Ukraine-+Lacey+Rohrich

**Ukraine: Lacey Rohrich**


The **flag** of Ukraine is a blue and golden yellow horizontal with equal stripes. The flag was officially adopted as the national flag by the Supreme Council in 1992. The golden yellow symbolizes fields of wheat, and the blue represents the sky, mountains, and streams of Ukraine. []

Physical Geography ** : **
====Located in southeastern Europe consisting of largely of fertile black soil steppes. Mountainous areas include the Carpathians in the southwest and the Crimean chain in the south. Ukraine is bordered by Belarus on the north, by Russia on the north and east, by the Black Sea on the south, by Moldova and Romania on the southwest, and by Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland on the west. ==== 

=
The total population in the Ukraine is 45,134,707 as of July, 2011. It is number 28 in country comparison to the world, and its growth rate is -0.622%. Its death rate exceeds 15.74 deaths/1,000 population, 9.62 births/1,000 population. Its population density is 8,544.4/sq mi. Major cities include KYIV, which is the capital, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Donetsk. The population density and degree of urbanization are greater in eastern Ukraine than in the western and central areas. In the five most easterly administrative regions the average population density (based on the 2001 census) is 110 inhabitants per sq. km., in the remainder of the country it is 71 per sq. km. =====

[[image:71787-004-01D8BAFF.gif width="470" height="272"]][[image:ukraine_population_3.jpg width="471" height="299"]]
For more information.. []

Customs:
People exchange gifts with family and close friends on birthdays and the Orthodox Christmas. Cost of gifts is not important, the act of giving the gift is important and symbolizes friendship. Some celebrate “namedays” rather than birthdays. If invited to a Ukrainian home for a meal, it is polite to bring something, such as cake, flowers or a bottle of imported liquor. Flowers should only be given in odd numbers and avoid yellow flowers. Dining- Table manners are generally casual. When in doubt, watch what others are doing and emulate their behavior. Hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. Begin eating when the host invites you to start.



Government:
 Ukraine is governed under the constitution of 1996 as amended. The president, who is the head of state, is popularly elected and serves a five-year term and is eligible for a second term. The head of state i Ukraine is Viktor Yanukovych. The government is headed by the prime minister, who is selected by the legislature. The prime minister selects the cabinet members. The unicameral legislature consists of the 450-seat Supreme Council, whose members are elected to serve five-year terms. All parties that win at least 3% of the national vote in the parliamentary election are awarded seats on a proportional basis. The Ukraine is split into the jusicial branch, executive branch, and the legislative branch. Their government is republic. A republic is a form of governement in which the people, or some significant portion of them, retain supreme control over the government.

For more information...[]

Economy:
====With rich farmlands, a well-developed industrial base, highly trained labor, and a good education system, Ukraine has the potential to become a major European economy. Real GDP growth dropped from 7.7% in 2007 to 2.1% in 2008, and the economy is expected to contract significantly in 2009.Although proven onshore and offshore oil and natural gas reserves are small, there is now petroleum exploration interest in the Ukrainian portion of the Black Sea. The country has important energy sources, such as coal, and large mineral deposits, and is one of the world's leading energy transit countries, providing transportation of Russian and Caspian oil and gas across its territory. ﻿ ====

For more information... []

=
The **languages** spoken include Ukrainian (official and main language) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% and (includes small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities). There are many ** sports ** people take part in the Ukraine, but there is no prminant sport. One major sport would be football, known as soccer in the US. Rhythmic gymnastics is considered one of the most popular sports ever in Ukraine. There are many clubs all over Ukraine. The most famous and strongest rhythmic gymnastics training school in Ukraine is the Deriugina School in Kiev, run by Albina Deriugina and her daughter Irina Deriugina. Ukraine is a regular participant in both summer and winter Olympic Games. Ukraine is successful on the international arena. The country's top achievement at the Olympics to date was at the 1996 Summer Olympics, when they came 9th. =====

