Geographic Information

Area - 834 sq. km
Population - 2,630,000
Large industrial enterprises - 405
Enterprises with foreign capital - 2,100
Banks - 91
Banks with foreign capital - 6
Investment funds and companies - 188
Insurance companies - 80
Total area of international standard office centres - 53,900 sq. M
Hotels - 114 back to top

Historical and Cultural Reference

Kyiv is one of the oldest cities in Europe. The city's history dates back to more than 1500 years.

The development of Kyiv as a city is connected with the evolution of the ancient feudal state Kyivan Rus. Historical documents testify that Kyiv was the Centre of the development of Rus, and the city always played a prominent role in the development of the Slavonic people.

Kyiv had its heyday during the reign of Volodymyr Svyatoslavych (980-1015). The introduction of Christianity in 988 played a significant part in the consolidation of the state and its influence on the international scene. From that time on Christianity becomes the official religion of the early feudal state of the ancient Slavs which lead to the development of political, cultural and dynastic ties with the Byzantine Empire, Bulgaria and other states of Europe and the Middle East.

From 1019, Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who sat on the throne in Kyiv for several decades, promoted the development of culture and education. Yaroslav had family ties with many monarchies of Europe. He daughter Anna became the Queen of France. In 1031, Yaroslav built the grand St. Sophia Cathedral in honor of the victory over the Pechenegs and in 1051 he built the Pechersk Lavra, which became a Centre for confirmation of Christianity in Rus. Both are an adornment to Kyiv today. Besides, the mentioned structures, others were also built: the Desyatynna Church (989-996), Uspensky Cathedral (1073-1078), and many architectural monuments which are famous today.

The first code of laws, entitled Russia Pravda (Russian Law) was drawn up during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.
During the reign of Volodymyr Monomakh (1113-1125), Kyiv became one of the biggest centres of civilization in the Christian world. The city had a population of over 50,000 (at the same time there were some 30,000 residents in Novhorod, the second largest city in Rus; the population of London, Hamburg and Gdansk was 20,000). Kyiv was one of the most developed artisan and trade centres of Europe.

During the time of the Russian Empire Kyiv was the Centre of one of the largest and economically strong province - Mala Rus (Little Russia).

After the fall of tsarism, three government replaced one another from 1917 to 1921 in the independent Ukrainian State which was thorn into parts by civil war. On January 22, 1918, the Ukrainian Tsentralna Rada (Central Council), headed by the well known historian Mykhailo Hrushevsky, proclaimed independence in Ukraine; after the Tsentralna Rada was dissolved, the reigns of power in the country were taken by Hetman Petro Skoropadsky on April 28, 1918, and in December of that same year power was taken over by the Directory Government of Simon Petlura and Volodymyr Vynnychenko.
In Soviet times, Kyiv was the capital city of the Ukrainian Republic, the second largest in the state as to economic, defense and scientific potential.

Today, Kyiv, the capital city of independent Ukraine is a Centre of political life. Situated here are the residence of the President of Ukraine, the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) and Government (the Cabinet of Ministers), as well as headquarters of the majority of political parties and organizations. There are close to 100 embassies and many foreign missions in the city.

The city is the largest economic and industrial Centre of Ukraine.

There are 393 general education schools in Kyiv with an enrolment of 369,700 pupils. 97 hospitals and 267 outpatient clinics at which some 20,000 physicians work.

The capital of Ukraine can boast of a big cultural potential: 29 museums, 39 theatres, 67 cinema theatres, and a significant number of permanent art exhibitions. The most well known of the museums are: the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, the Museum of Ukrainian Fine Arts, the Museum of Eastern European and Oriental Art. Besides, there are 2093 edifices regarded as monuments of history, culture and architecture. back to top

Job Market

The city can boast for the best manpower resources of the country: highly qualified workers, talented research and design collectives, and experienced managers of all levels. Testifying to the level of qualification of the capital's manpower resources is the fact that even under an economic crisis the level of official unemployment in the city remained the lowest in the country (0.5% of Ukraine's 2.3% average). The low level of official unemployment does not mean that there are no manpower resources in the city. The majority of the enterprises are not operating at full capacity creating the so called concealed unemployment. Thus, in reality there is a big job market in the city. back to top

Industry

Compared to production decline of 1996, the output of industry located in Kiev show a 3.8% increase. The highest indices of production volume were registered in power engineering (16.6%), medical (12.1%) and food (11.4%) industries.

83.7% of the city's industrial enterprises are not government owned. These enterprises accounted for almost 70% of what was produced in the city in 1997; more specifically, 97% of light industry goods, 81% of food products, and 72% of machine building, metal and woodworking industries.

Proceeds from economic activity
Specific weight of city's enterprises
in national volume

The biggest specific weight in the sector structure of the city's industry is made up by enterprises of power engineering, machine building and metal working, the light and food industries.

In the future it is planned to transfer state run industrial enterprises (with the exception of those which have strategic national significance) and state package of shares of privatized industrial enterprises to the management of the Kyiv City State Administration in order to coordinate their production activity and organize the rendering of assistance for stepping up entrepreneurship. back to top

Financial Activity

Kyiv is the financial Centre of Ukraine. The headquarters of 18 of the 30 largest Ukrainian commercial banks are operating in the city. 75% of assets of commercial banks in Ukraine are held by 5 capital banks.

Registered in the city are 70% of investment funds and companies of Ukraine. 12 of them are included in the list of the 20 country's largest. Located in the city are almost 40% of the insurance companies of Ukraine, which account for 41% of the insurance premiums .

The size of the accounts receivable of Kyiv enterprises is one of the largest and makes up 16.5% of the volume of Ukraine. Accounts receivable exceed account payable by 395.6 million hryvnia. back to top