Oleksandr V. Cherevko

Chairman Cherkassy Regional State Administration

Dear friends! Representing Cherkassy Region, above all things I apply to glorious history of the land, where foundations of the Ukrainian state system during rule of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky were put and the sense of national dignity under influence of ardent word of prophet of Ukraine Taras Shevchenko was regenerated.

Exactly here, almost six thousand years ago, the world-wide Trypillya culture – one of the brightest phenomena of ancient history of Europe got development. Over 100 towns, settlements and burial mound grave-diggers of Scythian epoch were found in Cherkassy land. Their habitants known from writing sources as Scythians-ploughmen were engaged in agriculture and trade with Greek cities-states in VII B. C.

In the days of Kyiv Rus the boundary Cherkassy lands played important role in life of the mighty Ancient Russian State; here the water-way «From the Varangians to the Greeks» passed by the Dnieper River.

Our land tested numerous invasions and devastations, but the spirit of our countrymen, sense of dignity and aspiration of freedom always remain. Cherkassy land gave prominent people to the world – heroes of liberation war: Petro Doroshenko and Ivan Vygovsky, Gaidamak commanders Zaliznyak and Gonta, Hero of Ukraine Vyasheslav Chornovyl; flaming patriot, poet Vasyl Symonenko and artist Danylo Narbut created there.

Original beauty of Cherkassy land, rich song and folk-lore traditions, and main – generous people inspired prominent artists – our countrymen to creation. Main place in the treasury of world culture is taken by masterpieces of Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky and Semen Gulak-Artemovsky, Mykhaylo Starytsky, Todosya Osmachka and Agatangel Krymsky.

Almost 1,5 million Cherkassy Region thanks to the geographical location in the center of Ukraine, on crossing of important trade routes is a region where the rhythmic pulse of today is expressly felt. Cherkasy Region is a region of «great chemistry», modern machine-building and food industry, really enters list of leading agricultural spheres-legislators of agrarian policy of Ukraine. The new class of producers and businessmen engaged in small and medium business establishes here.

Cherkassy Region is a land with huge economic potential attractive for investors and interesting for tourists. The prospect of regional development is in development of tourist sphere, capable combination of financial viability, rational using of natural resources and saving of unique sights of history and architecture, deep respect to the past as source of spirituality for next generations and promotes development of social sphere, attraction of investments and implementation of the Government programs «Golden horseshoe of Cherkassy land», and «Ancient Uman».

Full of pride for «small» Motherland, optimism and faith in the best future, Cherkassy residents increase traditions and achievements of native land by good and important businesses, does not spare forces and energy that Cherkassy Region will flower increasing riches of the state.

Your sincerely,

Oleksandr Cherevko                  

Cherkassy Region is situated in the central part of Ukraine, in the forest-steppe geographical zone. Its area is 20 900 sq. km and population is 1 333 900 people. It is administratively divided into 20 districts, six cities of regional value, 10 cities of district value, 15 settlements of urban type and 825 rural settlements.

The region has a wide network of big and small rivers. 1037 rivers flow by its territory.

Cherkassy Region is rich in minerals. Building materials prevail among non-metallic as granite, bentonite and clay, kaolin and quartz sands. There are over 100 deposits of brick-tiled raw material in the region. There are huge supplies of facing and building stone. Fuel resources are represented by brown coal and peat.

The left-bank part of the region has considerable deposits of mineral-medical waters like as «Mirgorodska», developed and used Zvenygorodka deposit of radon waters and Talniv deposit of hydrocarbonate waters.

The land fund by fertile potential is one of the highest in Ukraine. The soil in the region has varieties of black earths, and in the valleys of the rivers – solonized and salt-marsh varieties of tough soils.

The land fund is characterized by high thrown open (69,5%). The area of agricultural lands makes 1 452 250 ha, including plough-land – 1 271 900 ha.

The plant-growing products prevail in the gross production: corn (40,9%), potato (19%), sugar beets (10,8%) and vegetables (9,2%). In the structure of regional production of stock-raising the meat takes 54,8% as well as milk – 24,7%, eggs – 10,7% and other products – 9,8%.

1668 agricultural enterprises function in the region including 1121 farms, 468 agricultural enterprises and 79 private enterprises.

Next to agriculture there is well-developed industrial production.

319 industrial enterprises operate in the region.

The products of processing industry (86,1%) prevails in the regional industrial production and share of production and distributing of electric power, gas and water makes 11,8%, extractive industry – 2,0%.

Most share in processing production is made by enterprises of food industry and enterprises of agricultural production processing (36,4%).

Among powerful enterprises of this industry there are Zolotonosha Vodka Plant «Zlatogor», Cherkassy Food Company Ltd, CJSC «Yuriya», CE «Shpolyany Confectionary Factory», Cherkaasy Biscuit Factory and World of Sweets Ltd.

