15. Ukraine

Ukraine is one of the largest countries of Eastern Europe. Ukraine occupies an area of 603700 km2.

Its territory stretches for 893 kilo-metres from north to south and for 1316 kilometres from east to west.

It has state borders with Russia, Belarus and Moldova. It also borders on Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

In the south it is washed by the Black and the Azov Seas.

The major part of Ukraine is flat and only 5% of it is mountainous.

The two mountainous areas in Ukraine are the Carpathians and the Crimean Mountains.

The geographical position of Ukraine is very favourable because the country lies on the crossroads of the ways from Asia to Europe.

Ukraine has deposits of iron, manganese, coal, natural gas, oil and other mineral resources.

The main branches of industry are: coal and ore mining, iron and steel engineering, machine and ship building. Besides, Ukraine has always been an agrarian country.

Traditionally crop-growing and cattle-breeding are being developed.

Geographical Position of Ukraine

Ukraine is situated in the south-east of Europe.

It borders on Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania. The territory of Ukraine is 603700 km2.

The territory of Ukraine is mostly flat.

There are the Carpathian Mountains in the west and the Crimean Mountains in the south, but they are not high.

The main rivers are the Dnieper, the Dniester, the Buh, the Donets and others.

The Dnieper is one of the longest European rivers and one of the main sources of hydroelectric power In the country.

The coasts of the Azov Sea and the Black Sea are good for ports.

We have quite a lot of big sea ports, for example, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Izmail, Mariupol and Kerch.

The geographical position of Ukraine is very favourable because the country lies on the crossroads of the ways from Asia to Europe.

Since the times of Kyivan Rus Ukrainian roads have been used for trade contacts.

Due to favourable climatic conditions, Ukraine is traditionally an agricultural country.

Wheat, maize and other corns, vegetables, all kinds of fruit are grown here. The country is rich in natural resources, such as iron ore, coal, non-ferrous metals, oil, gas.

It has developed a varied industry concentrated mostly in and around big cities, such as Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Kharkiv, Lviv Mykolaiv and others.

Ukraine produces planes and ships, lorries and buses, electronic equipment and agricultural machines, TV and radio-sets and other goods.

Animals and Plants In Ukraine

Ukraine has mostly coniferous and deciduous trees, such as pine, oak, fir, beech and birch.

The wealth of the forest Includes not only timber, but also berries, mushrooms and medical herbs.

The animal world of Ukraine is different. It has hundreds of species of animals and birds.

They are: wolf, fox, badger, deer, elk, hamster, field mouse and so on.

The birds are: the sparrow, titmouse, grouse, owl.

Some fur animals, such as mink, silver-black-fox, musk-rat, brought into Ukraine, have acclimatized well.

In the rivers and lakes there are perch, bream, pike and carp.

The Forest-Steppe zone contains the oak, elm, black poplar, willow, ash and pine.

The animals include squirrels, foxes, hares and roes.

The rivers and lakes are home to ducks, geese, storks and cranes.

It also should be said that the animal life of the Carpathians is unique.

Here you can find deer, brown bears, wild cats and pigs, black squirrels. Bird life includes golden eagles and black woodpeckers.

The plants of this region are also different and beautiful.

It is well worth visiting, especially in spring.

Kyiv-the Capital of Ukraine

According to the chronicles Kyiv's first citadel was built in the period from the sixth to eighth centuries.

Kyiv bears the name of prince Kyi, who lived on the old Kyiv Hill in the sixth century. 

Under the rule of Yaroslav the Wise Kyivan Rus with Kyiv as its capital reached the height of its power. Nowadays Kyiv is a large political, industrial, scientific and cultural centre.

Its population is about 3000000. The city lies on both banks of the Dnieper.

Kyiv is a garden city; only a seventh part of its territory is occupied by buildings.

Kyiv has a well-developed industry. Its factories and plants produce sea and river transport vessels, air liners, computers, motorcycles, consumer goods.

Kyiv is also one of the largest scientific centres. 

