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Ukraine |
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Capital city: Kiev (Kyiv)
Ethnic groups that make up the population: Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001) Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish Languages:Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian Literacy rate (Definition: age 15 and over can read and write): total population: 99.7%; male: 99.8%, female: 99.6% (2003 est.) Legal system: Based on civil law system. Judicial review of legislative acts Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar) Agriculture: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
GDP: $218 billion (2002 est.) GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2002 est.) Currency: hryvnia (UAH) School system: The development of the written language and school education among the Eastern Slavs was promoted by the creation of the Slavonic alphabet by SS Cyril and Methodius in the 11th century The present system of education includes preschool education, general secondary education, out-of school education, professional and technical and higher learning education. In all, there are about 48,000 establishments and institutions, at which about 15 million students are educated. In the system, there are more than 2 million teaching specialists, which means that every third citizen is either teaching or studying. The first stage of the education system is preschool. Children enter primary school at the age of six or seven. The length of education at secondary schools is eleven years. Four years are spent at primary school, and five at secondary schools. The problem with general education is the lack of school rooms. Because of this, some of the students are forced to learn in shifts. At present, the process of reforming and improving the educational structure are continuing. The comprehensive work on elaboration of the State Standards for preschool education and general education has begun. Literacy is almost universal in Ukraine , and education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15. Ukraine ’s institutions of higher learning include ten universities and a large number of specialized academies. The most prestigious is the University of Kyiv (founded in 1834), located in the capital. L’viv State University (1784), located in L’viv, is the country’s oldest university. In recent years private schools and universities have appeared, most notably the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (1992), located in Kyiv. About 70% of adult Ukrainians have a secondary or higher education. Ukraine has about 150 colleges and universities, of which the most important are at Kiev , Lviv, and Kharkiv. There are about 70,000 scholars in 80 research institutes. Family unit (role of women and children): One of the integral parts of "traditional" life is dress, woman's dress in particular. A great care was taken to have every item of the dress in full correspondence with the requirements of custom and tradition. In winter, when the quiet of Christmas Eve was gaily broken by Ukrainian merry kolyadka's (sort of Christmas carols), young women and girls, who were singing them, were supposed to be wearing white sheepskin coats and multi-colored bright handkerchiefs. The woman's shirt - or a blouse, if you want - worn in the area of Poltava was a long one, with embroidered sleeves. Every woman was supposed to know how to make a shirt, and teenage girls at the age of about 12 were taught how to do the needlework and whatever else that was required for being a good housewife. A woman of some means had about 15-20 shirts, and a bride from a well-to-do family was expected to have no fewer than 50-60 shirts in her dowry. In summer girls and unmarried women did not wear hats or bonnets and walked about bare-headed, with their hair usually braided. Married women did not braid their hair and never displayed it in public. They tucked their hair under an ochipok, a sort of close-fitting scull-cap made of silk, brocade or chintz. It was considered indecent for a married woman to be seen bare-headed. Misc. interesting facts: Ukraine occupies an area of 603,700 square kilometers, and is among the largest European countries. Territorially it is larger than France (544,000 sq. km.), Spain (505,000 sq. km.), Sweden (450,000 sq. km.), and Poland (312,7000 sq. km.). Radio Broadcast stations: AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 Independence: 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) National Holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991); the date of 22 January (1918), the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia), is now celebrated as Unity Day Ukraine was called "Kievan Rus" when it first formed in the 8th century. But it became known as Ukraine not too long after that and has always been known as Ukraine, even when it was forced to be part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe . Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-1920), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although independence was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive, as many of the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. Handicrafts: The fine arts were originated on the territory of modern Ukraine as far back as the period of primitive communal system. In the 16th century, new genres of painting were originated (battle scenes, historical events, portraits and landscapes). The thread used in adorning shirts with needlework was dyed with natural dyes and the actual technique of needlework varied from place to place, and from century to century. The stitches used also varied - from very intricate to rather simplified. In the early twentieth century cross-stitch gained predominance over other types of stitches. Even if the color scheme was limited to two contrasting colors, the patterns themselves in combination with the colors never failed to produce a powerful visual effect. Pysanky is the Ukrainian art of egg decorating, it is a tradition with a history of thousands of years. The patterns are drawn in wax, the egg is dyed and the process is repeated multiple times. The symbols and colors are rich in meaning The Ukrainian crafts as woodworks, embroidery, ceramics, decoration eggs (Easter eggs or pysanky), carpeting, works with leather have their old traditions and continue to develop in the present days. Woodworks was used as architecture elements, furniture, farming tools, things for everyday living, and musical instruments. In major cases carving elements were two six leafs rosette and cross with a few frames which create a center of composition. Embroidery is one of the oldest and favorite Ukrainian craft. Embroidery at beginning was made on the clothes near neck, sleeves, and cuffs and suppose to protect people from evil. Later embroidery has decorative meaning for clothes. Carpeting was the most widespread fabric and was used for covering bed or sometimes for covering walls. These fabrics were made from wool and hemp and was decorated by strings with two or tree different ornaments which were spread over all surface. Different regions has different colors of these fabrics. References: CIA Fact book http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
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