CARTOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE CITY NETWORK OF UKRAINE

This research aims to present the results of the Ukraine urban network’s historical changes study. It aims to show the results regards its impact on the regional development of Ukraine starting from 1897 and up to 2021. During the period mentioned, essential changes in a number of the cities have occurred. It was 207 settlements in 1897 with a population of 4,043,527 persons in total and 461 settlements with a population of 27,014,238 persons in 2021. Research is based on 1897, 1926, 1939, 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989, and 2001 censuses and statistical data of urban network changes’ analysis. Studying Ukraine’s urban network’s formation history occurs in different spheres of science. These are history, geography, economy, demography, sociology, architecture, town planning, etc. This article presents studying directed to find spatial patterns and specialties of urban settlements’ formation according to their development and transformation’s pace and directions. According to the urban network formation indicators, Ukraine belongs to states with ancient traditions of urban development. Even before the formal origination of the first state on the territory of modern Ukraine-Rus, there were many cities here. The first cities’ prototypes were discovered in the excavations of Trypillian culture. The first urban settlements of the western type of that time were founded as a result of Greco-Roman colonization of the southern and south-eastern coasts of Crimea and in the northern (continental) Black Sea region. In Europe, Rus was called the state of “cities.” There is evidence that at the time of the unification of Slavic tribes in the state there were up to 250 settlements. They partially and according to modern criteria correspond to the status of the city. Of course, consolidated reliable data on the territory, population, and other demographic characteristics of these settlements do not exist or have not yet been found. Therefore, researchers use evaluative indicators.