Natural potential

Donetsk region is created on the 2^nd of July 1932.

There are 52 towns: 28 towns and 17 districts of oblast importance, 81 village councils, 131 settlements, 253 settlement councils, 246 settlements and 878 villages in the administrative territorial structure.

Donetsk region is situated in a steppe zone of the south-eastern Ukraine. On the East it boarders with the Russian Federation, on the South – with Mediterranean basin. The length of the region from North to South is 240 km, from East to West – 170 km. The area – 26.5 thousands square kilometers or 4.4% of the Ukrainian territory.

Donetsk oblast is the biggest one for its population in Ukraine. Here lives 4.58 million people (10% of the Ukrainian population); 130 nationalities. The density of population is 173 people per 1square kilometer, 90.4 % of the population lives in towns.

The climate is roughly continental, the summer – heat and dry, the winter is comparatively cold with unstable snow cover.

 There are marvelous places and healing fields in oblast. Slovjansk salt lakes and springs of mineral waters have balneological importance. Unique natural healthful characteristics exist in salt mine in Soledari Town, where speleteological health resort is created.  

Very effective for health is the Azov Seaside. Special scientific and ecological values form protected areas – Svyatohir’ya and Polovets’ Steppe.

          The oblast is rich for its generous black earth.

It has a rich mineral and raw material base. The main mineral resources are the following: stone coal (reserves are 18.3 milliards tones), rock salt, limestones, potassium salt, mercury, asbestos, and graphite – almost 50 kinds.

Economic potential

Presence of fuel and power and mineral-raw resources, nearness of Kryvyi Rih iron-ore fields and outlet to the sea created conditions for the development of the industrial complex with a high concentration of heavy industries, creating of sufficiently developed production, scientific and social infrastructure, and high level of urbanization.

Industry

The region industrial potential forms the basis for economical complex and plays an important role in the Economy of Ukraine. Donetsk region has almost the fifth part of the major industrial and production funds of Ukraine,   provides almost 20 % of the national amount of the implemented industrial production, and takes the first and the leading places for the main industrial and house kinds of production in Ukraine.

 Coal industry is presented by 111 mines and mine administrations, 23 small enterprises of private forms of property and 27 functional concentrating factories. A production facility of the coal extracting enterprises includes 56 million tones of coal per year. Balance industrial coal stocks are equal to 14 milliards t. In order to fulfill the measures of the restructuring program of the region coal branch the shutting process of unpromising mines is made. On the first of May 2007 55 mines and 2 concentrating factories are in the shutting phase.

Electric power engineering is presented by the one complex of generating, networking, repair-technical productions. Fixed power of the 6 heat electric power stations (9.0 thousands. megawatt) is able to completely satisfy regional needs and provide other regions with electric power.

 11 metallurgical enterprises, 39 enterprises that produce  ready-made metal goods and pipe  factory in metallurgical complex. This complex includes 7 coke-chemical, 3 flux-extracting and 13 fireproof enterprises.

The main range of metallurgical production: recycling and foundry cast iron, operating lease of the different profiles, pipes, steel cables, etc.

There concentrated enterprises of nonferrous metallurgy important for the economical complex of Ukraine in the region. This branch includes 9 enterprises that work with the help of secondary raw materials.

Specific gravity of export metallurgical production in the region general export amount forms 76 %.

In the chemical and oil chemical industries work 36 enterprises of the different specializations. They produce mineral manures, ammonia, polystyrene, acid, production for military-industrial complex, household chemical goods, pharmaceutical production, etc.

Almost 55 % of the chemical production is exported.

Machine-building complex is presented by 150 enterprises. They fully satisfy the needs of the country concerning shaft-sinking and tunnelling equipment, produce almost 100% of the national amount of household refrigerators, 74% – washing machines.

Food and recycling industry includes 122 large enterprises, which are specialized in meat, milk, bakery, meal-grinded and peeled grains, confectionery, macaroni, oil, fish, vegetable, liqueur-vodka, wine, bear-alcohol-free production.

Production of not foodstuffs for the population in the region is made by the industrial enterprises that produce furniture, refrigerators, gas ovens, washing machines, plates and dishes, textile, sewing and knitted goods, footwear and others.

Agro-industrial complex

Region agriculture posses more than 2 mln. hectares of agricultural land, out of which 1,7 mln. hectares of  tillage. There created 625 agro-formations of the market style as a result of reforming 426 collective agricultural enterprises in the agro-industrial complex. 1,7 thousands of farms function. They specialize in growing grain crops, oil-bearing crops, vegetable and melon, milk production, meat and aviculture production.

Small entrepreneurship

There registered 26 thousands of small business enterprises in the region, or 86% out of all quantity of the region economical subjects. 12,5% of small entrepreneurship is occupied in the region economy. In 2006 small business enterprises implemented the production, (works, services) amounting 7.5 mlrd.hrn. that forms 2,8%  from region general output. During the implementation of the Regional program of small entrepreneurship development for 2007-2008 a number of measures were taken, aimed to create favorable for small entrepreneurship development.

Foreign economic activity

Almost half of the regional industrial production is sold on the foreign market. The region support links with the partners from 12 countries.  Foreign trade goods circulation for January-April 2007 was 4.4 mlrd. USA dollars.

Almost 700 regional enterprises and organizations export the goods. Main enterprises - exporters - Open joint stock company “Mariupol’ Illich metallurgical industrial complex”, Open joint stock company “Metallurgical steel industrial complex “Azovstal’” provide more than 40% of the regional general export amount.

More than 1000 regional enterprises and organizations import goods from 86 countries of the world.

The main foreign