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Compare Poland (2006) - Ukraine (2001)

Compare Poland (2006) z Ukraine (2001)

 Poland (2006)Ukraine (2001)
 PolandUkraine
Administrative divisions 16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie 24 oblasti (singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkas'ka (Cherkasy), Chernihivs'ka (Chernihiv), Chernivets'ka (Chernivtsi), Dnipropetrovs'ka (Dnipropetrovs'k), Donets'ka (Donets'k), Ivano-Frankivs'ka (Ivano-Frankivs'k), Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv), Khersons'ka (Kherson), Khmel'nyts'ka (Khmel'nyts'kyy), Kirovohrads'ka (Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs'ka (Kiev), Luhans'ka (Luhans'k), L'vivs'ka (L'viv), Mykolayivs'ka (Mykolayiv), Odes'ka (Odesa), Poltavs'ka (Poltava), Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sumy), Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka (Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr); note - when using a place name with an adjectival ending 's'ka' or 'z'ka,' the word Oblast' should be added to the place name

note:
oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Age structure 0-14 years: 15.9% (male 3,142,811/female 2,976,363)


15-64 years: 70.8% (male 13,585,306/female 13,704,763)


65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,961,326/female 3,166,300) (2006 est.)
0-14 years:
17.3% (male 4,310,158; female 4,127,677)

15-64 years:
68.57% (male 15,965,079; female 17,468,035)

65 years and over:
14.13% (male 2,275,004; female 4,614,521) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
Airports 122 (2006) 718 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 83


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 29


1,524 to 2,437 m: 40


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
total:
114

over 3,047 m:
14

2,438 to 3,047 m:
50

1,524 to 2,437 m:
21

914 to 1,523 m:
3

under 914 m:
26 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 39


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 21 (2006)
total:
604

over 3,047 m:
13

2,438 to 3,047 m:
37

1,524 to 2,437 m:
52

914 to 1,523 m:
45

under 914 m:
457 (2000 est.)
Area total: 312,685 sq km


land: 304,465 sq km


water: 8,220 sq km
total:
603,700 sq km

land:
603,700 sq km

water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than New Mexico slightly smaller than Texas
Background Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations. Richly endowed in natural resources, Ukraine has been fought over and subjugated for centuries; its 20th-century struggle for liberty is not yet complete. A short-lived independence from Russia (1917-1920) was followed by brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died, and World War II, in which German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 million more deaths. Although independence was attained 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 civic liberties.
Birth rate 9.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 9.31 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $52.73 billion


expenditures: $63.22 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues:
$8.3 billion

expenditures:
$8.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Capital name: Warsaw


geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Kiev (Kyyiv)
Climate temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in 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, hot in the south
Coastline 491 km 2,782 km
Constitution adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997, passed by national referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997 adopted 28 June 1996
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Poland


conventional short form: Poland


local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska


local short form: Polska
conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
Ukraine

local long form:
none

local short form:
Ukrayina

former:
Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency - hryvnia (UAH)
Death rate 9.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 16.43 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $101.5 billion (2005 est.) $10.3 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE


embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw


mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)


telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000


FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688


consulate(s) general: Krakow
chief of mission:
Ambassador Carlos PASCUAL

embassy:
10 Yuria Kotsubynskoho, 254053 Kiev 53

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[380] (44) 490-4000

FAX:
[380] (44) 244-7350
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Janusz REITER


chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802


FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
chief of mission:
Ambassador Konstantin Ivanovych HRYSHCHENKO

chancery:
3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:
[1] (202) 333-0606

FAX:
[1] (202) 333-0817

consulate(s) general:
Chicago and New York
Disputes - international as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland must implement the strict Schengen border rules has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation
Economic aid - recipient $13.9 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (1998)
Economy - overview Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done, especially in bringing down the unemployment rate - currently the highest in the EU. The privatization of small- and medium-sized state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further development. Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently initiated, have stalled. Reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on reducing losses in Polish state enterprises, restraining entitlements, and overhauling the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers, most of whom pay no tax. The previous Socialist-led government introduced a package of social and administrative spending cuts to reduce public spending by about $17 billion through 2007, but full implementation of the plan was trumped by election-year politics in 2005. The right-wing Law and Justice party won parliamentary elections in September, and Lech KACZYNSKI won the presidential election in October 2005, running on a state-interventionist fiscal and monetary platform. Poland joined the EU in May 2004, and surging exports to the EU contributed to Poland's strong growth in 2004, though its competitiveness could be threatened by the zloty's appreciation. GDP per capita roughly equals that of the three Baltic states. Poland stands to benefit from nearly $23.2 billion in EU funds, available through 2006. Farmers have already begun to reap the rewards of membership via booming exports, higher food prices, and EU agricultural subsidies. After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements. Shortly after independence in late 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output in 1992-99 fell to less than 40% the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Now in his second term, President KUCHMA has pledged to reduce the number of government agencies and streamline the regulation process, create a legal environment to encourage entrepreneurs and protect ownership rights, and enact a comprehensive tax overhaul. Reforms in the more politically sensitive areas of structural reform and land privatization 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. GDP in 2000 showed strong export-based growth of 6% - the first growth since independence - and industrial production grew 12.9%. As the capacity for further export-based economic expansion diminishes, GDP growth in 2001 is likely to decline to around 3%.
Electricity - consumption 121.3 billion kWh (2004) 146.675 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 15.2 billion kWh (2004) 2.3 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 5 billion kWh (2004) 2.2 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 150.8 billion kWh (2004) 157.823 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
47.67%

