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Ukraine


 
Burial of victims of war
Sometimes the time remains to bury the dead in a relentless war.
Image: AP Photo/Francisco Seco

 
Location map of Ukraine. Where in the world is Ukraine?
Location map of Ukraine


Flag of Ukraine
Flag of Ukraine
 

Ukraine in brief

This country is facing a brutal attack by Russia.

Destination Ukraine, a Nations Online profile of the country in Eastern Europe.
The largest country entirely within Europe has a coastline at the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in the southeast. Ukraine borders Russia in the northeast and east, Belarus in the northwest, Poland, and Slovakia in the west, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova to the southwest.

The country covers a territory with an area of 600,000 km²; it is about twice the size of Italy or slightly smaller than the US state of Texas.

Ukraine's landscape consists mainly of plains and plateaus, only the Carpathian mountains in the west reach 2,061 m (6,760 ft.) at Mount Hoverla (Hora Hoverla), the highest peak in the country.

The country has a population of 41.3 million people (in 2021), the capital and largest city is Kyiv (Kiev). Spoken languages are Ukrainian; Russian is widely spoken, especially in the eastern and southern parts of the country.


 
What is Ukraine known for?

Under attack by Russia
The largest country entirely within Europe has been under attack by Russia for several years. The assault on the country has intensified due to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army on 24 February 2022, supported by Belarus, which allows Russian troops to invade Ukraine from the northwest.

Kiev Pechersk Lavra Complex, Ukraine
The Kiev Pechersk Lavra Complex, know as the Monastery of the Caves.
Image: Moahim

Chernozem
The very fertile "black earth" of the country, known as Chernozem, is the reason why Ukraine is known as the "Breadbasket of Europe."

Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor at the Soviet-operated Vladimir Lenin Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Chernobyl. The reactor core explosion released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment and large parts of Europe were affected by the radioactive cloud. The nuclear accident resulted from a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious mistakes made by the plant operators. [1]

Pechersk Lavra
The Monastery of the Caves on the Berestov Mount in Kiev was founded in 1051. Since then, it has been a prominent center of Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe and one of the most famous and important monasteries in the region's history.

Optymistychna
The Optymistychna is a gypsum karst cave located near the Ukrainian village of Korolivka, about 50 km north of the city of Chernivtsi in western Ukraine. The Optymistychna Cave (optimistic cave), with a measured length of 262 km (163 mi), is the longest gypsum cave in the world and the longest cave in Europe. The cave system is not yet developed for tourism.


Ukraine | Україна



Background:
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe and the second-largest country in Europe after Russia. The Crimean Autonomous Republic - encompassing the Crimean Peninsula, or Crimea, in the south was part of Ukraine but is now occupied by Russia.

The country is rich in natural resources, Ukraine has been fought over and subjugated for centuries. Its 20th-century struggle for liberty is not yet complete. Short-lived independence from Russia (1917-1920) was followed by brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33 (Holodomor)) in which over 8 million died.[1] In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 million more deaths.

Although independence was achieved with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, true freedom remains difficult to grasp as many of the former Soviet elites remain deeply rooted and block efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil rights.

 

 



Country Profile



Official Name:
Ukrayina
int'l form: Ukraine
formerly: Carpathian Ukraine, Ukrainian Socialists Soviet Republic.

ISO Country Code: ua, UKR

Time:
Local Time = UTC +2h
Actual Time: Mon-Mar-18  06:18
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +3)

Country Calling Code: +380

Capital City: Kiev (Kyiv)

...show more



 


Official Sites of Ukraine


Building of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's national parliament
View of the building that houses the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian national parliament in Kyiv.
Image: Vadim Chuprina


Political System of Ukraine
Ukraine is a semi-presidential republic. The head of state and commander-in-chief is the president. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Ukraine's legislative branch is its unicameral parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. The head of the government is the prime minister.

Due to the ongoing ugly war caused by Russia, many websites in Ukraine are unavailable.

Government

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

President of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky's office.

Verkhovna Rada - Parliament of Ukraine
The Supreme Council of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) is Ukraine's unicameral parliament.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
The official website of the ministry.

Diplomatic Missions
Mission of Ukraine to the UN
Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Embassy of Ukraine
Ottawa, Canada
Embassy of Ukraine
Washington D.C.


Statistics
State Statistic Service of Ukraine
Ukraine in numbers.

 

 


 


Maps of Ukraine



Ukraine Map 2021
Map of Ukraine (click map to enlarge)
Image: © nationsonline.org


Maps

 Administrative Map of Ukraine
Map showing the administrative divisions of Ukraine.
 Map of Ukraine
Political Map of Ukraine.

Google Earth Google Earth Ukraine
Searchable map and satellite view of Ukraine.
 Map of Crimea
Map of the Crimean peninsula.
Google Earth Google Earth Crimea peninsula
Searchable map and satellite view of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Cities:
Google Earth Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol, Simferopol

Map of the Black Sea
Political map of the Black Sea.

