Kirovograd Oblast Facts & Figures

Kirovograd Oblast

Kirovograd.jpg (28128 bytes)

Facts and Figures How to get there

Geographic Information

Territory 24,600
Population 1,198,000

The region territory is situated in the Centre of Ukraine, in the Dnieper and Southern Bug confluence, in the southern part of the Dnieper upland. A marker of geographical Centre of Ukraine has been established in the Dobrovelychkivka district.

The region was formed in contemporary borders in 1939. Its territory makes 4.1% of the total territory of Ukraine, population 2.3% of that in Ukraine. Average population density 49 persons/sq.km at 85 persons/sq.km in the country as a whole. The region includes 21 administrative districts, 12 towns, 4 of them being those of regional subordination, 26 urban settlements 1,021 rural settlements. Urban population makes 61,2% of its total number in the region, against 68% in Ukraine. There are representatives of above 30 nationalities in the region: Ukrainians 85.3%, Russians 11.7%, and others.

The temperate warm climate, availability of the deposits of radon and mineral waters (reserves of about 150 000 m /year), forest massifs, meadows, rivers create favorable conditions for organization of short and long term rest as well as a networks of resort and
therapeutic establishments. The region position in the Centre of Ukrainian crystalline massif determines the origin of large deposits of rare metals. The availability of a whole series of ores manifestations: tungsten, copper, molybdenum, apatite, uranium, gold and silver, bismuth, lead, beryllium, antimony, tantalum and niobium, is the characteristic feature of the Kirovograd metallogenic zone.

Mineral raw material potential of the region includes above 340 deposits of minerals, 100 of them being under development. These are: brown coal, ore raw materials (iron, nickel), raw materials for nuclear power industry (uranium), nonore minerals.

The total mass of minerals is excavated from open mines which creates favorable conditions for development of mining branch in the region. The gold ore deposits, opened in the recent decades, are the basis for the future creation of gold mining and gold processing branch in the region. Geologists think it probable that the deposits of platinum, diamonds, chrome, tungsten and rare metals will be found as well .

Economic

As to its economic structure the Kirovograd region is the agrarian and industrial one.

The total gross product output in the region by branches is as follows: agriculture 32.5%, industry 23.8%, transport and communication 9.3%, construction 5.9%, trade 3.7%, other branches of material production 1.9%, non production sphere 22.9%.

Industry

In the structure of the total gross output of industrial production the branches of industry make: food industry 33.5%, machine building and metal working 17.7%, power engineering 15.7%, building materials 5.5%, fuel industry 5.3%, light industry 2.1%, nonferrous metallurgy 0.9%, other branches 19.3%.
A share of production of the main kinds of food products in the whole state volume is as follows: granulated sugar above 3%, oil above 7%, meat, subproducts and cereals 4.6%.
The region is distinguished by production of the sowing machines and grain combines, electric travelling cranes, brown coal briquettes, nickel, graphite, azocerite, etc.

Agriculture

The Kirovograd region is long since known as the region with well developed agricultural production. The nature and climate conditions and rich chernozems are favorable for growing agricultural crops. A complex of organizational, agro forest reclamation, hydro technical and other measures have been taken with the purpose of rational utilization of the land resources.

The region farming is performed by 471 collective agricultural farms, 12 state farms, 28 inter-economic enterprises and 2060 private farms.

Plant growing, which specific weight is 55% and cattle breeding, 45%, occupy the leading position in the branch structure of agricultural gross output.
The total area of agricultural lands is 2 000 000 ha (4.9% of the total area of agricultural lands in Ukraine), including arable lands 1 800 000 ha (5.3% of such lands in Ukraine).

The winter wheat, barley, maize for grain, leguminous plants, buckwheat and oats are main grain cultures grown in the region territory. The sunflower and sugar beet occupy essential place among technological cultures. Gardening is characterized by growing apples, pears, plums, cherries and berries. Cattle breeding is based on growing swine, cattle, sheep.

