Ukraine

GEOGRAPHY

Ukraine is the state in Eastern Europe, which in the north borders on Belarus, in the north and east on the Russian Federation, in the west on Poland, Slovakia, in the south-west on Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, and in the south it is washed by the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. The total area of Ukraine is 603,700 sq. km. The population of Ukraine is 50 million. The area spanned in the west-east direction is 1300 km, from north to south 900 km. The longest river of Ukraine is the Dnipro, which is 2201 km long, of which 981 km flows down trough Ukraine. The largest mountain system in Ukraine is the Carpathian Mountains that extend for more than 270 km and are 100-110 km wide. The highest mount is Hoverla (2061 m).

CLIMATE

Ukraine is located in the temperate climatic zone. The climate is mainly moderate continental. The average temperatures are: winter - from -8 C to + 2 C (from 17,6 F to 35.6 F); summer - from +17 C to + 25 C (from 62.6 F to 77 F). The subtropical climate prevails in the south of Ukraine (the Crimean peninsula, southern coast of the Black Sea).

POLITICAL SYSTEM

Form of Government - Constitutional Democracy
Head of the State - President
Legislative power - Verkhovna Rada
Executive power - Cabinet of Ministers
Judicial power - Constitutional Court
Political Division - 24 regions and 1 autonomous republic (the Crimea)

The official emblem of Ukraine is a golden trident against an azure background. As a state emblem the trident dates back to Kiev Rus when it was the coat of arms of the Rurik dynasty. Ukraine's official flag is a rectangle composed of a horizontal blue and a yellow stripe. It represents ripe wheat growing under the blue sky.

NATIONALITY, RELIGION

Among 454 cities and towns of Ukraine the biggest are: The Capital – Kyiv or Kiev (population 2.6 million); Kharkiv
(population 1.6 million); Dnepropetrovsk (population 1.1 million); Odessa (population 1.1 million);
Donetsk (population 1.1 million), and Lviv (population 802 thousand).
67 percent of the Ukrainians live in towns, and 33 percent live in the countryside, with the ethnic
Ukrainians making up 80 percent of the population; the rest are Russians, Belorussians,
Romanians, Tartars, Jews, Germans, Bulgarians and others, 126 ethnic groups in all.
The main religion is Christianity (Orthodox, Greek-Catholic and Roman-Catholic), but there also exist Judaism and Muslim religion.

LANGUAGE

Ukrainian became the official language only in 1990, replacing Russian. Most of the population in eastern Ukraine and in Kyiv speaks Russian as the first language, while Ukrainian is the first language in western Ukraine. Although Ukrainians in the political world and local media use both languages, official documents are now in Ukrainian. Not much English is spoken in Ukraine.

TIME

Ukraine has two time zones (two hours after Greenwich Mean Time in 24 oblasts (regions) and three in the Republic of the Crimea). Daylight savings time is observed from April to October.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

You can easily change your dollars or other hard currency for Hryvnias in major banks and special exchange points. Changing US dollars for Ukrainian Hryvnias or another currency is legal only at banks, currency exchange desks at hotels and at licensed exchange points. There are a lot of such exchange points throughout the city. Beware of changing money on the streets or with private individuals: it's illegal and it can be dangerous.

CREDIT CARDS

Ukraine is a cash economy. Traveler's checks and credit cards are becoming more and more popular in larger cities. The use of credit cards is limited to the better hotels, Western-style restaurants, international airlines and selected stores. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are commonly accepted.

ELECTRICITY

220 volts, 50 Hz is the standard electrical voltage throughout Ukraine. To use electrical appliances you will need a converter as well as an Eastern-European plug adapter.

HOLIDAYS IN UKRAINE

January 1 – New Year
January 7 – Christmas
March 8 – International Women's Day
May 1, 2 – International Labor Day
May 9 – Victory Day
Last Sunday of May – Kiev Day
June 28 – Constitution Day
August 24 – Independence Day
No fixed date – Easter, Holy Trinity Day

PLACES OF INTEREST

   A visitor to Ukraine should start his sightseeing with Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, the ancient city, which celebrated its 1,500th anniversary in 1982.
   The most ancient building in Kiev is St. Sophia's Cathedral, founded by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1037. He meant to turn it into the cultural center of his Eastern Slavic state, but the Cathedral was also the place where the Kiev community gathered for assemblies, and where the Prince gave official audiences to foreign ambassadors.
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the oldest monastery in Ukraine, owes its name to the numerous caves which were used as dwellings from pre-historic times. About a thousand years ago the caves were taken over by monks who set up a monastery there, and very soon the Lavra became a major center for the promotion of early Russian culture.
The Golden Gate, St. Vladimir's Cathedral, St. Andrew's Church, Andriyivsky Uzviz, Kreschatik are the places of interest in Kiev which must be visited.
   It is claimed that anyone who has ever been to the Crimea wants to return there again and again. The first written mention of the Crimea occurs in Herodotus' «History». Now Crimea is one of the most popular tourist centers in Ukraine. In its territory under protection of the state are about 3 thousand monuments of history, archeology, and art. In museums are stored set of the most valuable exhibits reflecting history of edge since the most ancient times up to now. Among them are most known: study of local lore museums in Alushta, Evpatoria, Simferopol, Feodosiya, Yalta and other cities, the well-known palaces in Alupka, Livadia, Bakhchisarai, Massandra, picture gallery named after I.K.Ajvazovsky in Feodosiya, art museums in Simferopol and Sevastopol, memorial A.P.Chekhov museum in Yalta and many others.
   Special riches of Crimea are nature sanctuaries. Here are widely known Nikitsk's a botanical garden, museum-reserve Hersonessky, national parks: Karadag's, Kachinsk's a canyon, Cape Ajja, Yalta mountain-wood; mountain Demerdzhi with the Valley of ghosts, parks in Alushta, Saki and Yalta; Karadag's wood, falls Djur-Djur and Wuchang-Su, a cave Kyzyl-Koba and many other things.
   The abundance of sunny days, the warm sea, dry air, presence of woods and parks do Crimea one of the best resort areas of Ukraine, a favorite place of tourism.