Map of Central and Eastern Europe

Map of Europe
Political Map of Europe.
 

 


News of Ukraine



Ukraine Newspapers


News from Ukraine


National media have adopted a united patriotic agenda following the Russian annexation of Crimea and the armed conflict in the east. Ukraine has banned relays of leading Russian TVs; in turn, areas under Russian or separatist control have seen Pro-Kiev outlets silenced. [BBC]


Ukraine crisis media center
Ukraine Crisis Media Center provides the world community with up-to-date information on events in Ukraine.

KP
Kiev based newspaper. (in Russian)

Svoboda
Svoboda is the oldest existing Ukrainian newspaper. (in Ukrainian)

The Day
Ukrainian daily newspaper.

Kyiv Post
National daily newspaper.

The Ukrainian Weekly
English-language newspaper of the Ukrainian diaspora in the US.

UNIAN
News from and about Ukraine.

Ukrinform
Ukrainian National News Agency.

Zerkalo Nedeli
ZN is a political weekly. (in Ukrainian and Russian)


StopFake
StopFake.org
StopFake is a Ukrainian non-profit media organization founded in March 2014 by Ukrainian professors and students to refute Russian propaganda and fake news.


International News sources
Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war news from Qatar's international radio broadcaster.

AP News
Russia-Ukraine war news coverage by the Associated Press, an American non-profit news agency.

BBC - War in Ukraine
News from the British Broadcasting Corporation about the war in Ukraine.

The Guardian Ukraine
British daily newspaper's coverage of the war in Ukraine.
 

 


Arts & Culture of Ukraine


Ukraine National Palace of Arts in Kiev
Ukraine National Palace of Arts in Kiev.
Image: Konstantin Burkut


Arts & Culture


Art Palace
National Palace of Arts "Ukraina".

Odessa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet
Opera and Ballet Theater in Odessa.

National Museum of the History of Ukraine
The museum showcases Ukraine's history from antiquity to the present day. (in Ukrainian)

National Art Museum of Ukraine
The museum in Kiev is dedicated to Ukrainian art.
 

 


 


Business & Economy of Ukraine



Port facilities of Odessa Ukraine
View on a part of the harbor of Odessa; it is the largest Ukrainian seaport and one of the largest ports in the Black Sea.
Image: Boris Mavlyutov


Ukraine economy
Besides Russia, the Ukrainian Republic was the most important component of the economy of the former Soviet Union. Today, Ukraine's economy is based on a multi-sectoral industry, agriculture, and services. Ukraine has made significant progress on reforms designed to make the country prosperous, democratic, and transparent, including the creation of a national anti-corruption agency, and an overhaul of the banking sector.


National Bank of Ukraine
The central bank of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Stock Exchange
Ukrainian Stock Exchange Kiew.

Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Ukrainian Chamber is also home to the Industry International Commercial Arbitration Court and the Maritime Arbitration Commission.

Kherson Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine


Ukrainian companies
Antonov
Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company.

DTEK
One of the energy companies owned by SCM Holdings, a conglomerate of various companies from coal mining to power generation.

Metinvest
Iron ore raw materials and steel.

Naftogaz
The national oil and gas company of Ukraine.
Ukrnafta
A leader in Ukraine’s oil industry.

ATB-Market
Retail shops.
Fozzy Group
Retail stores.
Kernel
Exporter of sunflower oil and a major supplier of agricultural products.

Transportation
Airlines

Ukraine International Airlines
Ukraine's flag carrier and the largest airline operates direct flights to most major cities in Europe.

Windrose Airlines
Ukrainian charter airline.

DART Ukrainian Airlines
Ukrainian airline based in Kiev ceased operations in April 2018.



Airport
International State airport Boryspil
Ukraine's international airport in Kiev.

Port
Odessa Sea Port Authority
One of the largest seaports at the Black Sea consists of several harbors, a passenger terminal, grain and oil terminals, and container loading quays.

Space
National Space Agency of Ukraine
Development of state policy concepts in the sphere of research and peaceful uses of space, as well as in the interests of national security.
 
 

 


 


Tourism in Ukraine



Caracol Falls (Cascata do Caracol), Caracol State Park, Ukraine
Pechersk Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery and a UNESCO World Heritage Site official website
Image: Falin


Destination Ukraine - Travel and Tour Guides



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Discover Ukraine:
Lviv, the cultural capital of Ukraine; Odessa, the port on the Black Sea; Kiev and the Kyiv region; Volyn region, Zakarpattya region, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Poltava region, Kharkiv region, Optymistychna Cave, the longest cave in Europe.


Travel to Ukraine
Tourism information by the US Ukraine Foundation.

Ukraine: 11 best places to visit
CNN travel article.

Wikivoyage Logo Wikivoyage: Ukraine
The free worldwide travel guide, a sister site of Wikipedia for sightseeing, activities, cuisine, and accommodation around the world.

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone
Businessinsider article about tourism to Ukraine's worst nuclear disaster.