[[image:107617915_display_image.jpg width="446" height="230"]][[image:imagesCA5H9D8P.jpg width="442" height="229"]]
Not necessarily a married woman cut her hair, but she always cover her head with a kerchief.
 * Clothes-** Folk costume is a basic element of a country's culture and craft, closely tied with its whole history. Traditional dress in Ukraine shows a high degree of sophistication, elegance, and artistry. The earliest-known dress worn in the territory of Ukraine dates back to the Scythian and Sarmatian tribes. Men wore cloth or fur trousers, jackets, pointed caps, and boots. Women wore wide shirts that dropped to the knees, a coat with armhole slits, and a cap like a man's hat but covered with a wrap. The traditional male clothes comprise a shirt, pants or sharovary (baggy trousers), sleeveless jacket (a sort of a bodice), waistband and boots.


 * Hobbies & Music-** The Slavic peoples have been decorating eggs since prehistoric times. Later, under Christianity, the decorated egg became a symbol of the Resurrection and its message of renewal. The Ukrainian community in Canada has developed this traditional craft into a vivid cultural symbol and a source of ethnic pride. Their rich decorative heritage gives Ukrainian egg-painters enormous scope for originality. Ukrainians call these eggs pysanky, from the verb pysaty, "to write". The design is "written" on the shell in molten wax, using a stylus, before the dyes are applied. As in batik, the wax protects the areas not to be dyed. The Ukrainian people also are artistic in embroidery and is one of the ancient and widespread genres of folk art, a favorite way of decorating clothes and household objects.The most distinctive musical instrument unique to Ukraine is the bandura, a circa 7th century invention used for folk music. Folk music in Ukraine retains great vitality to this day. Ritual songs, ballads, and historical songs were sung a cappella or accompanied by folk instruments, of which the //bandura// is the most popular. Somme famous musicians include Sofiya Rotaru, Ruslana, and Ani Lorak.
 * Literature & Movies-** Ukrainian literature is essentially classified into four main groups fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s stories. The most popular categories are fiction, poetry and children’s stories, and there are many works that have become household favorites across the country. Poetry is a very popular form of Ukrainian literature and a number of poets have received widespread popularity in the country. Some famous poets are Tara Shevchenko, Viktor Neborak, Ivan Drach, and Natalka Bilotserkivets. Ukraine has been making movies for decades but only a handful of the films made in Ukraine won an international recognition and still fewer became big hits. Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors, directed by S. Paradzhanov, was the Ukrainian film that was most popular.

For more information...[]

=

 * Backround & Religion-** Ukrainians are of Slavic origin. About 75 percent of the population is ethnic Ukrainian. The largest minority group is the Russians at about 20 percent. Belarussians, Bulgarians, Poles, Hungarians and Romanians make up the other major minority groups. About 40 percent of the population describe themselves as atheist. Of those that do have their own form of religion, 37 percent belong to one of the three major orthodox denominations present in the country. There is a significant and growing number of Jews, Protestants and Muslims. Ukrainians are extremely superstitious and worryful about bad things that could happen or be concidered dangerous. If you do something that they believe can cause harm, such as sitting on stone steps, someone will undoubtedly tell you that you are at risk of doing great harm to yourself as a result of your actions. Superstitions are derived of folk wisdom in rural communities.=====

For more information...[]

**Problems** **1. As of 1999 an estimated 200,000-240,000 people in Ukraine had been infected with the HIV/AIDS virus.** ** ﻿ 2. Increasing rate of illegal drug use, as well as insufficient education regarding safe sex and drug use.** ** ﻿ 3. High levels of poverty alcoholism, and unemployment.** **Solutions**  **1. Set up courses to talk to students in school about safe sex.** **2. Bring in percaution the dangers of drug use.** **3. Provide organizations to prevent alcolhol abuse, create clubs for unemployed people and help them find jobs.** **﻿**

Bibliography: [] Shows dining ediquitte and manners/ traditions. [] Taras H. Shevchenko Museum, shows cultures and dress acceptionally well. [] - shows the flag and what it represents. [] Explains economy [] Includes information on the governement, economy, and much more. [] Infoplease- Tells about the history overall, and geography.