Ukraine | History, Flag, Population, President, Map ...

Ukraine, country located in eastern Europe, the second largest on the continent after Russia. The capital is Kyiv (Kiev), located on the ... Ukraine TableofContents Ukraine Introduction&QuickFactsLandReliefDrainageSoilsClimatePlantandanimallifeEnvironmentalconcernsPeopleEthnicgroupsLanguagesReligionSettlementpatternsDemographictrendsEconomyAgricultureandfishingResourcesandpowerManufacturingFinanceTradeServicesLabourandtaxationTransportationandtelecommunicationsGovernmentandsocietyConstitutionalframeworkLocalgovernmentJusticePoliticalprocessSecurityHealthandwelfareHousingEducationCulturallifeCulturalmilieuDailylifeandsocialcustomsTheartsLiteratureVisualartsMusicTheatreandmotionpicturesCulturalinstitutionsSportsandrecreationMediaandpublishingHistoryPrehistoryKyivan(Kievan)RusLithuanianandPolishruleSocialchangesReligiousdevelopmentsTheCossacksTheKhmelnytskyinsurrectionTheRuinTheautonomoushetmanstateandSlobodaUkraineRightBankandwesternUkraineuntilthePartitionsofPolandUkraineunderdirectimperialRussianruleWesternUkraineundertheHabsburgmonarchyGaliciaBukovinaTranscarpathiaWorldWarIandthestruggleforindependenceUkraineintheinterwarperiodSovietUkraineTheNewEconomicPolicyandUkrainizationIndustrializationandcollectivizationThefamineof1932–33(Holodomor)RussificationWesternUkraineunderPolishruleBukovinaunderRomanianruleTranscarpathiainCzechoslovakiaWorldWarIIanditsaftermathWesternUkraineunderSovietandNaziruleTheNazioccupationofSovietUkraineUkrainereunitedunderSovietruleSovietUkraineinthepostwarperiodThelastyearsofStalin’sruleTheperiodofKhrushchevUkraineunderShelestUkraineunderShcherbytskyUkraineonthepathtoindependenceParliamentarydemocracyIndependentUkrainePostindependenceissuesStatebuildinganddiplomacyEconomicdifficultiesSocialdevelopmentsKuchma’spresidencyTheOrangeRevolutionandtheYushchenkopresidencyTheYanukovychpresidencyTheMaidanprotestmovementThecrisisinCrimeaandeasternUkraineRussianinvasionandannexationofCrimeaThePoroshenkoadministrationTheelectionofVolodymyrZelenskyandcontinuedRussianaggression FastFacts 2-MinSummary Facts&Stats Quizzes Media Videos Images Audio More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic AdditionalReading Contributors ArticleHistory Home Geography&Travel CountriesoftheWorld Ukraine Actions Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. 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Ukraine-Children'sEncyclopedia(Ages8-11) Ukraine-StudentEncyclopedia(Ages11andup) Alternatetitles:Ukrayina By StepanAndriyovichKryzhanivsky SeeAll • LastUpdated: Jul22,2022 • EditHistory TableofContents flagofUkraine AudioFile: NationalanthemofUkraine Seeallmedia HeadOfGovernment: PrimeMinister:DenysShmyhal ...(Showmore) Capital: Kyiv(Kiev) ...(Showmore) Population: (2022est.)43,637,000 ...(Showmore) HeadOfState: President:VolodymyrZelensky ...(Showmore) FormOfGovernment: unitarymultipartyrepublicwithasinglelegislativehouse(VerkhovnaRada1[450]) ...(Showmore) Seeallfacts&stats→ Summary Readabriefsummaryofthistopic Ukraine,countrylocatedineasternEurope,thesecondlargestonthecontinentafterRussia.ThecapitalisKyiv(Kiev),locatedontheDnieperRiverinnorth-centralUkraine.Swallow'sNestCastleSwallow'sNestCastleoverlookingtheBlackSea,Yalta,CrimeanPeninsula,Ukraine.