Main enterprises of chemical industry are OJSC «Azot» and OJSC «Cherkassy Paintwork Plant «Avrora».

Many regional enterprises produce medications. Among them there is OJSC «Vatfarm». It is necessary to mark that Cherkassy Plant of Hydroscopic Cotton Wool is the basic enterprise of OJSC «Vatfarm» – single Ukrainian company for production of medical cotton wool. The products of OJSC «Vitaminy» and CJSC «Tekhnolog» are also well-known.

Among basic enterprises of machine-building industry there is OJSC «Temp». Its specialization is development and production of lines for bottling wine-vodka wares and food liquids, consultations on choosing equipment, delivery of spare parts and start-up programs. The perspective production of the company is machines for causing self-gluing labels, machines for forming halva pre-forms. Its sales market is Ukraine and CIS countries.

OJSC «Cherkassy Bus» entering Concern «Ukrprominvest» produces bus of small class. Its sales market is Ukraine and CIS countries.

State Production Association «Orison» is specialized on development and production of navigation equipment, automation devices, medical equipment, instruments, agricultural machines and its repair parts.

Rest in the regional production of processing industry is occupied by enterprises of cellulose-paper, printing and publishing business (5,7%), light industry (1,1%) and other productions (1,2%).

The sector of small business actively develops in the region. It is registered 5914 small enterprises.

Development of the banking system is characterized by high dynamism, strengthening of competition between bank institutions and its result is increasing of amount of offered services and improving of its granting. 50 balance establishments of banks and 694 separations function in the region.

Cherkassy Region has huge scientific potential. 24 research establishments function here including Ukrainian State Institute for Planning Enterprises of Light Industry, Cherkassy State Research Institute of Technical-Economic Information in Chemical Industry, Mly Institute of Gardening named after Symyrenko, Cherkassy Institute of Agroindustrial Production of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences ets.

28 establishments of vocational education function in the region as well as 22 higher educational establishments of І-ІІ levels of accreditation and seven establishments of IV level of accreditation. The biggest one is Cherkassy National University named after B. Khmelnitsky, Cherkassy State Technological University and Uman State Agrarian University.

The important place in the economic and social development of the region is taken by spheres of making healthy, tourism and rest. Rich natural resources, powerful historical-cultural potential, high level of development of tourist infrastructure create opportunities for comprehensive satisfaction of cognitive and recreational demands of domestic and foreign tourists.

67 enterprises of tourist industry, 33 hotels, 18 sanatoriums, 66 rest bases, 70 farmsteads of green tourism operate in the region.

To services of tourists in Cherkassy Region there are 757 libraries, 2 theatres, 22 movie theatres, 46 museums and 7 historical-cultural preserves as Shevchenko national preserve in Kaniv, preserve «Motherland of Taras Shevchenko» in Zvenygorod District, Korsun-Shevchenkivsky historical-cultural preserve, national preserve «Chygyryn», Kamyansky historical-cultural preserve, historical-cultural preserve «Trakhtemyriv» and preserve of Trypillya culture in Talne.

The masterpiece of garden-park art of XVIII century – Dendropark «Sofiyivka» with the area of 150 ha is placed in Uman.

On the region's territory there are almost 40 cult buildings including prominent George (Assumption) Cathedral in Kaniv (1144), Illinska Church in the village Subotiv, Chygyryn District (1653), Transfiguration Church in Kiriv, Korsun-Shevchenkivsky District (1738) etc.

The region has over 400 objects of nature protection territories. Among most valuable natural complexes of Cherkassy Regiont here is one of the oldest in Ukraine Kaniv natural biosphere preserve.

ЗCherkassy Region has comfortable geographical location and favourable climatic conditions; the roads of national and local value pass through its territory. The city of Cherkassy has river port and air-port.

Main investors in the regional economy are Cyprus, Germany, USA, Great Britain, France, Virgin Islands (Great Britain) and Russian Federation.

The volume of foreign trade has positive dynamics. Most share in the commodity structure of export in 2006 is made by fertilizers (37,1%), organic compounds (13,5%), products of non-organic chemistry (6,4%). Most share of export of Cherkassy companies belongs to Russian Federation, China, India, Turkey, Germany, USA, Brazil, Pakistan and Byelorussia.

Mechanical equipment (17,2%), meat and sub-products (12,4%), paper and cardboard (11,4%), tobacco (10,2%), transport vehicles (10,1%) prevail in the commodity structure of import. In the regional structure of import most shares are covered by Brazil, Germany, Russian Federation, Poland, Japan and Byelorussia.

Cherkassy Region actively develops inter-regional relations. The region has nine signed inter-regional agreements and develops bilateral cooperion within it, in particular with the state of Iowa (USA), Shaulyai District (Lithuanian Republic), Brest Committee (Byelorussia) and others.

Due to selfless labour of residents of picturesque region present Cherkassy Region is flowering and rich land.