Ukraine is a republic in eastern Europe which borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland , Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest and the Black Sea to the south. During the 17th and 18th centuries, most ethnic Ukrainian territory was absorbed by Russia. Following the collapse of Tsarist Russia in 1917 , Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of independence, but was absorbed by the Soviet Union . Ukraine became independent with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 .

Geography

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 south into the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov . To the southwest the delta of the Danube forms the border with Romania. The country's only mountains are the Carpathian Mountains in the west, of which the highest is the Hora Hoverla at 2,061 m, and those in the Crimean peninsula, in the extreme south along the coast.

Ukraine has a mostly temperate continental climate , though a more mediterranean climate is found on the southern Crimean coast. Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it is 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

Formerly an important agricultural and industrial region of the Soviet Union , Ukraine now depends on Russia for most energy supplies, especially natural gas . The lack of significant structural reform has 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 soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of 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. Rapid economic growth in 2002 - 2004 is largely attributed to a surge in steel exports to China.

Demographics

Ethnic Ukrainians make up about 80% of the population, ethnic Russians about 17%. The industrial regions in the east and south-east are the most heavily populated, and about 70% of the population lives in urban areas.

Other minorities include significant groups of Romanians (with Moldovans , 0.8%), Belarusians (0.6%), Crimean Tatars (0.5%), Bulgarians (0.4%), Hungarians , Poles (0.4%) and Jews (0.3%).

Ukrainian (the only official language) and Russian are the principal languages. Standard literary Ukrainian is mainly spoken in the western quarter of the country, including its cities such as Lviv . In central Ukraine, Russian is usually the main language of cities (including Kyiv), while Surzhyk (a " pidgin " dialect, mixing Russian words with Ukrainian grammar and phonetics) is widespread in the rural areas. In the eastern quarter Russian influence is even stronger. In the Crimean peninsula Ukrainian is virtually unused, despite numerous attempts to introduce it as the only language of advertising, media, and administration.

The share of students receiving their education in Russian has significantly declined from 41% in 1995 to 24% in 2004, in favour of their Ukrainian counterparts. Still, many urban Ukrainian schools are de-facto Russian-speaking, especially in the East and South. Russian continues to be the language of international communication for many Ukrainians and is understood throughout the country.

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. Most of the authority and property of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church belongs to the Moscow Patriarchy , while a separate Kiev Patriarchy declared independence from Moscow (after Ukraine declared independence) and attracted the majority of believers. There is also a Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church , as well as smaller Roman Catholic , Protestant , Jewish and Muslim communities.