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Ukraine
Ukrayina
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Flag of Ukraine
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Coat of Arms of Ukraine
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Current Statisitics
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Capital(and largest city):
Kiev (Kyiv)50°27'N, 30°30'E
Official languages:
Ukrainian
Government:
Parliamentary democracy
- President Viktor Yushchenko
- Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych
Independence from the Soviet Union
- Declared August 24, 1991
- Referendum December 1, 1991
- Finalized December 25, 1991
Currency
Hryvnia (UAH)
Time zone
EET (UTC+2)
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Area
- Total 603,700 km² (44th)
233,090 sq mi
- Water (%) 7%
Population
- 2005 estimate 46,481,000 (27th)
- 2001 census 48,457,102
- Density 77 /km² (115th)
199 /sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
- Total $390.306 billion (28th)
- Per capita $8397 (86th)
GDP (nominal) 2005 estimate
- Total $82.876 billion (53rd)
- Per capita $1,766 (108th)
Gini (2003)
28.1 (low)
HDI (2004)
0.774 (medium) (77th)
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In the 20th Century, Ukraine became one of the many nations that was absorbed into the U.S.S.R. It started with the Bolshevik Revolution during
which Ukraine proclaimed independance. However, after much fighting with the old Russia and the new order, Ukraine beame one of the founding
republics of the U.S.S.R.
In the years under Stalin that followed, Ukraine suffered the largest man-made famine in history with millions dying. It was ravaged by both the
German and Soviet advances in World War II. They were suppressed by the overwelming soviet culture destruction agenda. Ukraine is also home to
the worlds worst nuclear disaster whose effects were exasperated by the Soviet government and their mismanagement of the disaster.
Finaly, in December 25, 1991, once again became a truly independent country again but has been struggling since with economic, governmental and educational
reforms.
A map of the Location of Ukraine.
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Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yuschenko is the current president of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005. In the 2004 Ukrainian presidential race he ran against Viktor Yanukovych,
the favored canidate of the government at the time. The results of the election resulted in the Orange Revolution. Due to the pressure from all the supports of
Viktor Yuschenko investiagtions where launched to look into the vote counts. It was determined that Viktor Yanukovych won because of voter fraud and a revote was held.
Yuschenko was determined to be the winner of the real election and thus became president.
Strangely enough in 2006 Yuschenko fired his government and appointed Viktor Yanukovych, his old opponent and who two years previous commited voter fraud, to the
position of Prime Minister.
In recent news, Yuschenko tried dissolve the Verkhovna Rada, the ukrainian parliment. Prime Minister Yanukovych and the rest of parilment not in Yuchenko's Party
refused to due so and now Ukraine's governmental processes are in a deadlock waiting for the courts to decide if the president has the power to desolve parliment.
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26 April 1986 Chornobyl (Chernobyl)
The disaster at Chernobyl is something that is fading from the memory of the United States, much like the Cubian missile crisis.
However, Unlike the Cubian Missile Crisis, the danger from Chernobyl still looms. What happened at Chernobyl, on 26 April 1986, was the world's
worse nuclear reactor accident. It was caused by a combination of mismanagement of a safity test on the reactor and a bad reactor design.
The result is thousands of deaths, continuing health problems through out europe, and "The Zone". This is an area that has been declared unsafe for humans to live in
and will remain so for hundreds of years.
A rough map of "The Zone"
To contain the remnants of the number four reactor at Chernobyl "The Sarcophagus" was biult.
The biulding pictured above is known as "The Sarcophagus. Some signs of wear are seen in the picture but what is not seen is the fact the the building is
crumbing and needs to be covered by another more secure building to keep the radiation and contaminates locked in for thousands of years.
Below are some pictures to give fn idea of where Chernobyl is located.
A map showing Chernobyl relative to Kyiv
A picture of the Chernobyl Area taken from MIR.
A picture of Chernobyl's reactor Number 4 after the explosition.
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