Kharkiv

Kharkiv region is situated in the north-east of Ukraine and borders on the Russian Federation. After the invasion of Tartars in 1240 the territory was low populated. The settlement of Kharkiv territory was started mainly by people who came from the Right-Bank Ukraine in attempts to escape Poland oppression. They initiated the origin of Zaporozhskaya Sech and controlled the territories along the Dnieper and the Orel River. At the beginning of the 16th century they protected the area from Crimean Tartars invasion. Kharkiv region as well as the whole Ukraine was controlled by the Russian Empire since the end of the 18th century; the city of Kharkiv was the capital of the Ukrainian SSR from 1919 to 1934 (nowadays, it is a regional centre); the region has been within Ukraine since 1991. Forests cover 11% of the territory, mainly in the north. The key rivers are the Orel, the Samara, and the Seversky Donets. The region has a highly developed economy. Mechanical engineering and metal working are well developed. Advanced agriculture produces up to 5% of the country's agricultural production. The tourism industry is still in development. There are more than 2500 historical and architectural monuments. The main places of worship, which are of great interest to tourists, can be found in Kharkiv. There are 36 lakes and up to 2000 artificial stocked ponds, about 50 reservoirs all over the region. Numerous recreation centers and tourist centers are situated on the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds. The recreational center on the basis of mineral water "Berezovskaya" is open, and natural park "Goloseevskiy forests" is well known outside the region. Business tourism, recreation tourism, green tourism, and sightseeing are well developed in the region.