hydro:
9.65%

nuclear:
42.67%

other:
0.01% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m


highest point: Rysy 2,499 m
lowest point:
Black Sea 0 m

highest point:
Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Environment - current issues situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to EU code, but at substantial cost to business and the government inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census) Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%, Jewish 1%, other 4%
Exchange rates zlotych per US dollar - 3.2355 (2005), 3.6576 (2004), 3.8891 (2003), 4.08 (2002), 4.0939 (2001)


note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty
hryvnia per US dollar - 5.4331 (January 2001), 5.4402 (2000), 4.1304 (1999), 2.4495 (1998), 1.8617 (1997), 1.8295 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005)


head of government: Prime Minister Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI (since 10 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Ludwik DORN (since 23 November 2005), Roman GIERTYCH (since 5 May 2006), Zyta GILOWSKA (since 22 September 2006), Andrzej LEPPER (since 16 October 2006)


cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held October 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm


election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%
chief of state:
President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)

head of government:
Prime Minister Anatoliy KINAKH (since 29 May 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Oleh DUBYNA (since 29 May 2001)

cabinet:
Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council

note:
there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kyyiv (Kiev) and Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the oblasti

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council

election results:
Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of vote - Leonid KUCHMA 57.7%, Petro SYMONENKO 38.8%
Exports 53,000 bbl/day (2001) $14.6 billion (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003) ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, food products
Exports - partners Germany 28.2%, France 6.2%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.6%, Czech Republic 4.6%, Russia 4.4%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) Russia 24%, Europe 30%, US 5% (2000 est.)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
GDP - purchasing power parity - $189.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 5%


industry: 31.1%


services: 64% (2005 est.)
agriculture:
12%

industry:
26%

services:
62% (1998 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $3,850 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.4% (2005 est.) 6% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 52 00 N, 20 00 E 49 00 N, 32 00 E
Geography - note historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
Heliports 3 (2006) -
Highways - total:
273,700 km

paved:
236,400 km (including 1,770 km of expressways); note - (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather)

unpaved:
37,300 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.1%


highest 10%: 26.7% (2002)
lowest 10%:
3.9%

highest 10%:
26.4% (1996)
Illicit drugs major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey, and to Europe and Russia; drug-related money laundering a minor, but growing, problem
Imports 413,700 bbl/day (2001) $15 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003) energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners Germany 29.6%, Russia 8.7%, Italy 6.6%, Netherlands 5.9%, France 5.7% (2005) Russia 42%, Europe 29%, US 3% (2000 est.)
Independence 11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed) 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 3.7% (2005 est.) 12.9% (2000 est.)
Industries machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)
Infant mortality rate total: 7.22 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
21.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.2% (2005 est.) 25.8% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACCT (observer), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 32 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,000 sq km (2003) 26,050 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms) Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Labor force 17.1 million (2005 est.) 22.8 million (yearend 1997)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 16.1%


industry: 29%


services: 54.9% (2002)
industry 32%, agriculture 24%, services 44% (1996)
Land boundaries total: 3,056 km


border countries: Belarus 416 km, Czech Republic 790 km, Germany 467 km, Lithuania 103 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 210 km, Slovakia 541 km, Ukraine 529 km
total:
4,558 km

border countries:
Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km
Land use arable land: 40.25%


permanent crops: 1%


other: 58.75% (2005)
arable land:
58%

permanent crops:
2%

permanent pastures:
13%

forests and woodland:
18%

other:
9% (1993 est.)
Languages Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census) Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
Legal system mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative branch bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly


elections: Senate - last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by September 2009); Sejm elections last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by September 2009)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PiS 49, PO 34, LPR 7, SO 3, PSL 2, independents 5; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PiS 27%, PO 24.1%, SO 11.4%, SLD 11.3%, LPR 8%, PSL 7%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PiS 155, PO 133, SO 56, SLD 55, LPR 34, PSL 25, German minorities 2


