| Geographic Information Area - 29,900 sq.
km.
Population - 1,460,000
Zhytomyr oblast is located in the central part of the East European plain, north of right
bank Ukraine. Its area is 4,9% of the territory of Ukraine. The Zhytomyr oblast's area is
one of the largest in Ukraine, fifth among all oblasts.
The oblast borders on the Republic of Belarus in the north, Khmelnytsky and Rivne oblasts
in the west, Vinnytsya oblast in the south and Kyiv oblast in the east.
In its current borders, the oblast was created in 1937. Now the oblast comprises 23
administrative districts, 9 cities and towns. 56% of the oblast's population is urban. 85%
of the population are Ukrainians.
The region's potential of minerals and raw materials is represented by 278 deposits with
20 kinds of minerals. The mining industry here is extracting titanium ores, Dinas
quarzites, and building and facing stones.
The region embodies one fifth of the country's reserve of rubble and crushed stone
processed by a number of powerful companies. Decorative and facing stones - labradorite,
granite, gabbro - are found in unlimited quantities. Development of the deposit of easily
polished marble with a marvelous pattern and extraction of semiprecious stones - beryl,
topaz, quartz - are under way. Piezoelectric quartz crystal, a widely used component of
any electronic device, is also available in this area.
There are also deposits of high quality pyrophyllite. The oblast is interested in
mobilising investments and finding partners for pyrophyllite extraction and development.
Among other deposits requiring funding by investors, there is a unique quartzite deposit.
It contains about 84% of the country's quartzite reserves. These raw materials are used
for lining blast furnaces and preparation of ferroalloys.
A combination of such factors as economic and geographical location, soil and climatic
conditions, availability of minerals, raw materials, forestry and water resources creates
favorable conditions for the development of agriculture and industry.
Background
Zhytomyr oblast, as an administrative and territorial unit, was created comparatively not
long ago. It comprises unique natural and historical ethnographic areas which, due to
economic, political and cultural relations were drawn towards each other, though included
into different administrative territorial formations. A mighty tribal union of drevlyanys
(old Rus inhabitants) existed on this land long ago. During Lithuanian-Polish rule, the
territory of the Zhytomyr oblast was included into the Volyn and Kyiv voyevodstva
(provinces). After the Third Partition of Poland (1795), the bigger part of the current
Zhytomyr oblast's territory became an integral part of the Volyn province, the center of
which since 1804 was Zhytomyr. The center of the oblast, Zhytomyr is more than 11
centuries old. The towns of Korosten, Ovruch, Malyn are also proud for their thousand year
history.
Agriculture
Zhytomyr oblast is a major agrarian oblast of Ukraine. Occupying 3,7% of the country
arable lands, it produces 3,8% of the state gross agricultural produce. In addition to
growing leguminous and cereal crops, sugar beet, production of milk and meat, the oblast
holds the leading place in growing hop, flux, chicory.
The oblast takes the first place in Ukraine by forest resources. Woodland covers almost
1/3 of the oblast territory. Dominating are the coniferous sorts of trees 60%, hard-leaf
(oak) and soft-leaf trees (birch, alder, aspen) 20%.
The oblast has opportunities for organization of production of high quality wood produce
on the basis of the modern technologies and the efficient use of wood processing waste.
The oblast's industrial potential, by providing all enterprises with raw materials, allows
to increase the volume of industrial output by 2-3 times.
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Industry
A multi sector industrial production complex was formed in the oblast. The main industries
are: food industry (its specific weight makes up 26.6%), light industry (14.8%), forestry,
wood processing, pulp and paper industry (11.5%), machine building and metal working
(10.8%), glass and china production (10%), building materials industry (5.3%), and
chemical industry (4.8%).
The oblast is the leader in production of certain product types. In particular, the oblast
supplies 48% of the total Ukrainian volume of porcelain tableware, 33% of linen fabrics
and hosiery, 26.1% of linen fiber, 19.9% of NC machine tools, 17% of lumber, 6.6% of
chemical fibers and threads, and 5.7% of paper.
