Kharkov is situated in the north-eastern part of Ukraine at the junction of the rivers Kharkov and Lopan. The city area amounts to 297.4 sq. kilometres. The population of Kharkov is about 2 million people. The excellent geographical position of the city, its location close to the largest industrial centres of Ukraine and Russia, the developed network of communication facilities has made Kharkov one of the largest traffic junctions of the country. A lot of cites of the world are connected with Kharkov via air routes. The features of the old Kharkov and those of today's city merge into a unique picture created by the specific architecture of its buildings, squares and streets. The most treasured pieces of architecture are in the central part of the city. In the monastery yard there stands the three-cupola Pokrovsky cathedral, the oldest stone building of the city. Not far from it there stands the renowned Uspensky cathedral built in the Russian baroque style with the iconostasis designed by Bartholomew Rastrelli.

No less beautiful and attractive is the Blagoveschensky cathedral with its alternating strips of red brick and white plaster that remind one of old-Byzantine temples. The famous monument to the Great Kobzar, Taras Shevchenko, belongs to the Soviet period. One of the most widely known Kharkov edifices built in the constructionist style is the Gosprom (the House of State Industry). It was the first multi-storey building of in-situ reinforce concrete erected in the USSR. The architecture of historical Kharkov integrally merges with its modern administrative buildings, cultural, educational and shopping centres which all form a unique ensemble of the city. Kharkov is one of the largest centres of Ukrainian industry. Among the cities of the ex-USSR it is only second after Moscow and St. Petersburg. There are 249 big industrial enterprises in the city.

The leading role in the structure of its industrial potential belongs to mechanical engineering and metalworking, electrical power engineering, and production of construction materials. They are tractors and turbines, jet planes and automated machine tools, electrical motors and engines for agricultural machinery, TV-sets and electrical devices, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. Specialists from Kharkov have greatly contributed to rocket engineering and exploration of space. The control systems for carrier rockets and space vehicles as well as several generations of rocket systems developed by researchers and engineering specialists from Kharkov are well known in the world. The systems constitute the basis of the national space program. In the city there are a number of light industry enterprises as textile, knitted fabric, tailoring, etc.