Rhonda Berry, age 15, of Reno, Nev., for her question:
WHAT PRODUCTS COME FROM THE UKRAINE?
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic is one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union. It is a very rich farming, industrial and mining region in southeastern Europe.
Farmers in the Ukraine produce more than half of the Soviet Union's sugar beets, nearly a fourth of its meat and dairy products and a fifth of its grain. Ukrainian farmers also raise barley, corn, rye, tobacco and a number of other crops including fruits and vegetables.
Rich deposits of coal, iron ore, manganese, mercury, natural gas and salt are found in the Ukraine.
Heavy industries have developed around the many mineral deposits. About two fifths of all the steel and nearly a third of all the coal produced in the Soviet Union come from the Ukraine.
Major manufactured goods from the republic include agricultural machinery, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, food products, locomotives, ships and trucks.
Ukrainian women embroider colorful designs on blouses, scarves, pillowcases, tablecloths and other items. Such embroidery is a distinctive feature of traditional Ukrainian clothing.
Rural Ukrainians are known for their strong ties to their families and farms. Villagers build their homes and farms of whitewashed stone or adobe with thatched roofs. Peasant costumes, decorated with embroidery, are worn on all holidays. They feature white blouses or shirts.
Ukrainians enjoy music and many of the people perform in choruses and dance groups. Ukrainian music often features a stringed instrument called a bandura.
The Ukrain consists largely of a flat plain that stretches from the Pripyat Marshes in the north to the Black Sea in the south. The Carpathian Mountains border the Ukrain on the west.
The Ukrain has mild summers but very cold winters. The winter average is 23 degrees Fahrenheit with the average summer heat a bit over 70 degrees.
About three fourths of the people of the Ukrain are Ukrainians, a Slavic nationality group that has its own customs and language. Russians, a separate group that speaks the Russian language, make up nearly a fifth of the population. About 2 percent of the people are Jews.
Many urban Ukrainians speak Russian most of the time. In rural areas, nearly all of the people speak Ukrainian. Each region of the Ukrain has its own dialect or local form of language. But the schools teach only a standardized form.
The universities of Kiev, Lvov and Odessa rank among the oldest and most famous in the Soviet Union. The Ukrain also has five other universities.
During the A.D. 800s, a Slavic civilization called the Rus grew up at Kiev and at other points along the river transportation routes from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. In time, Kiev became the first of the independent Russian city states.