiev's digital exchange
international: calls to other CIS countries are carried by landline
or microwave radio relay; calls to 167 other countries are carried
by satellite or by the 150 leased lines through the Moscow
international gateway switch; satellite earth stations - NA
Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions), and NA
Intersputnik
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note - there
are at least two radio broadcast stations of NA type
Radios: 15 million (1990)
Television broadcast stations: at least 2
Televisions: 17.3 million (1992)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Internal Troops,
National Guard, Border Troops
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 12,388,788
males fit for military service: 9,716,127
males reach military age (18) annually: 362,000 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: 1.35 billion hryvni, less than 2% of GDP
(Ukrainian Government's forecast for 1996); note - conversion of
defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate
could produce misleading results
======================================================================
@United Arab Emirates
--------------------
Map
---
Location: 24 00 N, 54 00 E -- Middle East, bordering the Gulf of
Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Flag
----
Description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white,
and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
Geography
---------
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian
Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total area: 75,581 sq km
land area: 75,581 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline: 1,318 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: location and status of boundary with Saudi
Arabia is not final, defacto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; no
defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far
north; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran:
Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye
Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al
Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by
Iran); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with
Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in
Persian by Iran); in 1992, the dispute over Abu Musa and the Tunb
islands became more acute when Iran unilaterally tried to control
the entry of third country nationals into the UAE portion of Abu
Musa island, Tehran subsequently backed off in the face of
significant diplomatic support for the UAE in the region
Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand
dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 2%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 98%
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome
by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil
spills
natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not
ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Geographic note: strategic location along southern approaches to
Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
People
------
Population: 3,057,337 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 542,848; female 519,952)
15-64 years: 64% (male 1,277,829; female 683,282)
65 years and over: 1% (male 22,246; female 11,180) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.33% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 26.43 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 3.03 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 19.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.99 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.52 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 20.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.74 years
male: 70.64 years
female: 74.94 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.46 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Emiri(s)
adjective: Emiri
Ethnic divisions: Emiri 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South
Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians)
8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write but definition of
literacy not available (1995 est.)
total population: 79.2%
male: 78.9%
female: 79.8%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarata al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial States
abbreviation: UAE
Data code: TC
Type of government: federation with specified powers delegated to
the UAE central government and other powers reserved to member
emirates
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah);
Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah),
Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution: 2 December 1971 (provisional)
Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; all
emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the
federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil,
criminal, and high courts
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2
December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since NA 1966) and
Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990),
ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) were elected by the Supreme Council of Rulers
head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum
(since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) and Deputy Prime
Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) were
appointed by the president
Supreme Council of Rulers: composed of the seven emirate rulers, the
council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE;
establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu
Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto
power; council meets four times a year
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council (Majlis
Watani Itihad); no elections; reviews legislation, but cannot change
or veto
Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the
president
Political parties and leaders: none
Other political or pressure groups: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI
chancery: Suite 600, 3000 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 338-6500
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador David C. LITT
embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu
Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch)
telephone: [971] (2) 436691, 436692
FAX: [971] (2) 434771
consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and
black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
Economy
-------
Economic overview: The UAE has an open economy with one of the
world's highest incomes per capita and with a sizable annual trade
surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of
GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of
those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound
transformation from an impoverished region of small desert
principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At
present levels of production, crude oil reserves should last for
over 100 years. Although much stronger economically than most Gulf
states, the UAE faces similar problems with weak international oil
prices and the pressures for cuts in OPEC oil production quotas. The
UAE Government is encouraging increased privatization within the
economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $70.1 billion (1995 est.)