● Capital: Kiev
● Language: Ukrainian, also Russian (Cyrillic)
● Currency: Hryvnia (0,03 Euro in 2019)
● Population: 42,2 million (without the Crimean), 73 per km² (2018)
● Surface: 577 620 km² (without the Crimean))
(Image: Flag of Ukraine; source: Pixabay)
In the 9th century the „Rus of Kiev“ was founded. This empire, with Kiev at its centre, was the beginning of the Ukraine. In the following centuries it was under foreign rule by different peoples, like the Mongols, the Polish and the Russians.
In 1919 two parts of the Ukraine were united and, for some time, formed an independent country, but already in 1922 it was integrated into the territory of the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Ukraine became an independent state.
In its recent history the Ukraine hit the headlines because of the nuclear disaster of Chernobyl in 1989. In 2014 there was a military conflict, the so-called Crimean crisis. The Crimean was split off and declared to belong to the Russian federation. There are still great political tensions and the problem hasn't been solved yet. Already before that the part in the west of the Dnieper showed leanings towards the EU, whereas the eastern part tended more towards Russia.
(Image: Massandra Palace on the Crimean peninsula; source: Pixabay)
Only 50 km of the Danube and only a small part of its delta are situated in the Ukraine and thus the river doesn't play an important role for the country.
(Image: Danube in the Ukraine in winter; source: Pixabay)
Geography: The Ukraine, the largest country of Europe, is made up by flat plains and swamp areas and rivers in the north.
Famous people: Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko
(Image: Ukraine, on the Black Sea; source: Pixabay)
