In this article, a terminological analysis of the ambivalent geospatial concepts of “border”, “border zone”, which are characterized by a long synonymic row and simultaneously have the semantic load of lines, strips of separation as well as interaction; with account of historical and genetic, natural and geographical, morphological and functional approaches, conceptual and terminological systems of “state border”, “borderlands”, “transborderlands” are analyzed; semantic shifts of the notions of “border”, “border zone”, “frontier” according to the world order tendencies are defined.

This article contains the analysis made with the help of generalized quantative parameters, which shows the tendencies of human potential formation of the Western Ukrainian borderland during 2001–2016. The changes of number of urban and rural population in eighteen borderland rayons in Volyn, Lviv and Zakarpattia oblasts are evaluated. The tendencies of urbanization processes and resettlement of rural population are described. Spatial differences of age structure of urban and rural population are characterized.

The article analyzes the natural resource potential of the Western Ukrainian borderland: history, development, current state and conditions. Land resources and land fund of the Borderland as well as the main trends in its use as the basis of agriculture and the operational base of society have been characterized. The role of water, biological and recreational resources in the structure of the natural resources of the region has been described. Current trends in the use of Western Ukrainian borderland mineral resources have been analyzed.

The paper summarizes the contribution of the Ukrainian and Polish scholars into the study of challenges of European integration in Ukraine. It proves the importance of researching socio-economic problems of Lviv region in the context of European integration. We have described the general characteristics of Lviv region and revealed the advantages of economic and geographical position of the region. It has been analyzed the problems of structural changes in the region’s economy, the challenges of reindustrialization, the investment and foreign economic activity of Lviv region. The special emphasis has been put on the need to transform the region’s economy in order to overcome the long-lasting socio economic crisis.

The main functions of the state border, such as barrier, filter, contact are studied. It is proved that currently there is activation of contact function of the state border. It is underlined that the Ukrainian-Polish border is characterized by processes of contact function strengthening. Origins and political aspects of the formation and development of the Euroregion “Buh” in the Ukrainian-Polish border; the positive impact of cross-border cooperation within these structures on the socio-economic development of border areas; the prospects and ways of further intensification of Ukrainian-Polish border cooperation and positive effects from increased contact functions of the Ukrainian-Polish border are studied.

This article contains the authors’ understanding of “cultural heritage” that is substantiated as the object of interdisciplinary research, and place of human geography in it. In addition, the features of interdisciplinary discourse in this object research are regarded. The input of English speaking (USA, UK) and Ukrainian scientists to defining place of geography of culture at the human geography is enlighten. Special attention is paid to historical culture genesis in big core of culture – Lviv city and up-today geospatial organization of geocultural artifacts, objects, form of accumulation and places of its concentration.

It has become apparent that there’s a need to conduct a study on religious education. I’ve conducted just such a study of the historical aspects of religious education of the Western region of Ukraine. As a result I’ve done an analysis of the spatial distribution of religious educational institutions in the western Ukrainian borderland. I’ve investigated the locations of higher religious educational institutions and various denominations and movements in the region. After much considerations, facts were made available regarding the distribution of religious schools in the Western region, in terms of denominations within their areas.

The spatial temporal as well as structural and functional analyses of electoral activity were carried out in the paper. Electoral activity of the population was analyzed in terms of indicators of electoral potential, electoral turnout and electoral preferences. The dynamics of the electoral potential and its role in the all-Ukrainian scale have been analyzed. The level of electoral turnout was estimated and the main features of temporal and spatial distribution were found. The analyses of multicomponent systems of modern electoral preferences of the population in the region in terms of left and right political forces were carried out.

Arrangement of logistic companies over oblasts of the Western Ukrainian borderland is studied and characterised. Main logistic centers within the oblasts are singled out. Availability of subjects of transportation and distributional logistics is studied. Railway and automobile networks are comprehensively assessed. Capacity and peculiarities of railway and automobile freight traffic flows are studied. Customs posts and crossing points at Western Ukrainian State border are described. Methods of numerical evaluation of transport and logistic potential index for borderland oblasts are suggested and index values for the Western Ukrainian borderland oblasts are calculated. Numerical evaluation of transport and logistic index is conducted.

Issues of the administrative division in the broader context of political and administrative reforms connected with democratization and decentralization are considered. Some historical aspects of the administrative division modeling in Ukrainian borderlands are analyzed. Goals, mechanisms and the course of the current reform of administrative division at the local level in the Volyn and Lviv provinces are presented. The specifics of wealthy communities – new administrative units at the local level are outlined. Features of budget decentralization based on the example of comparing the structure of local government revenue are characterized. The problems and threats faced by the organizers at the present stage of reform are revealed, and some solutions to problematic situations in implementation of the new administrative division are proposed.

In the article, criteria and indicators of economic security assessment of administrative and territorial units of a region are suggested. Component and integral spatial-temporal assessment of economic security of the Lviv Oblast is carried out using principal component analysis. Future scenarios of ES of the Lviv Oblast are suggested based on results of SWOT analysis.