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: 58%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures : 13%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,050 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water;
air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the
northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
Environment - 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
Geography - note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe
and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
@Ukraine:People
Population: 50,447,719 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 5,000,518; female 4,802,193)
15-64 years: 67% (male 16,087,147; female 17,429,313)
65 years and over: 14% (male 2,308,354; female 4,820,194) (July 1997
est.)
Population growth rate: -0.65% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 9.55 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 16.26 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.77 years
male: 59.93 years
female: 71.91 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (1997 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.)
@Ukraine:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: UP
Government type: republic
National 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: oblasts have the administrative center name following in
parentheses
Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Pavlo LAZARENKO (since NA May
1996), First Deputy Prime Minister Vasyl DURDYNETS (since NA July
1996), and three deputy prime ministers
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and approved
by the Supreme Council
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 includes the president, prime minister, ministers of defense,
internal affairs, foreign relations, and chairman of the security
service; the NSC 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 the Kiev and Sevastopol City Supreme
Councils and the chairmen of Oblast
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
and approved by the Supreme Council
election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of vote
- Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450
seats; members are elected by popular vote from one-member districts
by complex procedures to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 March 1994 with repeat elections continuing
through December 1998 to fill empty seats (next to be held NA March
1998)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
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 Revival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, vacant 28 (in
February 1997 there were 35 vacant seats)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Green Party of Ukraine [Vitaliy
KONONOV, leader]; Liberal Party of Ukraine; 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 or
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 or 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders: New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina);
Congress of National Democratic Forces
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS,
EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the 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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William Green MILLER
embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsyubinskovo, 254053 Kiev 53
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [380] (44) 244-7345
FAX: [380] (44) 244-7350
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden
yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
Economy
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 equipment and raw materials to
industrial and mining sites in other regions of the former USSR.
Shortly after the implosion of the USSR in December 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 in 1992-96 fell precipitously to
less than half the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed
inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election
in July 1994, President KUCHMA has pushed a comprehensive economic
reform program, maintained financial discipline, and tried to remove
almost all remaining controls over prices and foreign trade.
Implementation of KUCHMA's economic agenda is encountering
considerable resistance from parliament, entrenched bureaucrats, and
industrial interests. However, if KUCHMA succeeds in implementing
aggressive market reforms during 1997, the economy should reverse its
downward trend, with real growth occurring by late 1997 and into 1998.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $161.1 billion (1996 estimate as
extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP - real growth rate: -10% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,170 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 14%
industry: 45%
services: 41% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 40% (yearend 1996)
Labor force:
total: 23 million (January 1996)
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: 1% officially registered; large number of
unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1996)
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: -5.1% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 54.24 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 181 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 3,487 kWh (1996)
Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, vegetables; meat, milk
Exports:
total value : $18.6 billion (1996 est.)
commodities: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals,
chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, grain, meat
partners: Russia, Belarus, US, Germany, China (1995)
Imports:
total value : $19.4 billion (1996 est.)
commodities: energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment,
chemicals, textiles
partners: Russia, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Germany, Switzerland
Debt - external: $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 - 1.8592 (November 1996), 1.4731
(1995), 0.3275 (1994), 0.0453 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Ukraine: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: 2 radio broadcast stations of NA type
Radios: 15 million (1990)
Television broadcast stations: at least 2
Televisions: 17.3 million (1992)
@Ukraine:Transportation
Railways:
total : 23,350 km
broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 172,257 km
paved: 163,300 km (including 1,875 km of expressways); note - these
roads are said to be hard-surfaced, meaning that some are paved and
some are all-weather gravel surfaced
unpaved: 8,957 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on the
Pryp''yat' and Dnistr (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,010 km; petroleum products 1,920 km; natural
gas 7,800 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson,
Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni
Merchant marine:
total : 301 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,507,463 GRT/3,156,522
DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 5, bulk 21, cargo 192, chemical tanker 2,
combination bulk 1, container 10, multifunction large-load carrier 3,
oil tanker 23, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 4, railcar carrier 2,
refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 20, short-sea passenger 6
note : Ukraine owns an additional 61 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 1,283,735 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas,
Cyprus, Liberia, Malta, Panama, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
(1996 est.)
Airports: 706 (1994 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 163
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 55
1,524 to 2,437 m : 34
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m : 57 (1994 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 543
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m : 16
914 to 1,523 m: 37
under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Internal
Troops, National Guard, Border Troops
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 12,408,912 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 9,720,351 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 366,086 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: 1.35 billion hryvni (Ukrainian
Government's forecast for 1996); note - conversion of defense
expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
produce misleading results
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: less than 2% (Ukrainian
Government's forecast for 1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: dispute with Romania over continental shelf
of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may
exist; agreed to two-year negotiating period, after which either party
can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice; potential
dispute with Russia over Crimea; has made no territorial claim in
Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not
recognize the claims of any other nation
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly
for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as
transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs to Western
Europe and Russia
______________________________________________________________________
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
@United Arab Emirates: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: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 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
Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of
vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
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%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland : 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
Environment - current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources
being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach
pollution from oil spills
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified : Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location along southern approaches to
Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
@United Arab Emirates:People
Population: 2,262,309 (July 1997 est.)
note: includes 1,546,547 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years : 32% (male 375,709; female 360,199)
15-64 years: 66% (male 975,868; female 511,692)
65 years and over: 2% (male 25,869; female 12,972) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.79% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 18.46 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 3.01 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 1.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.56 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 74.64 years
male: 73.18 years
female : 76.17 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.62 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Emiri(s)
adjective: Emiri
Ethnic groups: 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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write but definition of
literacy not available
total population: 79.2%
male : 78.9%
female: 79.8% (1995 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial States
abbreviation : UAE
Data code: TC
Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE
federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
National 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 (made permanent in 1996)
Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates
except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ras 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 6 August 1966)
and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990),
ruler of Dubayy (Dubai)
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)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
note : there is also a Supreme Council of Rulers which is 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; meets four times a year
elections : president and vice president elected by the Supreme
Council of Rulers (a group of seven electors) for five-year terms;
election last held NA October 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); prime
minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president;
percent of Supreme Council of Rulers vote - NA, but believed to be
unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent
of Supreme Council of Rulers vote - NA, but believed to be unanimous
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis
al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the
constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: none
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the
president
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: 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, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the 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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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); note -
work week is Saturday through Wednesday
telephone: [971] (2) 436691, 436692
FAX: [971] (2) 435441
consulate(s) general: Dubai