The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and many research institutes are famous for their discoveries.

More than 10000 students study at Kyiv Shevchenko National University.

There are over 20 higher educational establishments in Kyiv.

Kyiv is also the centre of political life in Ukraine. All major political events take place here.

Kyiv is the largest ancient centre of national Ukrainian culture. There are 20 museums, 1300 libraries, 41 theatres, 121 parks.

Kyiv is growing and is being built, it also becomes younger and more beautiful.

Ukrainian Traditions and Religious Festivals

The Ukrainians, like any other people, have their own customs and traditions: many of these are very old, some appear nowadays.

 Most of the customs are connected with the religious festivals or with Ukrainian dwelling.

The most popular of the holidays is the New Year Day; it is celebrated on the 1st of January.

On the eve of the holiday children and their parents decorate a New Year's Tree with shining balls and other Christmas ornaments. The mothers of the families prepare holiday dinners.

On that day people exchange presents with their relatives and friends: they often go to see them or invite them to their place to see in the New Year together.

They lay festive tables and at 12 o'clock raise their glasses with champagne and say to each other "Happy New Year".

But the Orthodox Church in Ukraine celebrates New Year on the 14th of January to the old-style Calendar. In the evening on the 13th of January children go from house to house and sing Christmas carols: they wish all the best to the people who live in these houses.

Of course, the carol-singers are given some reward - sweets, cakes or a little money.

The Orthodox Ukrainian people celebrate Christmas on January, 6: the evening before Christmas is called the Holy Evening. On the Holy Evening all the family get together to have the Christmas Supper. According to the religious tradition, it is necessary to prepare 12 different dishes because of 12 apostles; no one at the table can eat till the first star appears in the sky. But, unlike in the English-speaking countries, in Ukraine people do not exchange presents on that day.

On the Christmas Evening the   religious people go to church; some of them spend the whole night there — they pray and listen to Christmas religious songs which glorify Christ's birthday.

Another religious festival in winter is Twelfth-day or the Jordanian Holiday which is celebrated on memory of Jesus Christ's christening (on the 19th of January).

On the eve of this holiday at their supper people sing songs which are called "the generous songs" — that is why this evening is called "the generous evening", too.

In the morning of the Jordanian Holiday the festival procession goes from a church to a river or to a pond where christening of water takes place. After that the priest consecrates the peoples' homes and things.

Easter is another great religious festival: usually it is celebrated on one of Sundays in spring.

On that day the religious people go to church and listen to the service. Usually they bring with them baskets with food Easter cakes, butter, cheese and, of course, painted eggs.

The priest in the church consecrates all the food: many people believe that the Easter eggs possess magic power and can protect from evil, thunder or fire and have healing powers.

In the morning after the end of the service, the people greet each other with the words: "Christ has resurrected!" and return home for breakfast.

They celebrate Easter as the beginning of spring, too.

There are many other interesting customs and traditions in Ukraine, too.

Easter in Ukraine

Easter Is the most important holiday of the year.

Easter egg is called pysanka.

Pysanka shells have been found in archaeological sites from more than 3000 years ago, and many of those designs are still being used on pysanka today.

Preparation for Easter starts seven weeks ahead of time with the advent of Lent.

Believers don't eat meat and animal products.

Palm Sunday, the week before Easter, is known in Ukraine as Willow Sunday.

People bring home willow branches which have been blessed in church.

The week is dedicated to preparing for Easter.

The Thursday before Easter is called Clean Thursday.

According to Ukrainian tradition one should bathe before sunrise on this day.

The house must be clean too.

Good Friday is the day that the women of the family bake "paska", Ukrainian Easter bread.

On Saturday children dye Easter eggs to add to the Easter basket which will be blessed in church.

It also includes pysanka, salt, paska, sausage and ham.

In the evening people go to church for the Easter mass, which lasts all night.

Easter Sunday is a day of singing songs and eating.

Young girls dance and sing about nature and spring.