©Mike_kiev/Dreamstime.comAfullyindependentUkraineemergedonlylateinthe20thcentury,afterlongperiodsofsuccessivedominationbyPoland-Lithuania,Russia,andtheUnionofSovietSocialistRepublics(U.S.S.R.).Ukrainehadexperiencedabriefperiodofindependencein1918–20,butportionsofwesternUkrainewereruledbyPoland,Romania,andCzechoslovakiaintheperiodbetweenthetwoWorldWars,andUkrainethereafterbecamepartoftheSovietUnionastheUkrainianSovietSocialistRepublic(S.S.R.).WhentheSovietUnionbegantounravelin1990–91,thelegislatureoftheUkrainianS.S.R.declaredsovereignty(July16,1990)andthenoutrightindependence(August24,1991),amovethatwasconfirmedbypopularapprovalinaplebiscite(December1,1991).WiththedissolutionoftheU.S.S.R.inDecember1991,Ukrainegainedfullindependence.ThecountrychangeditsofficialnametoUkraine,andithelpedtofoundtheCommonwealthofIndependentStates(CIS),anassociationofcountriesthatwereformerlyrepublicsoftheSovietUnion.UkraineEncyclopædiaBritannica,Inc. BritannicaQuiz TheCountryQuiz Canyounamethecountrythatboastshavingthe10coldestcities?Whichcountrycoversthemosttimezones?Learntheanswerstothesequestionsandmoreinthisquizthatwilltestyourknowledgeofcountriesaroundtheglobe. LandUkraineisborderedbyBelarustothenorth,Russiatotheeast,theSeaofAzovandtheBlackSeatothesouth,MoldovaandRomaniatothesouthwest,andHungary,Slovakia,andPolandtothewest.Inthefarsoutheast,UkraineisseparatedfromRussiabytheKerchStrait,whichconnectstheSeaofAzovtotheBlackSea.PhysicalfeaturesofUkraineEncyclopædiaBritannica,Inc.ReliefUkraineoccupiesthesouthwesternportionoftheRussianPlain(EastEuropeanPlain).Thecountryconsistsalmostentirelyoflevelplainsatanaverageelevationof574feet(175metres)abovesealevel.MountainousareassuchastheUkrainianCarpathiansandCrimeanMountainsoccuronlyonthecountry’sbordersandaccountforbarely5percentofitsarea.TheUkrainianlandscapeneverthelesshassomediversity:itsplainsarebrokenbyhighlands—runninginacontinuousbeltfromnorthwesttosoutheast—aswellasbylowlands. GetaBritannicaPremiumsubscriptionandgainaccesstoexclusivecontent. SubscribeNow TherollingplainoftheDnieperUpland,whichliesbetweenthemiddlereachesoftheDnieper(Dnipro)andSouthernBuh(PivdennyyBuh,ortheBoh)riversinwest-centralUkraine,isthelargesthighlandarea;itisdissectedbymanyrivervalleys,ravines,andgorges,somemorethan1,000feet(300metres)deep.OnthewesttheDnieperUplandisabuttedbytheruggedVolyn-PodilskUpland,whichrisesto1,545feet(471metres)atitshighestpoint,MountKamula.WestoftheVolyn-PodilskUpland,inextremewesternUkraine,theparallelrangesoftheCarpathianMountains—oneofthemostpicturesqueareasinthecountry—extendformorethan150miles(240km).Themountainsrangeinheightfromabout2,000feet(600metres)toabout6,500feet(2,000metres),risingto6,762feet(2,061metres)atMountHoverla,thehighestpointinthecountry.ThenortheasternandsoutheasternportionsofUkraineareoccupiedbylowuplandsrarelyreachinganelevationof1,000feet(300metres).Amongthecountry’slowlandsarethePripetMarshes(Polissya),whichlieinthenorthernpartofUkraineandarecrossedbynumerousrivervalleys.Ineast-centralUkraineistheDnieperLowland,whichisflatinthewestandgentlyrollingintheeast.Tothesouth,anotherlowlandextendsalongtheshoresoftheBlackSeaandtheSeaofAzov;itslevelsurface,brokenonlybylowrisesandshallowdepressions,slopesgraduallytowardtheBlackSea.TheshoresoftheBlackSeaandtheSeaofAzovarecharacterizedbynarrow,sandyspitsoflandthatjutoutintothewater;oneofthese,theArabatSpit,isabout70miles(113km)longbutaverageslessthan5miles(8km)inwidth.ThesouthernlowlandcontinuesintheCrimeanPeninsulaastheNorthCrimeanLowland.Thepeninsula—alargeprotrusionintotheBlackSea—isconnectedtothemainlandbythePerekopIsthmus.TheCrimeanMountainsformthesoutherncoastofthepeninsula.MountRoman-Kosh,at5,069feet(1,545metres),isthemountains’highestpoint.CrimeanPeninsulacliffsCliffsontheCrimeanPeninsulaoverlookingtheBlackSea.PhilippeMichel/agefotostockDrainageAlmostallthemajorriversinUkraineflownorthwesttosoutheastthroughtheplainstoemptyintotheBlackSeaandtheSeaofAzov.TheDnieperRiver,withitshydroelectricdams,hugereservoirs,andmanytributaries,dominatestheentirecentralpartofUkraine.OfthetotalcourseoftheDnieper,609miles(980km)areinUkraine,makingitbyfarthelongestriverinthecountry,ofwhichitdrainsmorethanhalf.LiketheDnieper,theSouthernBuh,withitsmajortributary,theInhul,flowsintotheBlackSea.Tothewestandsouthwest,partlydrainingUkrainianterritory,theDniester(Dnistro)alsoflowsintotheBlackSea;amongitsnumeroustributaries,thelargestinUkrainearetheStryyandtheZbruch.ThemiddlecourseoftheDonetsRiver,atributaryoftheDon,flowsthroughsoutheasternUkraineandisanimportantsourceofwaterfortheDonetsBasin(Donbas).TheDanubeRiverflowsalongthesouthwesternfrontierofUkraine.Marshland,coveringalmost3percentofUkraine,isfoundprimarilyinthenorthernrivervalleysandinthelowerreachesoftheDnieper,Danube,andotherrivers.DnieperRiverDnieperRiveratKyiv,Ukraine.J.AllanCashPhotolibraryTheriversaremostimportantasawatersupply,andforthispurposeaseriesofcanalshasbeenbuilt,suchastheDonets–DonetsBasin,theDnieper–KryvyyRih,andtheNorthCrimea.Severalofthelargerriversarenavigable,includingtheDnieper,Danube,Dniester,Pripet(Pryp’yat),Donets,andSouthernBuh(initslowercourse).Damsandhydroelectricplantsaresituatedonallthelargerrivers. NewfromBritannica Thefingerprintsofkoalasarealmostindistinguishablefromhumanfingerprints. SeeAllGoodFacts Ukrainehasafewnaturallakes,allofthemsmallandmostofthemscatteredovertheriverfloodplains.OneofthelargestisLakeSvityaz,11squaremiles(28squarekm)inarea,inthenorthwest.SmallsaltwaterlakesoccurintheBlackSeaLowlandandinCrimea.Largersalinelakesoccuralongthecoast.Knownaslimans,thesebodiesofwaterformatthemouthsofriversorephemeralstreamsandareblockedoffbysandbarsfromthesea.Someartificiallakeshavebeenformed,thelargestofwhicharereservoirsathydroelectricdams—e.g.,thereservoirontheDnieperupstreamfromKremenchuk.TheKakhovka,Dnieper,Dniprodzerzhynsk,Kaniv,andKyivreservoirsmakeuptherestoftheDniepercascade.SmallerreservoirsarelocatedontheDniesterandSouthernBuhriversandontributariesoftheDonetsRiver.SmallreservoirsforwatersupplyalsoarefoundnearKryvyyRih,Kharkiv,andotherindustrialcities.Threelargeartesianbasins—theVolyn-Podilsk,theDnieper,andtheBlackSea—areexceptionallyimportantformunicipalneedsandagricultureaswell.