Ukraine

After a brief period of independence from 1917 to 1920, the Ukraine was brought under repressive Soviet domination. After achieving independence in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Ukraine continued to struggle with massive corruption that stymied efforts at economic and political reform. The “Orange Revolution” of 2004 precipitated a reform movement whose effects are still unclear. The struggle over the position of Ukraine in global politics, oriented either toward Russia or toward Western Europe, remains unresolved. The second-largest country in Europe, the Ukraine has a population of 47,425,336. With a per capita income of $6,800, the Ukraine is ranked 114th in world incomes. Some 29 percent of the population live below the poverty line. The United Nations Development Programme Human Development Reports rank the Ukraine 78th among all nations in overall quality-of-life issues.

Bordering on the Black Sea, the Ukraine has 1,725 miles (2,782 kilometers) of coastline. The climate is Mediterranean along the southern coast and temperate continental elsewhere. Precipitation is most frequent in the west and north. In the east and southeast, winters are cool around the Black Sea but inland temperatures are colder. Summers are generally warm, although it is hotter in the south. The Carpathian Mountains in the west and the Crimean Peninsula in southernmost Ukraine are major geographical features. The rest of the country is composed of fertile plains and plateaus.

The Ukraine is rich in natural resources that include iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, and timber. Over 56 percent of the Ukraine is arable, and Ukrainian farmers export milk, grain, vegetables, and meat to neighboring countries. Agriculture generates almost one-fifth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite the high level of agricultural activity, 67.3 percent of the population live in urban areas. With only 108 cars per 1,000 people, the Ukraine produces 1.5 percent of the world's carbon dioxide.

The Ukraine suffers from a lack of potable water. Air and water pollution are common in industrial areas, and deforestation is widespread. Residue from the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 continues to contaminate areas in the northeast. The past haunts the Ukraine in other ways. Like most former Soviet republics, the Ukraine was exploited with little care for the environment. Long-lasting environmental damage was ubiquitous after the Soviet withdrawal. For instance, elevated levels of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were identified in samples of human milk. Likewise, high concentrations of pesticide residues were found in water samples of the Black Sea. Emission experts have identified the Ukraine as one of the heaviest contributors to European pollution because half of the pollution generated in the Ukraine has been ultimately deposited in other European countries.

In 2006, a study conducted at Yale University ranked the Ukraine 51st among 132 nations in environmental performance, slightly higher than the relevant income and geographic groups. Ratings were particularly low in sustainable energy, biodiversity and habitat, and air quality. Only 3.9 percent of land area is protected, but plans to increase such areas are under way. Sixteen of 108 mammal species endemic to the Ukraine are endangered, and eight of 215 endemic bird species are in a similar situation.

...