Mode	Comments
Air	Zhytomyr can be reached by internal flights from Kiev and other cities within Ukraine.
Road	Zhytomyr is reached by main roads in its section of Ukraine.  See distance table below.  These distances are based on main roads wherever possible.   For distances to other cities in Ukraine, compute the distances through Kiev.
Train	Zhytomyr can be reached by train from Kiev or other major cities in Ukraine.

Road distances from Zhytomyr to:

City	Oblast	Kilometers	Miles
Cherkasy	Cherkasy	359	223
Chernihiv	Chernihiv	275	171
Chernivtsi	Chernivtsi	317	197
Dnepropetrovsk	Dnepropetrovsk	625	388
Donetsk	Donetsk	888	552
Ivano-Frankivsk	Ivano-Frankivsk	577	358
Kharkiv	Kharkiv	625	388
Khmelnytsky	Khmelnytsky	245	152
Kherson	Kherson	819	509
Kiev	Kiev	131	81
Kirovograd	Kirovograd	431	268
Lugansk	Lugansk	1036	643
Lutsk	Volyn	244	152
Lviv	Lviv	419	260
Melitopol	Zaporizhia	844	524
Mykolaiv	Mykolaiv	753	468
Odessa	Odessa	620	385
Poltava	Poltava	474	294
Rivne	Rivne	197	122
Simferopol	Crimea	1035	643
Sumy	Sumy	473	294
Ternopil	Ternopil	390	242
Uzhgorod	Zakarpattya	675	419
Vinnytsya	Vinnytsya	125	78
Zaporizhia	Zaporizhia	731	454

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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. back to top

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. back to top

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. back to top

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;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. back to top

Transport and Communication

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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