General Information
Official language: Ukrainian
Capital: Kyiv
Independence: August 24, 1991
Location: Central-Eastern Europe, part of the East-European plain, between 44''20' and 52''20' N and 22''5' and 41''15' E.
Area: 603,700 km2 (233,000 mi2)
Climate: moderately continental, except for Southern Crimea were the climate is subtropical of the Mediterranean type. The Carpathian climate is also mild, with a warm winter and a rainy summer.
Average winter temperature: -8° to -12° C (+17.6° F to +3° F). In the Southern regions, the average winter temperature is 0° C (+32° F).
Average summer temperature: 8° to +25° C (+64.4° F to +77° F), although the maximum temperature can be more than +35° C (+95° F).
Best time to visit Ukraine: summer, late spring, and early autumn.
Population: 40,980,000 (25th in the world; population density: 68 persons/km2)
Currency: hryvnia (letter code UAH; digital code 980)
Time zone: GMT+2 (UTC+2)
Internet top-level domain: .ua
International phone code: +380
Official website: ukraine.ua
Ukraine is a sovereign state, proclaiming its independence in 1991.
The country is situated in the eastern portion of Europe and spans 603,700 square kilometers (233,000 square miles). For perspective, Ukraine is larger than France and Great Britain but considerably smaller than Russia.
Ukraine is bordered by Russia, Belarus, Poland, Moldova, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. It is also bordered by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, both of which provide important ports.
Five percent of Ukraine’s territory is mountainous; much of the remainder of Ukraine is flat, with the average height above sea level of 175 meters (574 feet). Ukraine has two major mountain ranges: the Carpathians and the Crimean Mountains. The Carpathians is a natural mountainous boundary of Ukraine.
The mountain ranges are covered with mixed forests of pine, fir, beech, and oak trees. The most-dense forests are in Volyn, part of the famous Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the primeval forest that at one time stretched across the European Plain.
The Dnieper is the primary river of the country, and the third-longest river in Europe. Other important rivers in Ukraine include the Dniester, the Danube, the Southern Bug, and the Seversky Donets.
Ukraine has a population of approximately 46 million people. Besides Ukrainians, there is a wide spectrum of nationalities that include Russians, Jews, Belarusians, Moldavians, Romanians, Greeks, Tatars, Poles, Armenians, Germans, Gypsies, and other ethnic minorities. Together they contribute to Ukraine’s diverse culture and history.
The biggest cities of Ukraine are Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk, Odessa, and Mykolaiv. Kyiv is the capital of the country and has a population of 2.9 million people.
Ukraine is a modern agricultural and industrial country.
Nearly three-quarters of Ukraine’s land is agricultural, and is home to a quarter of the world’s highly fertile “black soil” (chernozem). Due to its abundance of fertile soil, Ukraine has become one of the top growers and exporters of grain in the world -- and, hence, why Ukraine is popularly known as the “breadbasket of Europe.” Overall, the country’s main crops include wheat, barley, corn, and sunflower. Of particular note, Ukraine ranks first in global sunflower and sunflower oil production and export.
The primary industrial sectors in Ukraine include metallurgy, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, food processing, and electric power.
Ukraine has a wide variety of natural resources, with abundant reserves of coal, iron ore, natural gas, manganese, salt, titanium, and others. Although the country accounts for 0.8% of the Earth’s land surface, it is estimated that Ukraine has approximately 5% of the world’s mineral resources. Specifically, Ukraine has 10% of the world’s iron-ore reserves, is one of the top ten producers of manganese in the world, and has the largest titanium reserve in Europe.
Scientists of Ukraine have made important world contributions and discoveries, particularly in the fields of physics, mathematics, and aviation.
Ukraine has a rich historical and cultural heritage. The country is replete with many higher educational institutions, theatres, libraries, museums, and art galleries. Ukraine is also famous for its repertoire of outstanding writers, poets, and musicians.
In 1945, Ukraine became one of the founding members of the United Nations. The country is also a member of many other global organizations, including the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund.