Information About Ukraine

History of Ukraine

Kievan Rus which was founded in Europe by the Rus people was the largest and most popular state in Europe between the 10th and 11th century. The union of Lublin formed the polish-Lithuanian commonwealth into which the Kievan Rus was incorporated. Several nations such as the Turks and Cossacks, Poland and Russia entered into the Ruin war as each nation wanted to gain control over the Ukraine. The war ended in 1686 after Russia and Poland formed the "eternal peace" and divided the land of Ukraine between them. More than 1.5 million people were killed and others displaced from their homelands during the Russian civil war which diversified Ukraine and even the Russian famine of 1921 affected the Soviet Ukraine. The country of Ukraine was first reunited in 1939 after the territory of Poland was divided by the German and Soviet troops following the Poland invasion which allowed the Galicia and Volhynia comprising the Ukrainian populations reunite as one nation. The declaration of state sovereignty was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament in 1990 and in 1991; the first presidential election and a referendum was held where majority of the citizens participated.

Geography of Ukraine

Ukraine is the world's 46^th largest country and is neighbored by Belarus and Russia in the north-western and eastern regions respectively. Poland and Romania share the same border with Ukraine in the western and south-western edges respectively. The country has a total area of 603, 550 square kilometers where 579, 330 square kilometers are dry land and the rest covered by water. Ukraine has a coastline of about 2782 kilometers where most of its lands lie within the plateau and the fertile plains while the southern regions and south of the Crimean peninsula occupied by mountains. Hora Hoverla, at 2061 meters above the sea level is the highest point and the black sea at zero meters below the sea level makes the lowest point in Ukraine.

Climate of Ukraine

The land of Ukraine has a temperate continental climate although a humid subtropical climate is experienced in the southern coast. The rate of precipitation is not uniformly distributed such that the west and north regions receive high precipitation, while east and southeast receive the lowest. An annual precipitation of 1, 200 millimeters is received in Ukraine and both the summers and winters usually vary.

Natural Resources in Ukraine

Coal, natural gas and oil are the main fossil fuels found in Ukraine. More than 5% of the world's iron ore reserves are found in Ukraine along other natural mineral deposits such as uranium, nickel, manganese, titanium and graphite. The largest mineral reserves in Ukraine are the sulfur while the second, are the mercury ores.

Tourist Attraction in Ukraine

Ukraine has most top-ranked natural and man-made places recommended for leisure and holiday activities. Kamyanets-podolskyy town with the unique fortification system, Hotyn fortresses which were the ancient war and fights center, the unique monastic complex of Kyiv-pechersk Lavra, the principal temple of the st. Sophia cathedral and the highest Hoverla Mountain in Ukraine are among the most visited places in the country. The Shevchenkivskyy Park with the museum of folk of architecture, the historical-architectural Rynok square dated back to 14th century, the historical finding of transcarpathians in the palanokcastle and the most sacred eastern orthodox of pochaiv Lavra are other special tourists' attraction centers within Ukraine. The major cities of Ukraine are:

• Kyiv
• Kharkiv
• Dnepropetrovsk
• Donetsk
• Odessa
• Zaporhizia
• Kryvyi Rih

Famous Hotels in Ukraine

The famous hotels of Ukraine are

• La Giaconda Boutique Hotel
• Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv
• Hotel Bristol Odessa
• Donbass palace
• Hyatt Regency Kiev
• Leo polis Hotel

Ukraine Culture and Cuisines

The most dominant religion in Ukraine, that is, Christianity heavily influences the culture of the state. Ukrainian embroidery, lace making and weaving are the traditional textile arts used for the traditional celebration attires. The music in Ukraine has undergone great development from the ancient folk though the classical to the current rock music. The main meals in Ukraine are the mashed potatoes and fried onions, boiled ground meat, liver and cabbages which are served along with sugar, sour-cream or butter filled with fruits. Stuffed duck or goose, roast meat and fish, pork of beef rolls are also served during the main meals. Salads made of chopped and cooked potatoes mixed with mayonnaise accompany the meals.

International Airports in Ukraine

• Kyiv international airport
• Kharkiv international airport
• Kryvyi Rih international airport
• Mariupol international airport
• Ivano Frankivsk international airport
• Mykolaiv international airport
• Boryspil international airport