Fast Facts about the Ukraine 2nd largest country in Europe (its comparative size is slightly smaller than TX) Population is 46 million Capital is Kiev (Kyiv), one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe and the largest city in Ukraine Ukraine shares its borders with Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Belarus Ukrainian is the official language of Ukraine, but Russian and Crimean Tatar are recognized as regional languages. Other minority languages spoken in Ukraine are Romanian, Polish, and Hungarian. Ukraine became the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR) in 1919, which was part of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991. The Ukrainian SSR was one of the Soviet Union’s 15 constituent republics, and was primarily controlled by Moscow. Ukraine became independent for a brief time from 1917 to 1920 after czarist Russia fell and before the creation of the Soviet Union. More recently, Ukraine became independent from the USSR when it dissolved in 1991. Ukraine’s Independence Day is August 24, 1991. Ukraine consists of 24 provinces, and one autonomous republic (Crimea) Current Ukranian currency is the hryvnia, or grivna (UAH) Current exchange rate is 1 USD = 8.13333 hryvnia (UAH) Ukrainian culture is heavily influenced by the Ukrainian Orthodox church Food in Ukraine is typical Eastern European food, such as cheese (especially head cheese), sausage, and borshch, which is the national soup of Ukraine.
Ukraine Government Republic Executive power is exercised by the Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in the parliament Ukraine’s New Constitution was adopted on June 28, 1996, which mandates a pluralistic political system with protection of basic human rights and liberties, and a presidential form of government. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by law, although religious organizations are required to register with local authorities and with the central government. Freedom of speech and press are guaranteed by law, but authorities sometimes interfere with the news media through different forms of pressure
Executive branch Main office holders Office Name Party Since
President Viktor Yanukovych Party of Regions 25 February 2010
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov Party of Regions 11 March 2010
The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The President nominates the Prime Minister, who must be confirmed by parliament. The Prime-minister and cabinet are de jure appointed by the Parliament on submission of the President and Prime Minister respectively.
Legislative Branch 450 members in the Parliament of Ukraine, elected for 4 year terms The Parliament, also known as Verkhovna Rada , initiates legislation, ratifies international agreements, and approves the budget. Political parties currently represented in Parliament include: Party of Regions, Fartherland, UDAR, Freedom, Communists and Non-affiliated. The majority today is held by the Party of Regions. In 2012, it won 185 of the 450 seats in the Parliamentary election.
Recent Political News “Eastern Europeans see a titanic contest between Moscow and Brussels for Ukraine. Yet, having turned inward, most of Brussels is barely aware of it. The decisive moment may come at November’s Vilnius summit between the EU and the six members of the “Eastern Partnership”: three countries bordering the EU (Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova) and three from the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). Ukraine has negotiated an “association agreement” on political co-operation, including respect for democratic norms and the rule of law. It has also agreed on a “deep and comprehensive” free-trade agreement that would extend a large part of the EU’s body of law eastward. Moldova, Georgia and Armenia are close behind. The hope is that at the summit Ukraine will sign and the three will initial the deals.” “Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, seems to regard the EU as hostile. Russia is making a rival offer: a “Eurasian Union” to counter the European one, starting with a customs union that already includes Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The deal would bring cheaper gas and, according to one source, perhaps a big loan for Ukraine.”
Source: The Economist, July 6, 2013 http://goo.gl/V2os0A