 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Official name: Ukraine
Area:603 700 km², second largest country in Europe
Administrative divisions:Ukraine is divided into two municipalities with oblast status (Kiev and Sevastopol), one autonomous republic (Crimea) and 24 regions (oblasts): Lvivska, Zakarpatska, Ivano-Frankivska, Ternopilska, Chernivetska, Khmelnytska, Rivnenska, Zhytomyrska, Vinnytska, Kyivska, Cherkaska, Kirovohradska, Mykolaivska, Odeska, Chernigivska, Sumska, Poltavska, Kharkivska, Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Zaporizka, Khersonska, Volynska, and Luganska.
Cities:
Population: 48 million people
Ethnic groups:
Ukrainian (73%), Russian (22%), Jewish (1%), other - Belarussian, Moldavian, Bulgarian, Polish, Hungarian, Greek (4%)
Official language: Ukrainian
Religion:
Orthodox (77%), Uniate Catholic (13,5%), Protestant, Judaic, Muslim (9,5%)
Official currency: Hryvnia (UAH)
Exchange rate: 1 EUR = 6,19 UAH (last update 13.08.03)
Political system: Constitutional democracy
President: Leonid Danylovych Kuchma
Prime Minister: Viktor Yanukovich
Political parties:
Viktor Yushchenko Bloc Our Ukraine groups a few centrist, pro-reform and market-oriented parties.
Communist Party of Ukraine is the succesor of the former Soviet Union Communist Party which still enjoys large support in Ukraine, especially among the retired people and generally, the older generation. The party advocates very strong communist policies, e.g. nationalisation of banks, re-institution of Russian as official language, return to a state-controlled economy, etc.
For United Ukraine groups parties that sustain Kuchma and many of the followers are prominent business figures; the party supports Ukrainian oligarchic clans.
Juliya Tymoshenko Election Blok groups small parties with high-profile leaders of which many have been top heads of important state companies before and after Ukraine's independence.
Socialist Party of Ukraine is a left-wing party, succesor of the former Communist Party which has reformed some of its radical views.
United Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine advocates moderate social policies and many of its followers and supporters are members of the newly rising business comunity.
Elections:
Climate
Temperate continental climate with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. The climate is milder in Crimea.
The annual average temperature in Kiev ranges from -6,1°C in January to 19,2 °C in July.
Ukraine is two hours ahead of GMT. There is an one-hour difference between Belgium/Germany/the Netherlands and Ukraine.
By plane
| Km | Driving time (hours) | |
| Amsterdam | 2 005 | 23 |
| Belgrade | 1 282 | 20,5 |
| Berlin | 1 380 | 21 |
| Bratislava | 1 190 | 19 |
| Brussels | 2 074 | 28,5 |
| Bucharest | 870 | 14 |
| Budapest | 1 080 | 17 |
| Copenhagen | 1 708 | 25 |
| Frankfurt | 1 749 | 25 |
| Ljubljana | 1 512 | 23,5 |
| London | 2 425 | 32,5 |
| Munich | 1 697 | 24,5 |
| Paris | 2 317 | 31 |
| Prague | 1 357 | 20 |
| Rome | 2 266 | 32 |
| Sofia | 1 244 | 19,5 |
| Vienna | 1 283 | 20 |
| Vilnius | 701 | 10,5 |
| Warsaw | 778 | 12,5 |
| Zagreb | 1 431 | 22 |
Ukraine has six major airports: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. Smaller airports are located in Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Simferopol, Uzghorod which offer flights to/from the capital a few times a week. Given the country's size, air travel is a good option of travelling around the country to save time. The most important for international flights is Kyiv, which has two airports. Through the Lviv airport a few international flights are available.
The road network includes 163 937 km of roads, including 1 875 km of expressways. The quality of the roads is rather poor with many holes and uneven surfaces. You should count on 70 km/h even on highways. The entire highway system is centered around Kyiv, connecting the capital to the other large cities.
The preferred way to travel for most Ukrainians is by train. Ukraine has an extensive rail network (23 350 km of which 8 600 km electrified) linking the majority of urban and rural places throughout the country. Although rail transport is quite cheap, delays, even on international trains, are quite common. Ukraine is well linked to all former CIS states as well as neighbouring countries. Kyiv and Lviv are linked by regular daily trains to Moscow. Direct lines connect Kyiv to Bucharest (Romania), Warsaw (Ukraine), Budapest (Hungary), Berlin (Germany) and Brest (Belarus).
