Ukr. Ukraina, republic (1994 est. pop. 51,847,000), 232,046 sq mi (601,000 sq km), SE Europe, formerly a constituent republic of the USSR. It borders Poland (NW); Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova (SW); the Black Sea and Sea of Azov (S); Russia (E, NE); and Belarus (N). Its capital is Kiev; the chief Black Sea port is Odessa. Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv are major industrial centers. Long known as the breadbasket of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has rich farmlands that produce wheat and other grains, potatoes, sugar beets, sunflowers, and flax. Grain production has fallen, however, since independence. Resources include iron, coal, manganese, zinc, mercury, petroleum, and natural gas. There is also a great concentration of heavy industry, including metallurgical, machine-building, and chemical industries. Many industries, however, are heavily subsidized, and this has contributed to Ukraine's economic collapse since independence. The population is largely Ukrainian; there are Russian and other minorities. The official language is Ukrainian, but Russian is also widely spoken. Orthodox Eastern and Ukrainian Catholic churches are the largest faiths.