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Ukraine, formerly The Ukraine (when as a part of USSR), is a country in eastern Europe which borders the Black Sea to the south, the Russian Federation to the east, Belarus to the north and
Poland, [[]], Hungary, Romania and Moldova to the west.
History
Main article: History of Ukraine
The current territory of what is today the nation of Ukraine was a southern part of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus'. Its capital was Kyiv, the capital of the modern Ukraine. Kievan Rus' was founded by Vikings, or so-called Varangians, from the area that later became
Sweden. Varangians later became assimilated to the local population of Rus' (Ruthenian/Ukrainian) and gave Ukraine its first powerful dynasty, the Rurik dynasty. During the 10th and 11th centuries the territory of Ukraine became the center of the most important state in Europe--laying the foundation for Ukrainian national identity through subsequent centuries.
The term "Rus'" refered to all of the Slavic principalities in the region (Rus' Chervona for a example). Kiev, and Kievian
Rus' were the seat of the Grand prince of the Rurik Dynasty. The ruler of Kiev was also in effect the ruler of all the Rus'
principalities. Kievian Rus' declined during the Mongol invasions, and the seat of the Grand Prince was moved first to Vladimir
and then to Moscow. This establishes a continuity with the Russian Empire and the modern Russian state. A fact that is rather
unpleasant for the government of Ukraine.
Eventually, Kievan Rus' became weakened by internal quarrels and Mongol invasions.
On Ukrainian territory, the state of Kievan Rus' was succeeded by the principalities of Halych and Volodymyr-Volynskii, which were merged into the state of
Halych-Volynia, separated and eventually conquered by Poland and
Lithuania (see the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth).
During the mid-17th century the Cossack Hetmanate, was established in central Ukraine, this was more of a military sturucture than a
state, but the Cossacks and the territory under their rule were highly autonomous, although they were nominaly part of the
Russian [Muscovy|Muscovite]] state. Eventually Western Ukraine was taken by Poland while the East remained within the Russia
Empire. Ukrainians played an important role in continuous wars between East-European monarchies and Osman Empire. Since then
Ukrainian territory is widely concidered as a perrenial "bridge&buffer" between Europe and Asia (the Great Steppe). It is
even fixed in the ethnic self-name ("Ukrayina" from "Okrayina, Kray" - meaning "edge"). During the latter part of the 18th century, the central and eastern parts of Ukrainian ethnographic territory
were reclaimed by the Russian Empire, with the west becoming part of
Austria-Hungary after the partitions of Poland.
Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Ukraine was briefly independent, but not united, until 1920. By
1922 it was split between Poland and Soviet Union. The Soviet Ukraine experienced two famines (1921-1922 and 1932-1933) - the second of which was deliberate, and termed
the "Holodomor" - in which many
millions died (scholarly estimates range from 4 to 10 million dead). Many Ukranians played important roles in the Russian civil
war. Much of the Cossack Army/Clan(Voysko) sided with the Red Army during the conflict.
At the onset of the World War II, in 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland and incorporated the Westen Ukraine into the Ukrainian
SSR. In 1941 the German invaders and their Axis
allies crushed the Red Army. In the encirclement battle of Kiev, acclaimed by the Soviets as a "Hero City," more than
660,000 Soviet troops were taken captive. Initially, the Germans were warmly received as "liberators" by the some of the
Ukrainian population. It should be noted taht this generaly stemmed from the ferocious repressions of the landed pesantry (a
class that included almost all Ukrainians) by Stalin, and not to a feeling of nationalism. Soon, however, the Germans began their
bloody regime of genocide, killing and deporting Jews and Ukrainian civilians and burning down entire villages, leading many
Ukrainians to conclude that Nazi rule was just as terrible, or even worse, than the Soviet regime which had killed 4 to 10
million of the Ukrainian nation, albeit over a longer period of time. Total civilian losses during the War and German occupation
in Ukraine are estimated at 7 million, including over half a million Jews shot and killed by the Einsatzgruppen. Of the estimated 11 million Soviet troops who fell in battle against the Nazis, about
a fourth (2.7 million) were ethnic Ukrainians. Thus, the Ukrainian nation is distinguished as the first nation to fight the Axis
powers during WW II in Carpatho-Ukraine and one that saw one of the
greatest bloodsheds during the War.
After the WWII, the borders of then Soviet Ukraine were extended to the West, (as stipulated in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, see also Curzon line), uniting most Ukrainians under one political state. In 1954, Crimea was transferred from RSFSR to Ukraine (Crimea has no continuous land
bridge to the Russian Federation.) This decision of Nikita
Khrushchev, intended to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the controversial Treaty of Pereyaslav, seen in Soviet historiography as the 'union of two fraternal peoples', led to
tensions between Russia and Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Independence was achieved in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine was a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Ukraine
Ukraine is a parliamentary democracy with separate executive, judicial, and legislative branches.
The president, elected by popular vote for a five-year term, nominates the
prime minister as well as the rest of the cabinet, who must be confirmed by the parliament.
The Ukrainian parliament is the unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada which holds 450 seats, 225 of which 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 members serve four-year terms and the parliament initiates legislation,
ratifies international agreements, and approves the budget.
The national flag of Ukraine represents the blue sky over the wheat fields of the steppes. The two colors have long been used as banners for the Ukrainian people.
Regions
Main article: Regions of Ukraine
Ukraine is subdivided into 24 regions (oblasti, singular - oblast), 1 autonomous republic (avtomna
respublika) in the Crimea, and 2 municipalities (mista, singular -
misto) with regional status, marked by a *:
Geography
Main article: Geography of Ukraine
Map of Ukraine
The Ukrainian landscape consists mostly of fertile plains or steppes and plateaus,
crossed by rivers such as the Dniepr, Donets,
Dnister and the Southern Bug as they flow down into the Black Sea and the smaller
Sea of Azov. To the southwest the delta of the Danube forms the border with Romania. Mountains are
found only in the western range of the Carpathian
Mountains, of which the highest is the Hora Hoverla at 2,061 m, and in
the Crimean peninsula in the extreme south along the coast.
Ukraine has a temperate continental climate, though a more mediterranean
clime is found on the southern Crimean coast. Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it's highest in the west and north and lesser
in the 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, but generally hot in the south.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Ukraine
Formerly an important agricultural and industrial region of the Soviet Union, Ukraine now depends on Russia for most energy supplies, especially natural gas, and the
lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. After 1991 the government liberalised most prices and erected a legal framework for privatisation, 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.
The current government 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 privatisation 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.
The 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.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Ukraine
Ethnic Ukrainians make up about 75% of the total population, ethnic Russians number about 20%. The industrial regions in the east and southeast are the most
heavily populated, and about 70% of the population is urban. Ukrainian (the official state language) and Russian are the principal languages and although Russian is very widely spoken most of the population
identifies Ukrainian as their native language. Other minorities include small groups of Belarusians, Moldovans, Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Romanians, Poles and Jews.
The dominant religions are the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church, an Eastern Orthodox church, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which
practices eastern Christian rites but recognises the Roman Pope as head of the church. The
largest part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church belongs to the Moscow Patriarchy; however, following Ukrainian independence a separate Kiev Patriarchy also was
established possesing only a small following, which declared independence from Moscow. In addition to these, there also is a
Ukrainian Autocephalous
Orthodox Church, as well as smaller Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Moslem communities.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Ukraine
Miscellaneous topics
External links
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