Employment is high in such industries as machine building, food and light industries. The
most well known enterprises of the Zhytomyr oblast include in:
JSC Verstatuniversalmash (Zhytomyr): manufacture of multi spindle lathes and semi
automatic machines, automated lines, equipment for packaging foodstuffs, universal metal
cutting and metal working machine tools;
Bevers Plant (Berdychiv): manufacture of lathe revolving machine tools and universal
lathes, stone working equipment, and units for processing agricultural produce;
Progres Factory (Berdychiv): manufacture of filters, heat exchange and drying equipment
for the chemical, mining ore, oil and chemical and food industries;
Korostensky factory of chemical machine building: manufacture of heat exchange, drying and
cryogenic equipment for oil and chemical production, heat and nuclear power stations, and
industrial refrigerating plants;
"Zhytomyr factory of chemical fiber" manufacture of polyamide fibers, cord
fabric for the tire industry, staple fiber for carpet production, technical and textile
threads;
"Irshansk ore mining and processing enterprise" manufacture of ilmenite
concentrate for metallurgical and chemical industries;
Lease Enterprise "Kvartssamotsvity" (town type village Volodarsk-Volynsky)
extraction and processing of piezooptic, stone, semiprecious stone, natural and synthetic
raw materials, and natural decorative stones;
JSC "Pershotravensk factory of electromechanical porcelain manufacture of low voltage
electric wiring accessories and electroporcelain articles;
JSC "Elektrovymiriuvach" (Zhytomyr city) development and manufacture of the
combined analogue and digital controlling and measuring devices for the automobile
industry;
JSC "Promavtomatyka" (Zhytomyr city) development and manufacture of automation
means and local automated complexes for technological process control;JSC "Malyn
paper mill" manufacture of thin sorts of electro insulating, capacitor and other
types of technical paper and cardboard;
JSC "Zhytomyr factory "Biomedsklo" manufacture of medical table utensils
and glass articles out of borosilicate neutral glass;
JSC Association "Zhytomyrnerudprom""Production extraction and
manufacture of high quality crushed rock, blocks of natural stone, architectural building
and facing types out of granite, monuments;
JC "KorSostensky porcelain" and Collective Enterprise "Baranivka porcelain
factory" manufacture of high quality porcelain tableware;
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Industry (Continued) JSC
"Zhytomyrderev" manufacture of modern cabinets and soft furniture, rest corners
for kitchens;
Open JSC "Lyonotex" (Zhytomyr city) manufacture of linen and semilinen fabrics;
Open JSC "Berdychiv Leather Association" manufacture of materials of upper and
lower parts of footwear, lining materials, footwear and haberdashery velours, "wet
blue" out of pig and cattle hides;
Open JSC "Krok" (Zhytomyr city) manufacture of high quality women's, men's and
children's footwear for all seasons;
Open JSC "Berdychiv Clothes Factory" and JSC "Novograd-Volynsk Clothes
Factory" manufacture of wide assortment of clothes.
JSC "Ukrhmil'" (Zhytomyr city) growing, laying in, processing and realization of
valuable aromatic sorts of hop;
Association "Zhytomyrlyonoprom" primary processing of flax produce for light
industrial enterprises.
Foreign Economic Relations
Increase in volumes of product manufacture, raising its quality, widening sales markets
are closely connected by the oblast's goods producers with the creation of close relations
with partners both in Ukrainian oblasts and abroad. The oblast's enterprises maintain
trade and economic relations with many countries of the world. Foreign trade turnover in
1997 made up 223,1 million $US. The positive balance makes up $37,7 million.
Geography of the countries trading with the Zhytomyr oblast is constantly expanding. The
substantial part of exports 54,5% is made to the CIS countries. The largest volumes of
export deliveries were made to the Russian Federation 36,1% of the total volume, Belarus
9,6%, Italy 11,6%, Germany 9,1%, the USA 8%. In the import structure, the operations with
Russia, Belarus, the USA, Germany, Poland, Italy, Hungary and France are prevailing.
In addition to the state production sector, the oblast's private businesses develop more
and more. Of 13,1 thousand enterprises and organizations registered in the oblast, almost
70% are enterprises of new market forms. Over 250 joint ventures and enterprises with
foreign investments have been created and are functioning, their foreign partners are
firms from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Russia, the USA, Bulgaria, and Italy.
The oblast is quite a prospective territory for investment capital. Most needed are
investments in mining, wood processing, and food industries. In addition to that it is
possible to effectively invest capital in the production of high quality porcelain,
textile, modern instruments and devices, equipment for the agro industrial complex, and
metal cutting machine tools.
Transport and Communications
The oblast's territory is crossed by important railways and automobile roads which
contribute to its economic development and connection with such administrative, cultural
and industrial centers as Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odessa, Minsk, Moscow, Saint Petersburg as
well as Western and Eastern European countries.
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