About Luhansk (Lugansk)
For informational assistance and distant interpreter call: +38-050-688-31-95
Ukraine Country Code: +38 (must be dialed from outside Ukraine)
City Code: 064(2) (must be dialed from other regions of Ukraine or when using a cell phone)
Telephone numbers shown below are local numbers and can be dialed as shown when in the local area.
About Luhansk
The Luhansk Oblast is located in eastern Ukraine. The area of the oblast' (26,700 km²), comprises about 4.42% of the total area of the country.
The population is largely Russian-speaking although ethnic Ukrainians constitute a majority. More than 69% of the population consider themselves native Russian speakers.
Its population (as of 2004) is 2,461,506 million constitutes 5.13% of the overall Ukrainian population. The Luhansk Oblast rates fifth in Ukraine by the number of its inhabitants, having an average population density of 90.28 /km². About 87% of the population lives in urban areas, and the rest - 13%, reside in agricultural areas. According to the national census, 58.0% of the population are Ukrainians and 39.0% are Russians. The oblast belongs to the historical region of Donbas as well as to Sloboda Ukraine (Slobozhanshchina). Between 1753 and 1764, a territory of Imperial Russia named Slavo-Serbia existed in this area with administrative seat in Slovianoserbsk.
Science and Education Potential
The education system of the region includes 833 state secondary general education schools. Professional and technical knowledge is provided by 81 technical schools. There are 40 higher educational institutions of the system of training junior specialists of the 1-2nd levels of accreditation as well as 7 independent institutions and 3 affiliates of the 3-4th levels. New faculties and specialties are being opened. The number of educational establishments of a new kind: gymnasium, lyceums, educational complexes, increases steadily. The educational system of the region embraces more than 453,300 people. There are 836 preschool institutions and 31 boarding schools. A regional department of the Small Academy of Sciences with 12 affiliates has been created. Nominal stipends for gifted children have been established.
High scientific potential of the region, besides higher educational institutions and their affiliates, is represented by 50 scientific research, prospecting, and R&D institutions in various fields with 6,700 specialists working there, including 522 candidates and 69 doctors of science. Most of their research and development is done at a high scientific and technical level.
Industry
Owing to its essential economic potential the region's ranks among the most industrialized regions of Ukraine. The region's industry is distinguished by its multi-branch character, while the modern industrial branches at different stages are of local, interregional and international importance.
As to industrial production output, the region occupies 4th place in Ukraine. The most developed industries of the region are as follows: the fuel industry whose production makes up 28% of the region's industrial volume; ferrous metallurgy 19.2%, chemical and petro chemical 12.2%, and machine building and metal working 12.8%. The less developed branches are represented by construction materials 2.5%, light industry 0.8%, forestry, woodworking and pulp and paper industries 1.3%, and the food industry 7.0%.
The basis of the commodity production complex is composed of 415 large enterprises (including the production units) of various branches and forms of ownership; besides, there are 600 secondary processing shops at agricultural enterprises (mills, peeling mills, oil mills, bakeries, canning and fruit and vegetable shops, slaughter houses, and sausage shops).
As to the production of consumer goods the region occupies 7th place in Ukraine and the last place by calculation per capita. The latter makes it necessary to decide, in the first place, the problems of saturation of the internal market with high quality consumer goods at the expense of development of the home production and profitable exchange of commodities with the regions of Ukraine, the CIS, and foreign countries.
Paid services are rendered to the population in the cities and districts of the region's by above 2,400 enterprises, 76.6% of the services are rendered by enterprises of state ownership.
Agriculture
The agroindustrial complex of the region includes 356 farms with different forms of ownership: 99% of kolkhozes (collective farms) which have been turned into collective agricultural enterprises, 83% of privatized sovkhozes (state farms), agrofirms, agrarian share associations, integrated structures of agricultural producers and those processing agriculture products; the specific weight of private farms also increases. They possess 1,921,400 ha or 4.8% of lands in Ukraine, including arable lands of 1,402,300 ha, irrigated lands 92,900 ha, and pastures 430,100 ha.
Plant growing makes up 50.8% and cattle breeding 49.2% in the structure of the region's agriculture. The long vegetative period, chernozems, and arable lands in the northern part create favorable conditions for agriculture specializing in cereals (mostly winter wheat and maize) and oil bearing (sunflower) crops. Gardening and cattle breeding are also developed. But because of its dry climate the region needs reliable systems and methods of irrigation.
Dairy and beef cattle breeding, poultry, and sheep breeding prevail in animal breeding. Bee and rabbit breeding as well as fishing are in the process of development.
Transport and Communications
Lugansk is a great industrial Centre, and an important transport junction. It is crossed by railway, motor and air routes from the west to the south of Ukraine, and to the northern, central and southern region of Russia. Production of Lugansk's enterprises can be delivered in short terms to Kyiv, Moscow, Rostov, Belgorod, Voronezh, and ports of the Azov and Black Seas. The local airport may be turned into an airport of international class with the help of investments. It has steady relations, including economic relations, with their foreign sister cities: Lyublin (Poland), Cardiff (Great Brotain), Pernik (Bulgaria), Saint-Etienne (France), etc.
The advantageous geographical position of the region with its rich and diverse natural resources, multi branch industry with considerable powers, the developed network of transport communications, the proximity of raw material sources and sales markets, high population density and availability of highly skilled specialists contribute to the rich potential for its steady and all round development.
Foreign Economic Relations
Geopolitical position of the region and its developed system of transport, communications, and relations permit the region to be beneficially integrated into the system of international economic relations.
The commodity structure of exports consists mainly of ferrous metals (26.7%), mineral fuel (10.5%), organic chemical compounds (9.6%), fertilizers (9.8%), articles of ferrous metals (8.6%), and clothes (with the exception of jersey) (6.5%).
Besides, the region's enterprises and organizations export services; the export structure includes transport services (75.6%), construction (8.3%), engineering (5%) services including those connected with mounting and repair (4.7%).
The region's imports include gas, oil, wood, semi finished items for allied enterprises, as well as a number of consumers goods.
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