note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under Ukraine's new election law, half of the Supreme Council's seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 4% or more of the national electoral vote; the other 225 members are elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies; all serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 29 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party (for parties clearing 4% hurdle on 29 March 1998) - Communist Party 24.7%, Rukh (combined) 9.4%, SPU/SelPU 8.6%, PZU 5.3%, People's Democratic Party 5.0%, Hromada Party 4.7%, Progressive Socialist Party 4.0%, United Social Democratic Party 4.0%; seats by party (as of 25 February 2000) - Communist Party 115, PRVU 36, Fatherland Party 35, United Social Democratic Party 34, People's Democratic Party 27, Trudova Ukrayina Party 27, Rukh K 27, left-center 23, PZU 18, Rukh U 17, SelPU 15, Hromada Party 14, Reforms-Congress 12, independents 14, unaffiliated 31, vacant 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 74.97 years


male: 70.95 years


female: 79.23 years (2006 est.)
total population:
66.15 years

male:
60.62 years

female:
71.96 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.8%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.7% (2003 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
100%

female:
97% (1989 est.)
Location Central Europe, east of Germany Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia
Map references Europe Commonwealth of Independent States
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties
continental shelf:
200-m or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,701 GRT/45,082 DWT


by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1


foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1)


registered in other countries: 106 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Bahamas 15, Belize 2, Cyprus 20, Liberia 14, Malta 27, Norway 2, Panama 15, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 5) (2006)
total:
156 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 757,582 GRT/841,755 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 8, cargo 110, container 3, liquefied gas 2, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 14, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 2 (2000 est.)
Military branches Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka Wojenna, MW)), Polish Air Force (Polskie Sily Powietrzne, PSP) (2006) Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Internal Troops, Border Troops
Military expenditures - dollar figure $3.5 billion (2002) $500 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.71% (2002) 1.4% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
12,285,623 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
9,630,184 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
390,823 (2001 est.)
National holiday Constitution Day, 3 May (1791) Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Nationality noun: Pole(s)


adjective: Polish
noun:
Ukrainian(s)

adjective:
Ukrainian
Natural hazards flooding NA
Natural resources coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
Net migration rate -0.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2006) crude oil 4,000 km (1995); petroleum products 4,500 km (1995); natural gas 34,400 km (1998)
Political parties and leaders Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL [Artur BALASZ]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK]; Democratic Party or PD [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; Dom Ojczysty (Fatherland Home); German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI]; Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Ruch Patriotyczny or RP [Jan OLSZEWSKI]; Samoobrona or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Marek BOROWSKI]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI] Communist Party of Ukraine [Petro SYMONENKO]; Fatherland (Motherland) All Ukrainian Party [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, chairperson]; Green Party of Ukraine or PZU [Vitaliy KONONOV, chairman]; Hromada [Pavlo LAZARENKO]; Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine or PRVU [Volodymyr RYBAK]; Peasant Party of Ukraine or SelPU [Serhiy DOVHAN]; People's Democratic Party [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO, chairman]; People's Movement of Ukraine or Rukh U [Hennadiy UDOVENKO, chairman]; Progressive Socialist Party [Nataliya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party/Reforms-Congress [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; Solidarity [leader NA]; Trudova Ukrayina/Working Ukraine [Igor SHAROV, chairman]; Ukrainian Popular Movement or Rukh K [Yuriy KOSTENKO, chairman]; United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]

note:
and numerous smaller parties
Political pressure groups and leaders All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK] NA
Population 38,536,869 (July 2006 est.) 48,760,474 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 17% (2003 est.) 50% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate -0.05% (2006 est.) -0.78% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Sevastopol'
Radio broadcast stations AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios - 45.05 million (1997)
Railways total: 23,072 km


broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge


standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational; 11,910 km electrified) (2005)
total:
23,350 km

broad gauge:
23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Religions Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002) Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.49 male(s)/female

total population:
0.86 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony


domestic: wireless service, available since 1993 (GSM service available since 1996) and provided by three nation-wide networks, has grown rapidly in response to the weak fixed-line coverage; third generation UMTS service available in urban areas; cellular coverage is generally good with more gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and still lags in rural areas


international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik)
general assessment:
Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system

domestic:
at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate

international:
two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project which connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
Telephones - main lines in use 11.803 million (2005) 9.45 million (April 1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular 29,166,400 (2005) 236,000 (1998)
Television broadcast stations 40 (2006) at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997)
Terrain mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
Total fertility rate 1.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.29 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 18.2% (2005 est.) 4.3% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1999)
Waterways 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2005) 4,499 km

note:
(1,672 km are on the Pryp'yat' and Dnistr) (1990)
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