K Y I V
History and Nova Days
Kyiv
was first mentioned in Russian chronicles in 860. Its name is believed to be
derived from that of its legendary founder, Prince Kiy. From 860 to 1169, Kyiv
was the capital of Kyivan Rus, a state that was the historic ancestor of both
Russia and Ukraine. 
Its
rulers were converted to Orthodox Christianity in the 10th century, had the
whole city baptized in the Dnepre river, and thus the city became a great
religious and cultural center of the eastern Slavic peoples, as well as a major
trading center of eastern Europe. Kyiv's gradual decline after the capital was
transferred to Vladimir in 1169, ended in the devastating Mongol invasion of
1240. In the 14th century it was taken by Lithuania, and later passed under
Polish rule until it was annexed by Russia in the 17th century. Under Russian
and Soviet rule it reemerged as an important commercial city. With the
dissolution of the USSR in 1991, it became the capital of a newly independent
Ukraine.
Kyiv
is Ukraine's political, industrial, and cultural center along with being a major
transportation hub and river port. It was the former USSR's third largest city
which entitled it to many economic benefits other former USSR cities did not
have. These benefits would include the most modern of hotels, a large
international airport Boryspil, and direct passenger rail service to most parts
of Eastern Europe. Kyiv's population
today is close to 3,000,000 which is 75% Ukrainian and 22% Russian, a mix which
has resulted from centuries of economic, political and social ties with Russia.
Its chief industries include the manufacture of complex machinery, notably
aircraft, and precision tools and instruments. Kyiv is also known for its
chemical industries, food-processing and timber-wood enterprise, and its
consumer goods and publishing industries.
Kyiv
is most important educational and research center of Ukraine. It is the seat of
the Ukrainian Academy of Science and a number of other research institutions.
Approximately 150,000 students are enrolled in the city's 20 institutions of
higher learning, the most important of which is Kyiv Shevchenko University,
founded in 1834. Kyiv has numerous theaters and concert halls, including the
Ivan Franko Ukrainian Drama Theater, the Taras Shevehenko Opera and Ballet
Theater, and the Philharmonic Concert Hall.
Administratively, Kyiv is divided in 12 districts and is governed by a city council. District councils are subordinated to the city council and its chairman, who is the equivalent of the city's mayor. Starting in 1994, all government documents were to be written in Ukrainian in a move back to their mother tongue.
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