Ukraine, A Young European Country

Administrative Division

In accord to the Constitution Ukraine is a unitary state.
The administrative-territorial system of Ukraine is comprised of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the following twenty-four oblasts: Cherkasy, Ch ? rnihiv, Chernivtsy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytsky, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn’, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhia, and Zhytomyr.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is the inseparable constituent of Ukraine, and solves issues delegated to it within the authority delegated to it by the Constitution of Ukraine. The Republic has substantial self-dependency to settle local matters, the Constitution of its own approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine December 23, 1998, supreme representation – the Verkhovna rada of Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and executive – the Republic’s Council of Ministers, bodies.

In addition, two cities, Kyiv and Sevastopol, as equated in status with oblasts: the former as the capital of the country, while the latter as the naval bases of Navies of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

Within the administrative and territorial division of Ukraine the middle level units are districts and towns of oblast importance (in autonomous Crimea correspondingly of the republican importance).

The largest cities of Ukraine are Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Odesa, Zaporizhia and Lviv.

The lowest links in the administrative-territorial system of Ukraine are the towns of regional importance, urban settlements, and villages.

In all, there are 490 districts, 446 cities and towns, 907 urban settlements and 10196 villages in Ukraine.

The largest cities such as Kyiv, the majority of the oblast centers, Sevastopol, Kryvyi Rih, Mariupol, etc. are also divided into municipal districts.

Each of the administrative-territorial units has its regulatory bodies with this or that authority invested.

In accord with the Article 123 of the Constitution of Ukraine territorial system is based on principles of country’s unity and territorial integrity, combination of centralization and decentralization in exercising government authority, balanced social and economic development of the regions with their historical, economic, ecologic, geographic and demographic features, as well as ethnic and cultural traditions taken into account

Geographical Location

Ukraine is located in the Central East Europe between 44”20′ and 52”20′ N and 22”5′ and 41”15′E, in the southeastern part of the East European plain.
Ukraine’s geographic position is quite advantageous since the most important transportation routes are crossing its territory linking West Europe with countries of Trans-Caucasia and Central Asia.
Ukraine’s territory stretches for 893 kilometers from north to south, and for 1316 kilometers from west to east, and is one of the largest countries which borders do not transgress the bounds of Europe.
The geographic center of Europe is on the territory of Ukraine not far from Rakhov in Zakarpatia oblast.

The Outermost Points of Ukraine’s Territory:In the north: Petrivka (village, Chernihiv oblast);In the south: Cape Sarych (Autonomous Republic of Crimea);In the west: Chop (town, Zakarpatia oblast);In the east: Chervona Zirka (village, Luhansk oblast). The total area of Ukraine is 603 700 sq. kilometres that makes 5.7 percent of the teritory of Europe or 0.44 percent the world. Ukraine’s territory is  larger greater than that of France (544 thousand sq. km), Spain (505 thousand sq. km), Sweden (450 thousand sq. km), Germany (356.3 thousand sq. km) and Poland (312.7 thousand sq. km).   Total length of the border: 6992 km 
Extension of the land border:  5737 km 
Length of the sea border: 1355 km (the Black Sea); 249.5 (The Sea of Azov), and 49 km (Kerch Strait). Neighboring Countries: Ukraine borders upon Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in the west, through which territories lies the shortest route to the countries of Western and Central Europe.  The border of Ukraine with Russia is in the north and east, while in the southwest the country it is contiguous with Moldova and Romania. In the north, Ukraine adjoins Belarus through which territory it is linked with Baltic countries. It is with Romania and Russia that in addition to the land border Ukraine has a sea border too.

 Outlet to the Sea Ukraine has a wide outlet to the Black Sea and Sea of Azov that link it with countries of the Mediterranean. Also through the sea Ukraine borders with Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia. The area of the exclusive (sea) economic zone of Ukraine is over 82 thousand sq. km.

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