The main ports are Izmaiyl on the Danube and Odesa on the Black sea.
Average gross wage (2001): 94 EUR
Average wage for a manual labourer: 60 EUR
Average wage for economist leaving university: 250 - 300 EUR
There are great regional differences in the wage level; in the capital the average wage is almost double the national average. Foreign investors should acknowledge that the official wages/figures may differ somewhat from the real situation. Therefore when looking for staff, it is important not to pay exuberant wages, as they will not motivate your local staff at all, but on the other hand beware not to pay too low wages, as they will without doubt demotivate your local staff. Eastwards takes care of your recruitment of local top management, sales and financial management or specialists, and will consult you which wage packages are most suitable for the job responsibilities and place of employment you offer.
| 2000 | 2001 | |
| Inflation | 28,2% | 12% |
| Real GDP growth rate (change to previous year) | 5,8% | 9,1% |
| GDP per capita | 640 USD | 758 USD |
| Unemployment | 4,3% | 3,9% |
| 2001 | Percentage of the total | |
| Export to RU | 2 704 mil. EUR | 17,1% |
| Imports from RU | 3 614,5 mil. EUR | 23,6%/td> |
| 2001 | Percentage of the total | |
| Exports to DE | 537,6 mil. EUR | 3,4% |
| Imports from DE | 1 332,4 mil. EUR | 8,7% |
| 2001 | Percentage of the total | |
| Export to EU | 2 944 mil. EUR | 18,6% |
| Imports from EU | 3 655 mil. EUR | 23,8% |
International passport needed for entering the country, you will be controlled at the border. EU nationals need a visa for entering the country and need to apply for it at the closest consulate or embassy. You should allow ten days for processing the visa application. Costs vary depending on type of visa.
Cultural heritage & gastronomy
Kyiv, Lviv, Chernihiv, Odessa, and Crimea attract most visitors because of thier rich historic and cultural heritage. The old city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, included in the UNESCO World Heritage, is the leading cultural of Ukraine. The Crimean Peninsula is a famous tourist attraction, and the chief resort is Yalta.
Historic cities: Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Yalta
Smaller historic places: Chernihiv
Nature: Black Sea Coast, the Carpathians
Gastronomy
Traditional dishes are: varenyky (meat, potatoes, cabbage or fruit stuffed dough pies), borsh (beet soup), pampushki (soft rolls soaked in fresh crushed garlic and oil), holubtsi (cabbage roll stuffed with meat), kasha (a type of porridge) and mlyntsi (stuffed pancakes).
| UAH | EUR | |
| bread | 1 | 0,16 |
| 0,5 l of beer | 1,5 | 0,25 |
| 1 cup of coffee | 1 | 0,16 |
| 1 bottle of vodka | 5 | 0,84 |
| 1 litre of milk | 1,5 | 0,25 |
| 1 kg of chicken meat | 9 | 1,5 |
| 1 litre of petrol | 1,7 | 0,28 |
| 1 litre of diesel oil | 1,5 | 0,25 |
| Taxi services | 1,5/km | 0,25/km |
| Average cost of meal | 20 | 3,38 |
| Real estate/m2 | 250-750 EUR/m2 | |
| Average cost of lodging | 70 |
| Public institutions | 09.00-13.00 and 14.00-17.00 |
| Business offices | 09.00-18.00 |
| Banks | 09.00-18.00 |
| Department stores | 08.00-20.00 |
| 09.00-18.00 (Saturdays) | |
| Shops (grocery stores) | 08.00-20.00 |
| 09.00-18.00 (Saturdays) |
| 2004 | |
| New Year’s Day | January, 1st |
| Orthodox Christmas | January, 7th |
| Woman’s Day | March, 8th |
| Good Friday | April, 9th |
| Labour Day | May, 1st - 2nd |
| Victory Day | May, 9th |
| Holy Trinity | May, 30th |
| Constitution Day | June, 28th |
| Ukrainian Independence Day | August, 24th |
 |
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
 |
| |
 |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|