A varied country, with a vast, fertile plain in the center, mountains in the west, and dramatic coastline in the south, Ukraine is rich in agriculture and natural resources. The north of the state is dominated by beech and oak forests, and the Crimea abounds in vineyards.
Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians, and Goths were among the nomadic peoples who arrived throughout the first millennium BCE in what is now Ukraine. These peoples were well-known to colonists and traders in the ancient world, including Greeks and Romans, who established trading outposts that eventually became city-states.
Slavic tribes occupied central and eastern Ukraine in the sixth century CE and played an important role in the establishment of Kiev. Situated on lucrative trade routes, Kiev quickly prospered as the center of the powerful state of Kievan Rus. In the 11th century, Kievan Rus was the largest state in Europe, and a center of East Slavic culture.
Christianity was brought to the area by the missionaries, Cyril and Methodius, who also brought the Cyrillic alphabet. Kievan Rus Prince Volodymyr converted the Kievan nobility and most of the population to Christianity in 988.
Kiev saw decline in the 12th century, due to conflict among feudal lords. Mongol raiders razed Kiev in the 13th century. And subsequently, the area was divided between a variety of powers, notably Russia, Poland, Lithuania, the Austrian Empire, Romania and the Ottoman Empire. A brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917 was ended by Ukraine’s absorption into the Soviet Union in 1922. The republic’s present borders were only established in 1954. It became independent once more following the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ukraine’s history has been riddled with tragedy. In the 20th century, Stalin introduced forced collectivization, and created an artificial famine which killed millions of previously independent peasants and others throughout the country. Estimates of deaths from the 1932-33 famine range from 3 to 7 million. The Soviet leadership also imposed a campaign of terror that ravaged the intellectual class. Another Soviet-era calamity was the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. About 8% of Ukraine’s territory was contaminated as were large areas in neighboring Belarus. Millions have suffered as a result.
When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, some Ukrainians, particularly in the west, welcomed what they saw as liberation from Communist rule, but this did not last as they quickly came to understand the nature of Nazi rule. Nazi brutality was directed principally against Ukraine’s Jews, of whom an estimated 1 million were killed, but also against many other Ukrainians. Babyn Yar in Kiev was the site of one of the most horrific Nazi massacres.
Russia remains Ukraine’s largest individual trading partner, although the amount of trade with EU countries overall now exceeds that with Russia. Ukraine is heavily dependent on Russia for its gas supplies and forms an important part of the pipeline transit route for Russian gas exports to Europe. A dispute over price rises prompted Russia briefly to cut supplies for use by Ukraine in January 2006 and raised concerns across Europe too.
In May 2002 Ukraine announced its intention to seek Nato membership. There were Ukrainian peacekeepers in the stabilization force in Iraq and the country also contributed troops to peacekeeping operations in Kosovo.
Location
Bordered by the Russian Federation to the north and east, Belarus to the north, Poland, the Slovak Republic, and Hungary to the west, and Romania and Moldova to the southwest, Ukraine is divided roughly in half by the River Dnieper, which flows into the Black Sea.
An eastern European country, Ukraine’s south is the Crimean Peninsula, surrounded by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. To the southwest, Ukraine is bounded by the Carpathian mountains.
Population
Many ethnic groups comprise the population of Ukraine, estimated at over 47 million people. Ethnic Ukrainians make up about 73% of the total, ethnic Russians number about 22%, and ethnic Belarusians number about 5%. There are small numbers of Moldovans, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Jews, Poles, and Crimean Tatars. Accused of collaborating with the Nazis and deported to Central Asia in 1944, the Crimean Tatars began returning to their autonomous republic in the late 1980s.
The industrial regions in the east and southeast are the most heavily populated, and 67% of the population lives in urban areas. The birth rate in Ukraine is declining.
The main religious denominations are the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (which practices Orthodox rites but recognizes the Pope as head of the Church). The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is divided between a Moscow Patriarchy and a separate Kiev Patriarchy, which was established after Ukrainian independence and which declared independence from Moscow. In addition to these, there are also the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, Roman Catholicism, and Islam. Mass emigration has reduced the numbers of Jews, concentrated in Kiev, Lviv and Odessa.
Ukrainians are known for their deep-rooted musical tradition, and singing is very popular.
Language
Ukrainian is the official state language. An eastern Slavic language similar to Russian, it was discouraged for centuries by Tsarist and Soviet authorities. It is widely spoken in western and central Ukraine. The revival of Ukrainian is promoted by the government, particularly in schools.
Russian it is the main language spoken in Kiev, eastern Ukraine and Crimea, and continues to be the language of international communication for many Ukrainians. It is generally understood throughout the country.
Education
Public educational instruction is conducted in either Russian or Ukrainian. The number of students receiving their education in Russian has significantly declined over the last ten years, in favour of Ukrainian-language education. Still, many urban Ukrainian schools are de facto Russian-speaking, especially in the east and south. There is also a private school sector, with international schools.
About 70% of adult Ukrainians have a secondary or higher education. Ukraine has about 150 colleges and universities, the most important are in Kiev, Lviv, and Kharkiv.
Weather
The climate in Ukraine is continental temperate, except in southern Crimea, where there is a sub-tropical climate. Winters in the north are cold and occasionally extremely cold when easterly winds blow from Siberia. In the south, the weather is warmer, and the Crimean peninsula has mild winters and pleasant, sunny summers.
Money and Cost of Living
Like other countries of the former Soviet Union, Ukraine faces difficult challenges to adapt to a free-market system. Some of these challenges are all too evident with regard to the cost of living in Ukraine. While reasonably-priced apartments and services may be found, Westerners wishing to maintain their American or western European way of life and standard of living may find themselves at the mercy of new entrepreneurs, ready to exploit the newcomer. Rents and commodity prices may suddenly double or triple, as there really are no market forces at work.
American and European goods can be bought, at very high prices, caused in part to high customs and taxes.
The currency in Ukraine is the Hryvnya (UAH) = 100 kopiyok (singular: kopiyka). Notes are in denominations of UAH200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 kopiyok. The current exchange rate can be found here
Banking hours are Mon-Fri 0930-1730.
Health
Citizens of Ukraine and foreign citizens who reside permanently in the country are entitled to free-of-charge medical assistance. However, as in most parts of the former Soviet Union, health care is a problem, its seriousness reflected in Ukraine’s life expectancy figures of 61.6 years for men, and 72.8 years for women.
Health insurance is strongly recommended. It is advisable to take a supply of medicines, and to contact your Embassy upon arrival for advice on where to get medical help.
No vaccinations required for entry to Ukraine, but it is recommended to be up-to-date on immunizations for hepatitis A and B, typhoid, tetanus-diptheria, and rabies. Tuberculosis and hepatitus C pose risks. Tick-borne encephalitis occurs in forested areas.
All water should be regarded as a potential health risk. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice needs to be first boiled or otherwise sterilized. Milk is pasteurized and dairy products are safe for consumption. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
Weights and Measures
Ukraine uses the metric system, with measuring units in grams and kilograms, and milliliters and liters.
Electricity
Ukraine uses 220V and 50Hz electricity with C plugs. These plugs are the round pin attachment type, very common in most universal adaptor sets, and can also be used with E, F, and some L receptacles.