Economy
Ukrainians are a hard-working nation. This was the case many centuries ago when people largely made their living from farming. Almost every classical Ukrainian writer refers to this theme in his works. While travelling in Ukraine, Honore de Balzac wrote: “All I have seen before this is worth nothing. This is where the real Ukrainian black soil begins.” Up until recently, farming was a symbol of the Ukrainian way of life. In 2002, Ukraine ranked sixth among the world’s grain exporters.
Today, Ukraine leads in various industries and areas of science: aircraft and spacecraft industry, software development and scientific research. The Ukrainian Antonov Aircraft Plant’s “iron birds”, the “Mriya” and “Ruslan”, and the world’s most reliable spacecraft carrier, the “Cyclone”, are well known around the world. The participation of Ukrainian scientists and enterprises in the “Sea Launch” project is also highly valued.
