Ukraine - Tourism and Travel

Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe on the coast of the Black Sea.

It has an area of 233,000 square miles (603,700 square kilometers).

Most of the land in Ukraine is flat, treeless, land known as steppe. The soil here is very fertile.

It is drained by the Dnieper River.

Enormous U-shaped valleys, with deep, narrower valleys inside them, can be found throughout Ukraine. These giant valleys are known as balkas. They were formed during the last Ice Age, when an ice melt was followed by a sudden flow of water

The Carpathian Mountains run through western Ukraine.

Along the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula, which juts into the Black Sea, there are three 80 mile (128 kilometer) long parallel flat-topped limestone ridges.

Many visitors to Ukraine come to the Crimean coast. The Swallow's Nest Castle at Yalta in Crimea is a popular tourist destination.

The Azov Sea, west of the Crimean Peninsula is fringed with sandspits that have been created by counterclockwise sea currents.

There are marshy, forested plains along the border between Ukraine and Belarus.

The Danube Delta, one of the biggest wetlands in Europe, is located in Ukraine and Romania. The Danube Delta is 1,950 square miles (5,050 square kilometers) in area.

Ukraine has cold winters and warm summers. Along the Crimean Peninsula, conditions are milder.

45,708,000 people live in Ukraine.

About one fourth live in and around the industrial cities of Kiev (the capital), Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk.

78% of the population is Ukrainian and 17% is Russian.

Many foreign nationals live in Ukraine.

The official language is Ukrainian. Russian and Tatar are also spoken.

95% of the people are Christian. Most of these are Christian Orthodox.

Ukraine's fertile, black soil is an important resource for the country. Agriculture and the raising of livestock play a significant role in the economy. The country exports many crops, particularly grains and vegetables. Ukraine is sometime known as "the breadbasket of Europe".

There are reserves of coal, iron and manganese. Large mineral reserves are found in the Donbass region.

Steel production, chemicals, machinery and food processing are very important.

Ukraine has a presidential system of government.

The official currency is the hryvna, which is made up of 100 kopiykas.