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Lesson 13

Strong Areas of Ukraine

Author: Taras Samchuk

Agricultural sector

Ukraine is one of the key producers of agricultural products in the world. Ukraine's agricultural potential provides food for almost half a billion people. It is due to the vast area of rich chernozems. It occupies about 60% of the territory of Ukraine. It took 8-9 thousand years to form these unique soils. For thousands of years, it has remained intact pastures for nomadic peoples, and their agricultural development began only from the 18th to the 19th century.

Fragment from the film "Earth" 1930. Director: Alexander Dovzhenko.

From the second half of the 19th century, many agricultural products were exported from Ukraine to many countries. Ukrainian grain was actively bought by Germany, Great Britain, and France. Many sugars were imported by Persia, Turkey, China, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. Even then, Ukraine became a significant supplier of agricultural products to world markets.

During Soviet times, previous economic ties were severed. Only in the early 1990s did Ukraine return to the world food market. Over the last 30 years, the agricultural sector in Ukraine has grown significantly. Currently, stability in several Asian and African countries depends on Ukrainian food.

In 2020, most Ukrainian agricultural products were purchased by:
1. China.
2. India.
3. Egypt.
4. The Netherlands.
5. Spain.

Due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation at the end of the winter of 2022, economic ties were broken as the Ukrainian port was blocked. Due to this, some countries are facing a threat of a severe food crisis or even famine.

Metallurgy

Ukraine is one of the ten largest producers and exporters of metal. In the middle of the 19th century, the development of several iron ore pools in the center of Ukraine began. It led to the rapid industrialization of the region and accelerated economic transformation. At the same time, the prominent investors in the enterprises of the center and east of Ukraine were businessmen from England, Belgium, and France. Later, metal made at Ukrainian enterprises became the basis of Soviet industrialization.

Fragment from the film "Symphony of Donbas" 1930. Director: Dziga Vertov.

The work continued at the time of independence. Initially, the industry was experiencing a significant crisis, but gradually production improved due to exports. The EU countries (Poland, Germany, Italy) were the leading exporters of Ukrainian metals.

Today, Ukraine has the immense blast furnace in Europe, reaching the height of a 35-storeys building. It even has an Instagram Instagram profile.

A giant blast furnace in Europe is Kryvyi Rih.

The Russian army completely destroyed one of the largest metallurgical enterprises in Ukraine – the Azovstal factory in spring 2022.

Rockets, planes

Well-known businessman, engineer, and inventor Elon Musk called the Zenith rocket one of the best in the world. This rocket is manufactured in Ukraine at the Yuzhmash factory. The first missile models appeared in the mid-1980s, but it took years to improve and bring them to the world level. Over the past decades, more than 130 successful Ukrainian rocket launches have occurred. Ukraine is still an active participant in various international space programs.

Launch of the Zenith-3SL from a floating platform in the Pacific Ocean.

Ukrainian engineers have achieved significant success in the design of transport aircraft. An-124 Ruslan and the An-225 Mriya (Dream), the largest transport aircraft in the history of aviation, were designed and manufactured at the Kyiv Aircraft Factory. The planes set hundreds of aviation records and planned to use them to transport the “Buran” spacecraft.

In recent years, the An-225 Mriya has transported bulky and heavy loads worldwide., The plane was transporting hundreds of tons of humanitarian goods and medical supplies to fight the coronavirus during the pandemic.

At the end of February 2022, the army of the Russian Federation shelled the airport in Gostomel, and a single copy of the An-225 came under fire and burned completely. The idea of restoring the plane is currently being actively discussed.

ІТ

The export of IT services from Ukraine amounted to 6.8 billion dollars in 2021. It is an industry that is developing very rapidly in modern Ukraine. All these thanks to a successful combination. The IT industry in Ukraine has appeared out of nowhere. The first computer in continental Europe was created in Kyiv in the early 1950s. In Soviet times, computer technology was intended primarily for the military.

Electronic computer Kyiv, beg. The 1950s.

It was only after the collapse of the Soviet system that the use of the latest technology for a peaceful life began. Ukraine's advantage was a large number of educated specialists. The rapid development of IT in modern Ukraine was facilitated by the broad coverage of the population with education.

SoftServe office, Lviv, 1996.

Currently, in Ukraine, 82.7% of young people aged 15 to 24 receive higher education (2020). For comparison, this figure is 70.2% in Germany, 67.8% in Poland, and 60% in the United Kingdom. In addition to formal education, non-formal and corporate education is actively developing: IT schools, courses, academies, and corporate programs of IT companies. IT is a field devoid of traditional bureaucracy or hierarchy. Work dynamics, career opportunities, and better pay attract young people.

Currently, several Ukrainian IT products are presented worldwide. These include tools for GitLab developers, the Ajax security system, or the online Grammarly platform, which helps you write in literate English.

How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine?
How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine? How to be brave like Ukraine?

Veni, vidi, vici.

Lesson 14

Digital country

Lesson 14