Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second largest country in Europe by area after Russia (second-largest country in Europe). It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the south (Geographical location). Its area is 603,628 square km (Area). In 2021, with a population of 41.6 million, it is the eighth most populous country in Europe (Population of Ukraine). The capital and largest city of the country is Kyiv (Capital of Ukraine).
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The territory of modern Ukraine dates back to 32,000 BC. In the 13th century, the region was ruled by several principalities, including Polish-Lithuania, Austria-Hungary. Its territory was divided between the Kingdom of Poland and the Russian Empire during the 18th century. After the Russian Revolution, a Ukrainian national movement began, and it was declared the internationally recognized Ukrainian People’s Republic (Ukrainian People’s Republic) on 23 June 1917. After World War II, Ukraine became part of the Soviet Union (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic). Ukraine gained its independence in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union (Ukraine’s independence).
In 2013, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych decided to suspend the Ukraine-EU agreement and forge closer economic ties with Russia. There was strong opposition to this and a new government was established by removing Yanukovich. These events set the background for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014. In 2016, Ukraine became an economic component of a deeper and wider free trade area with the European Union.
Ukraine is a developing country which is ranked 74th in Human Development Index (Ukraine in Human Development Index). It is the poorest country in Europe, suffering from very high poverty rates as well as severe corruption. However, due to its extensive fertile farmland, Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters. It also maintains the third-largest military in Europe after Russia and France.
The state language of Ukraine is Ukrainian. Russian is widely spoken here. According to the 2001 census, 67.5 percent of the population declared Ukrainian and 29.6 percent declared Russian as their native language (Language in Ukraine).
99.4 percent of Ukraine’s population is literate. The most popular sport of Ukraine is football (Sport).
The traditional Ukrainian diet includes chicken, pork, beef, fish and mushrooms. Ukrainians eat large amounts of potatoes, cereals, fresh, boiled or pickled vegetables. Ukrainian specialties include Chicken Kyiv and Kyiv Cake (Cuisine in Ukraine).