A lot of numbers

Here, for rapid modern consumption, are the basic numerical facts about Ukraine:

The population stands at about 42.3 million people, with 78% of those claiming to be ethnically Ukrainian, 17% Russian (concentrated to the south and east), and the remainder coming primarily from neighboring countries. However, expect this number to decrease, as Ukrainians (like most Europeans) are not reproducing as fast as they're dying and there is not enough immigration to counteract this declining fertility rate.

Religion is a somewhat complicated subject, since there are several different sects of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, in addition to those people who consider themselves Orthodox but who refuse to jump on the specific affiliation bandwagon. There are also Jewish populations, protestant and Catholic groupings, and a sizable chunk of people who still haven't forsaken the spiritual simplicity of old-fashioned Soviet atheism.

Language is also a complex matter. Ukrainian is the official language, with about 67% claiming it as their first language. However, there are quite a few such people who nevertheless use Russian for everyday public affairs (and there are about 24% who openly claim it as their primary tongue). Another 9% of the population speak various other Eastern European languages.

The Ukrainian economy is chugging along at a (very relative) good pace. GDP growth was 7% for 2007 and this trend is expected to continue--if the government doesn't backtrack on its new laissez-faire economic policies. Some of this new financial strength is due to high demand for steel, Ukraine's main export. Other important exports include the typical Soviet-style mix of fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, and food (grain, sugar beets, etc.). Industry is continuing to expand at about 6%.

None of this is to say that Ukraine is a just a bed of roses, risqué nightclubs, and borscht. Over a third of the population is living in poverty. And although the government puts unemployment at an impressive 2.5%, the Intl. Labor Organization would pin it at a much more realistic 7%. GDP per capita is only about $6,900 (compare the UK at $35,300 ; Russia at $14,600; and Romania at $11,100). Furthermore, there's a negative trade balance to be dealt with and many Western countries worry about Ukraine's economic reliance on its moody primary partner: Russia.

For the curious among you, the currency of Ukraine is the hryvnia. Who knew. But don't belittle the hryvnia, just because you've neither heard of it nor would even attempt to pronounce it. At 5 hryvnia to the dollar, it's doing much better than Russia's ruble, which, on a good day, can be traded for about 4 cents.