Zakarpatye region

Square: 12.8 ths. sq. km.
Center of the region: town of Uzhgorod.
Administrative and territorial division: 13 districts.
Population of the region amounts to 1 250.7 ths. people.

Geographical position

The highest mountain of Ukraine Goverla (2,061 m) is situated in the ridge Chernogora/Black mountain of the Carpathian Mountains. Conventional geographical center of Europe is located near town of Rakhov of Zakarpatye region. Tisa is the largest river of the region. There are a lot of mountain rivers and small mountain lakes of glacial origin. Sinevirskoye lake is the most interesting and famous one.

Borders

The region borders on Lvov and Ivano-Frankovsk regions. State border of Ukraine with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania coincides with borders of the region. This is a place, where not only borders of five European states meet, but where history of European and Eastern European civilizations unites.

Transportation network

The total length of railway roads is 652 km and motorways – 3.5 ths. km. Chop, Mukachevo, Batevo, and Uzhgorod are the largest railway junctions. There is an airport in Uzhgorod.

Economic potential

Geopolitical location of the region, development of different property forms, and principles of market economy have become a basis of favorable climate for business and entrepreneurship, as well as their positive influence into social processes.

Companies of the region are involved in foreign economic relations with subjects of more than 100 countries of the world. Companies created with the help of famous foreign corporations’ investments successfully operate in the region. A broad network of banks and their branches function in the region. There is a Chamber of Commerce and other market infrastructure establishments.

High density of forest plantation of the region reasoned development of forest and wood processing industries (production of furniture, lumber), as well as resin industry (articles of wood processing). The following industries also are developed in the region: food industry (production of wine, cognac, fruit and vegetable canned food), light industry (footwear, hats, garments, and knitwear), machine building (cutting machines, electric engines, pipeline fittings, etc.). Foodstuffs constitute 45% in the total volume of consumer goods output. Grain crops (winter crops and corn), potatoes, and vegetables are main cultivated plants. Horticulture and viticulture are also well-developed.

Natural and recreational potential

More than 5% of volume and value potential of Ukraine’s natural recreational resources are concentrated in the region. All prerequisites for development of resort and sanatorium business and tourism exist in the region due to combination of mountainous and plain landscapes, unique beauty of hilly deciduous and coniferous woods occupying approximately half of the region’s territory, clear springs and fast rivers, orchards and vineyards, numerous mineral water springs, and moderate continental climate.

There are 415 territories and objects of natural reserve fund, including Carpathian biosphere reserve (63,245 ha) with unique Dolina narzissov/Valley of daffodils, National natural park Sinevir (40,400 ha), 25 reserves of state importance, 14 reserves of local importance, 349 natural monuments, 21 monuments of landscape architecture, and 3 reserve tracts. Forests occupy 50% of the region territory.

Landscape of the region is represented by mountains and foothills covered with deciduous and coniferous woods, and high-altitude Alpine meadows. Soils: rubble brown earths and meadow brown soil and their varieties. Minerals: deposits of complex ores, alunites, pearlites, zeolites, liparites, possible significant deposits of rock salt of Solotvino deposit, kaolin is explored, and 13 deposits of carbonate raw stock were revealed (marble limestone, dolomite, and marble). It was revealed and investigated more than 360 springs of mineral waters different in chemical composition and curative characteristics. Climate is moderate continental with protracted spring, cool summer, warm autumn, and mild winter. Average temperature in January reaches -7 ?С in mountains and in July +19 ?С (+11 ?С in mountains). Rainfall amounts to 700-1,000 mm.

Historical and cultural potential

Originality of Zakarpatye region culture lays in preserved customs and traditions of rusin-Ukrainians, which ethnically are divided into gutsuly, lemki, and boyki. Each ethnic group has its own melody of Kolomiya, its technique of embroidery, and its rites. Customs and traditions of Hungarians, Germans, Slovaks, Romanians, and other nations are connected with them. Historical chronicles of the region development can be found in documents written in Latin, Hungarian, German, Czech, Slovak, old-Slavonic, and other languages. Zakarpatye region is a birthplace of world known artists Igor Grabar, Adalbert Erdeli, Iosif Bokshay, Fedor Manayl, and Andrey Kotzki. Composers Dezidery Zador, Stepan Marton, and Eugene Stankovich, as well as singer Gizela Tzipola also were born here.

There are 674 monuments of history, archeology, town-planning, and monumental art. The following are the most interesting tourist objects: castles of ХІІІ century in Uzhgorod and ХІV century in Mukachevo, Nikolayevskaya/St. Nicholas rotunda church in Uzhgorod, ruins of castle in Khust, catholic churches in villages of Srednee Vodyanoye and Krainikovo, Mikolskiy/St. Nicholas monastery of ХVІІІ century in Mukachevo, wooden churches of 1428, pontifical castle of 1646, city halls, etc.

The following materials were used for preparation of the article:
Zakarpatye regional state administration,
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine,
Ministry of foreign affairs of Ukraine