History and Culture

The region territory population began in the epoch of Paleolithic. In the late 15th century these areas became a part of the lands where the Zaporizhia Sich appeared. Later on, these lands were given to Cossacks by the "Zaporizhia Army Liberties"and belonged them for almost three centuries. The Cossacks worked and fought there.

The first battle of the Liberation war of Ukrainian people of 1648-1654 in Zhovti Vody took place on the lands of today's Kirovograd region. Active Russian colonization of the lands began in the middle of the 18th century. In 1752 they founded New Serbia, and in 1754, the St.Elizabeth Fortress which later became (together with its suburbs), the city of Yelisavetgrad (today's Kirovograd), a Center of the Kherson province volost.

The Kirovograd region has its glorious cultural traditions. I. Tobilevich, a founder of Ukrainian realistic theatre, was born and worked there; the great actors M. Kropivnitsky, M. Sadovsky, M. Zankovetskaya lived and worked there as well. Well known writers D. Bedny, I. Mykytenko, Yu. Yanovsky, scientist D. Chyzhevsky, composers G. Neihaus and Yu. Meitus, were born there as well.

Transportation and Communication

The Kirovograd region is crossed by the transport main road linking the important industrial and agricultural regions of the South with Southwest and Centre of Ukraine. The transport network includes 926 km of railways. The network density is 38 km per 1,000 m . The Kirovograd region possesses 10 highways, 728.7 km long in convenient directions, which link Ukraine with the countries of CIS and Central and Southern Europe.

The motor roads density is 308.5 km per 1,000 km . Kirovograd airport corresponds to the 3rd category of ICAO. Transportation by air is performed by the state enterprise of the air carrier "Air Lines of Ukraine". There are two commercial air carriers: "URGA" and "Chaika", working on international air lines.

Common telephone services are rendered by the regional enterprise of communication "Kirovogradtelecom" and its 27 affiliations as well as the regional enterprise of mail communication "Kirovogradposhta".

The Kirovograd inhabitants were among the first telephone subscribers in Ukraine who could communicate with the whole world. Automatic intercity trunk exchange 5 ESS ("Utel") was put in operation in 1994.

A new kind of communication services a cell or mobile telephone communication, was introduced in May 1996.

Foreign Economic Relations

The foreign trade turnover for 1997 was $136,200,000. Export, $72,200,000, import $64,000,000; saldo $8,200,000.
The export structure priorities were as follows: machines, mechanisms, electromechanical equipment, transport facilities 35%, oil seeds and fruit 9.5%, cereals and flour grinding products 7.9%, meat and food subproducts 6.9%, mineral products 6.1%, sugar and sweet 5.8%. The largest export deliveries were effected to Russia: 38.9%.

The import structure priorities were as follows: machines, mechanisms, electromechanical equipment, transport facilities 21.2%; mineral fuel 8.4%, chemical industry products 7.3%, plastic materials and resin 4.7%, textile and textile products 4.0%. The greatest specific weight in total import belongs to Romania, 21.9%, Russia (among CIS countries), 16.9%.

The amount of foreign investment to the region economy for the period from 1992 had made $ 12 700 000. In 1997 it has increased by $ 3 900 000.

The personal property and real estate are the basic forms of investments(76.4%). The rest are cash deposits of the total sum of investments, 93.2% fall on the foreign countries and 6.8% to CIS countries. Enterprises of machine building and metal working make 24.1% of the total volume of investments, those agriculture, 23.6%, trade, 21.6%, transport, 12.7%, nonferrous metallurgy, 7.7%, all these being the priority object for investments.
The priority trends for attraction of foreign investments are as follows: food industry, agriculture, machine building complex, including agricultural machines, mining and complex processing of minerals.

The above information was obtained from a CD-ROM entitled "Ukraine - A look to the 21st Century" published by the Regional Business Assistance Center (RBAC), Kharkiv. Copies of the complete CD-ROM can be obtained from either CEI or RBAC.