Kirovohrad Region

Kirovograd Region is situated in the center of Ukraine, between the rivers of the Dnieper and the Southern Bug.
 
The history of the Region begins in IV-III millennium B. C.: the trypilska culture was developed in the Region's territory. The settlements of chornoliska, chernyakhivska cultures and Scythian tribes have been discovered. In the late 1st millennium A. D. the northern parts of the Region formed a part of the Kyiv Rus. Later on the territory of the Region was under the rule of Lithuania, Poland. Our ancestors have domesticated a horse, they were engaged in farming and stock-breeding, they defended their land from aggressors.

In the 2nd half of the 15th century this territory became a part of the lands where the Zaporizhia Cossacks community was organized.

Later, during almost three centuries, the lands belonged mostly to the "Zaporizhia Army Liberties". Cossacks worked and fought for their independence there.

The first battle of the Cossacks’ Liberation War (1648-1654) near Zhovti Vody took place on the territory of modern Kirovograd Region. In the middle of the 18th c. A. D. the colonization of this territory by the people from Russia, Bulgaria and Serbia began. In 1752 the New Serbia, and in 1754 – the fortress of Saint Elizabeth were founded, which later became the town of Elizabethgrad (modern Kirovograd) – the district center in Kherson province.

The present borders of Kirovograd Region were formed in 1939. Nowadays the territory of Kirovograd Region is 24,6 thousand square km (4,1% of the total territory of Ukraine). The population is 1115,7 thousand people (2,3% of the population of Ukraine). The density of the population in Kirovograd Region is 45,3 people per square km (in Ukraine it is 80 people per square km).

60,2% of the Kirovograd Region population (673,4 thousand inhabitants) is urban; 39,8% (442,3 thousand inhabitants) is rural. The representatives of more than 98 ethnic groups live in Kirovograd Region: 90,1% – Ukrainians, 7,5% – Russians, 0,7% – Moldavians and others.

Kirovograd Region consists of 21 administrative districts, 12 cities (4 of them are under regional authority), 26 urban villages, and 1024 villages.

The mild and warm climate of Kirovograd Region, radon and mineral water deposits (about 150 000 cu. m per year), forests, valleys, rivers, create favorable conditions for organization of short and long-term recreation and entertainment, as well as a system of health resorts.

The position of the Region in the center of the Ukrainian crystalline massif causes the formation of large rare metal deposits. The characteristic feature of Kirovograd metallogenic zone is the whole range of ore-bearing rocks: tungsten, copper, molybdenum, apatite, uranium, gold and silver, bismuth, tin, lead, beryllium, stibium, tantalum and niobium.

Kirovograd Region potential of mineral resources and sources of raw materials is more than 340 deposits of minerals; 107 of them are being developed: among them deposits of coal, iron ore, nickel ore, raw materials for atomic power engineering (uranium), non-metallic minerals.

During the last decade deposits of gold were discovered in Kirovograd Region. In future it can favor the development of gold-mining industry. According to the geological survey information, there is a possibility of discovering new deposits of platinum, diamonds, chromium and rare metals on the territory of Kirovograd Region.

The economy of Kirovograd Region is agrarian – industrial.

The structure of the gross output is the following:

• agriculture – 32,1%
• industry – 28,1%
• transport and communication – 11,6%
• municipal economy – 5,1%
• other branches of material and non-material production – 23,1%

Kirovograd Region is known as the region of a well-developed agriculture.

Plant cultivation takes the leading place in the agricultural gross output (73%) of Kirovograd Region; livestock farming has 27%.

The main grain crops grown in the Region are winter wheat, barley, maize, leguminous plants, buckwheat and millet. The leading position among the industrial crops is occupied by sunflower and sugar beet.

The main sectors of gardening are growing of apples, pears, plums, cherries and berries.

The livestock farming is represented by sheep-breeding, cattle, poultry and pig raising.

The share of the main types of agricultural products within their total production in Ukraine is as follows: sunflower – 10%; grain and leguminous crops – 6,7%; sugar beet (industrial) – 5,2%; meat – 3,0%; milk – about 2,8%.

There are 4 stud farms in the Region dealing with stud-horse breeding and improvement of breeding abilities. The main breeds raised on these stud farms are thoroughbred saddle-horse and Ukrainian saddle-horse.

The irrigated area in Kirovograd region is 51,3 thousand hectares, including 21,2 thousand hectares of inter-farm systems.

The industrial complex of Kirovograd Region includes 12 branches; 292 industrial enterprises work in the region. The food industry occupied 33,9%, machine-building and metal-working industry – 22,7%, power-engineering – 17,7%, building materials industry – 5,3%, fuel industry – 3,1%, non-ferrous metallurgy – 2,1%, light industry – 1,6%.

The food-processing industry in the region is represented by 93 processing enterprises. The milk-processing sector includes 12 enterprises, flour-milling and groats-making – 13, sugar-refining –11, meat-processing – 8. The fat-and-oil industry is represented by 11 enterprises producing 35% of total food industry output in the Region.

Kirovograd Region is famous for the production of nearly all types of sowing and harvesting machines, electrical lifting cranes, brown coal briquettes, nickel, graphite, mineral wax, etc.

The economy of Kirovograd Region is mainly specialized in agriculture. That’s why the goal of the machine building industry is meeting the requirements of agriculture and processing industry in necessary machines and spare parts.
 
The enterprises of the Region produce ready-made garments, hosiery, soft and cabinet furniture, household appliances, horticultural sundry, medical products, chinaware, faience, glassware, chemical goods, etc.

The Region has experience in foreign economic co-operation.

Welcome to co-operation!