People exchange pysanky.

Places of Interest in Kyiv

Ukraine has a long history and rich culture.

That is why there are many places of interest there.

It is natural that the capital of the country, Kyiv, has the greatest number of them.

It is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

From time immemorial Kyiv has been the centre of Slavonic culture.

There are many ancient cathedrals and churches, museums and monuments, beautiful streets and squares in it.

The main street of Kyiv is certainly Khreshchatyk.

If you have never been to Kyiv you should start your sightseeing there.

The street is only one kilometre long but very impressive.

Kyiv is famous for its Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra.

More than 80 buildings were constructed on its territory during 900 years of the monastery's existence.

Tourists always go to have a look at the monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the outstanding Ukrainian statesman and military leader.

There are many other places of interest in Kyiv.

One of them is the State Historical Museum of Ukraine.

There are more than 50000 exhibits on display.

The exposition tells us about the history of Ukraine and its culture from antiquity to the  present days.  

The Golden Gates, the Andreyevskaya Church, the monuments to Prince Volodymyr and  Taras Shevchenko are worth seeing.

Kyiv Shevchenko Opera and Ballet House, Kyiv Ivan Franko Drama Theatre are well-known all over the country.

Any place is interesting in its own-way and visiting it we come to know and love this country more.

Climate of Ukraine

The climate of Ukraine is determined by its geographical location. Ukraine's territory lies in the temperate belt. In general the country's climate is climate is temperately continental, being subtropical only on the southern coast of the Crimea. The differences in climate are caused by many factors: the latitude, relief, altitude and proximity to seas and oceans. A characteristic feature of the climate is an increase in its continental nature from west to east.

A feature of Ukraine's climate is the considerable fluctuation in weather conditions from year to year. Alongside very wet years there can be droughts, whose effect increases to the south and east. There are frequent oscillations in weather in the regions of the Crimean and Carpathian Mountains.

On the southern coast of the Crimea the climate is subtropical Mediterranean, inasmuch as the Crimean Mountains obstruct the movement of cold Arctic air to the coast. These climatic features have contributed to the creation of the one of the best resort areas in Ukraine.

Winter is rather cold in Ukraine. There is much snow in the northern and western parts of the country. Average temperature of January is 7-8 degrees below zero.

It often rains in the Carpathian Mountains. In the south and east the weather is dry especially in summer.

The average yearly temperature in Ukraine varies between +5.5...+7 C in the north and +11...+13C in the south.

In Zaporozhye region the climate is close to continental. We have hot summers and cool winters without heavy snowfalls and frosts. In spring and autumn the climate is moderate.

They say the climate in Ukraine like anywere else is getting milder with every coming year. It depends on many reasons.

State System of Ukraine

The government of Ukraine underwent rapid change in the early 1990s.

The independence of Ukraine was proclaimed on the 24th of August, 1991.

Its sovereignty is now recognized by all the countries of the world.

Ukraine has its own state symbols Constitution, currency and government.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine its territory is one and indivisible.

There is the Crimean Autonomous Republic in Ukraine, 24 administrative districts and the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol.

Only the laws of Ukraine act on its territory.

The power in the country is divided into legislative, executive and judiciary.

The main legislative body of Ukraine is the Verkhovna Rada, which consists of 450 deputies.

The elections to the Verkhovna Rada are held every 4 years on the last week of March.

The deputies are elected by equal, secret or direct ballot.

The head of the state is' the president.

He can veto any decision of the Verkhovna Rada.

The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine.

He also represents the state in the international relations.

The highest executive body is the Cabinet of Ministers, which is headed by the Prime Minister.

The Cabinet of Ministers coordinates the daily administration of the government and may introduce bills to the Verkhovna Rada.

The judiciary power belongs to the Supreme Court and regional courts.

The state symbols of Ukraine are the national flag and emblem.

They root deeply in ancient times and have symbolic meaning.

Azure-yellow state flag symbolizes the unity of blue sky and yellow wheat field.