Full-Day Tour of Chernobyl and Prypiat from Kyiv
Tripadvisor's tour to Chernobyl and Prypiat from Kyiv.

Ukraine
General facts about Ukraine.

 

 


 


UNESCO World Heritage Sites Ukraine


Wooden Holy Trinity Church in the suburb of Zhovkva, Ukraine
The wooden Holy Trinity Church was built in a suburb of Zhovkva, Ukraine, in 1720. The church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine.
Image: Haidamac
 

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ukraine
There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ukraine and seventeen sites on the Tentative List (see the List)


World Heritage Site Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora
The remains of an ancient Greek colony, also known as Chersonesus. The city was founded in the 5th century BC by Dorian Greeks on the Heraclean Peninsula in south-west Crimea on the shores of the Black Sea.


World Heritage Site L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre
The city of L'viv (Lviv) was founded in the late Middle Ages; it was a flourishing administrative, religious, and commercial center for several centuries. The historical heart of the city, with its old buildings and cobblestone streets, survived Soviet and German occupations during World War II largely unscathed. Today it is the largest city in western Ukraine.


World Heritage Site Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans
The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans (archbishops) in Chernivtsi (formerly Czernowitz), represents 19th-century historicist architecture styles built by Czech architect Josef Hlavka. The building complex is now part of Chernivtsi University.


World Heritage Site Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
The World Heritage Site includes sixteen wooden tserkvas (Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches) within the Polish and Ukrainian Carpathian mountain region of Central Europe.

 

 


Education in Ukraine



Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, Chernivtsi
The UNESCO World Heritage Site Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans (archbishops) in the city of Chernivtsi is now part of Chernivtsi University.
Image: Posterrr


Ivan Franko National University of L'viv
Oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine, founded in 1661.

Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
The Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, KPI, is a leading university in the country.

Kharkiv National University
A major university in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
KNU is an institution of higher education in the capital of Ukraine Kiev.

Sumy State University
Sumy State University (SSU) is situated in Sumy city in North-East of Ukraine and is a leading higher education establishment of the region.

University of Chernivtsi
The public university in the City of Chernivtsi in western Ukraine is one of the leading Ukrainian institutions for higher education; it was founded in 1875.

Uzhgorod National University
Uzhhorod university was founded on 18 October 1945.
 
 

 


Environment & Nature



Rapeseed field in Odessa oblast, Ukraine
A rapeseed field in Odessa oblast in Ukraine. The Ukrainian flag is based on views like this.
Image: Heulwolf

Chernobyl disaster
Wikipedia article about the catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986.

National Parks of Ukraine
Wikipedia list of national parks in Ukraine.

Environment. People. Law
EPL is a public interest environmental law organization.

Green Energy Portal: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Portal with links to operational environmental NGOs in Ukraine.

The National Ecological Centre of Ukraine
NECU brings together individuals for joint actions to protect the environment.

NGO Working Group on climate change
A network of 16 non-governmental and non-profits environmental organizations. (in Ukrainian)

Ukraine Nature Conservation Society
The primary purpose of Ukrpryroda, the Ukrainian Society for Nature Conservation, is to promote the formation of civil eco-society.


Grasslands landscape, Pontic–Caspian steppe, Ukraine
Ukraine's grasslands landscape of the Pontic–Caspian steppe.  
Image: Uncle Sasha

 

 


Ukraine History



Kamianets Podilskyi Castle
Kamianets Podilskyi Castle in the historic city of Kamianets-Podilskyi on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine.
Image: Håkan Henriksson


History of Ukraine

Page about Ukraine's history from the oldest period of Ukrainian history to independence.

History of Ukraine - Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine
Comprehensive article from Ukraine's earliest history to independence.

Ukraine profile - Timeline
Ukraine history timeline of key events by the BBC.

Wikipedia W History of Ukraine
Wikipedia pages related to the history of Ukraine.

Wikipedia W Trypillia culture (Trypil'ska kultura)
Ukraine's Neolithic culture.
 

 


Additional Information


Selected country profiles of Ukraine published by international organizations.



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Amnesty International: Ukraine
Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights.

BBC Country Profile: Ukraine
Country profiles by the British public service broadcaster.

BTI Transformation Index Ukraine
Ukraine Country Report 2020 by Bertelsmann Stiftung.

Freedom House: Ukraine
The U.S. government-funded non-profit organization whose goal is to promote liberal democracies worldwide.

GlobalEDGE: Ukraine
Ukraine ranking by the Global business knowledge portal.

The Heritage Foundation: Ukraine
Index of Economic Freedom by The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think tank.

Human Rights Watch: Ukraine
HRW conducts research and advocacy on human rights.

OEC: Ukraine
The Observatory of Economic Complexity provides the latest international trade data.

Reporters Without Borders: Ukraine
RSF (Reporters sans frontières) is an international NGO that defends and promotes media freedom.

Wikipedia: Ukraine
Wikipedia's Ukraine page in many languages.

The CIA World Factbook -- Ukraine
The CIA World Factbook Ukraine Page.
 

 



 
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