"Welcome to Ukraine" a Ukraine Travel Page by Klod5

Ukraine, country in eastern Europe, and the second largest country in Europe after Russia. Ukraine is bordered on the west by Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary; on the southwest by Romania and Moldova; on the south by the Black Sea and Sea of Azov; on the east and northeast by Russia ; and on the north by Belarus. The Crimean Autonomous Republic—encompassing the Crimean Peninsula, or Crimea, in the south—is included in Ukraine's borders. The capital and largest city is Kyiv.
Much of Ukraine is a fertile plain suited for agriculture. Ukraine is rich in natural resources, and has a developed economy with significant agricultural and industrial sectors. The country has a democratic form of government headed by a president.
From the 9th century AD northern Ukraine was part of Kyivan Rus, the first significant East Slavic state, which succumbed to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. Ukraine was for centuries thereafter under the rule of a succession of foreign powers, including Poland and the Russian Empire. In 1918 a Bolshevik (Communist) government was established in Ukraine, and in 1922 the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) was one of the four founding republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Ukraine's declaration of independence, approved by a popular vote on December 1, 1991, was a major factor in the USSR's collapse later that month.

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Land and Resources

The total area of Ukraine is 603,700 sq km (233,090 sq mi). The country extends 1316 km (818 mi) east to west and 893 km (555 mi) north to south. Much of the country is a rolling upland plain, with the highest elevations in the western half of the country and the southeastern Donets'ka region. A lowland region of wooded bogs and swamps, called the Poles'ye (Pripet) Marshes, is located in northern Ukraine, although much of this region has been drained and cleared for agriculture. Low-lying plains are found in southern Ukraine in the lower Dnieper (Dnipro) River Basin and the Black Sea coastal region. Ukraine's coastline, including Crimea, extends about 1050 km (about 650 mi). The Carpathian Mountains in the extreme west and the Crimean Mountains in the southern end of Crimea take up about 5 percent of Ukraine's territory. Mount Hoverla in the Carpathians is the country's highest peak at 2061 m (6762 ft).

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Rivers and Lakes

The Dnieper, Europe's third largest river, flows through central Ukraine and forms the country's main river network. More than half of the country's rivers belong to this system. The Dnieper is Ukraine's longest river, measuring about 980 km (about 610 mi) in length within the country's borders. Other major rivers are the Dniester (Dnister), the Bug (Buh), and the Southern Bug (Pivdennyy Buh) in the west, and the Donets in the east. The Danube (Dunay) forms part of Ukraine's border with Romania in the extreme southwest. Except for the Bug, which flows northward into the Wis?a (Vistula) in Poland, all of Ukraine's major rivers flow southward and empty into the Black Sea or the Sea of Azov. Ukraine has more than 3000 small lakes that cover about 3 percent of its territory.

To read the continuation :
Ukraine - presentation part II
Summary :
Plant and Animal Life
Natural Resources
Environmental Issues
The People of Ukraine
Ethnic Groups and Languages
Religion
Education
Way of Life

Voir aussi mon site : Ukraine : Carnet de voyage

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