Here are some fascinating and important facts about Ukraine for Kids. These facts were researched and compiled especially for kids to learn about the countries the world news talk about.
Ukraine is an independent country in Eastern Europe and borders seven countries: Belarus, Russia, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.
The Crimean peninsula and various eastern areas of the country around Donetsk and Luhansk are occupied by Russia and Putin's army since 2014.
Ukraine is often referred to as the second largest country in Europe - after neighbouring Russia. Russia is in fact larger, about 28 times larger in land area than Ukraine. However, Russia is a transcontinental country spreading over the European and Asian continents. Thus if you consider the landmass of the country that is solely located on the European continent, Ukraine is the largest country in Europe!
The country is one of the most populous countries in Europe, was ranking 8th in 2022 but now due to the ongoing war, about 10 million people are refugees and live in neighbouring countries.
Ukraine was home to about 44 million people in 2022, today there are only about 34 million people still living in the country due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Of these about 78% are Ukrainians and about 17% consider themselves Russians. The official language is Ukrainian, however, almost all people in Ukraine speak Russian too, as the country once was part of the Soviet Union.
The capital city is called Kyiv. The city houses about 3 million people and is located by the Dnieper River.
Kyiv is Ukraine's largest city. This city was founded in 482 and was an important trade centre already in the medieval ages. According to a legend the city was founded by the brothers Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv and their sister Lybid.
Large parts of the country are flat and the landscape is dominated by lowlands, plains and steppes. Highlands and mountains are located in the western and southwestern regions. The highest mountains are the Carpathians in the country's western region.
The country is rich in natural resources and has fertile arable land. Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe.
The climate is mostly temperate but in the southern Crimean region, the climate is subtropical.
A flight to Kyiv takes 3.5 hours from London/England and 9 hours from New York/USA.
Here some fascinating Ukraine facts and geo superlatives:
Ukrainian is the national language, while also Russian is widely spoken especially in the eastern and south eastern parts of the country.
Ukrainian is an East Slavic language and similar to Russian. The vocabulary has many words that are also used in other Slavic languages such as Russian, Polish or Slovak.
The Ukrainian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet which consists of 33 letters - as does the Russian language.
'мир' is the Ukrainian and the Russian word for 'peace'.
Almost all people in Ukraine can understand and speak Russian.
Most people in Ukraine live in the eastern and southeastern parts of the country. Most of the people in the Ukraine lives in the western part of the country.
Some 7% of the country's land area in the eastern parts of the country as well as the Crimean peninsula were seized by Pro-Russian separatists in 2014 and proclaimed their independence in 2022.
In 2013 pro-European Union demonstrations were held regularly in Kyiv.
Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa are the main urban centres in the country.
Most people in Ukraine are Christians. The country houses the second largest population of the Eastern Orthodox religion - after Russia. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian community in the world.
Among most famous Ukrainian people that are known all over the world are:
Other famous Ukrainians are:
Ukraine is a country rich in natural resources. The country is second in titanium ore reserves as well as for iron ore and mercury ore reserves. The country is also the 10 largest steel producer in the world.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant which is located in northern Ukraine near the Belarus border was destroyed in the world's largest nuclear accident in 1986. The largest nuclear disaster in world history caused a much higher death toll and human and environmental impact than the nuclear disaster of Fukushima/ Japan. There is an exclusion zone with several towns still around the destroyed nuclear plant.
Ukraine once held the largest nuclear arsenal in the world but gave this up when it signed its independence declaration in 1994.
In regards to arable land area, Ukraine has the most arable land in Europe and is among the largest grain exporting countries in the world. Barley, wheat, rye and corn are grown and harvested here. Ukraine is among the five top producers worldwide for these grains.
There are also huge sunflower fields and Ukraine is the world's largest exporter of sunflower oil.
The country's main trading partners are China, Germany, Netherlands, Belarus and the USA.
Still Ukraine is said to have the second largest army in Europe - again after Russia.
Most dishes in Ukraine contain some kind of grains, such as wheat, rye, corn or millet. Vegetables such as cabbage, beetroot, potatoes or are also eaten almost on a daily basis. Borscht, a soup made of red beetroots, is considered the national dish.
Here is some typical Ukrainian food:
Ukraine has a varied wildlife with more than 100 mammal and 350 bird species. Among the commonly seen mammals are foxes, deer, rodents and wild horses.
Among the common bird species are ducks, geese and storks.
The Struve Geodetic Arc is an arc stretching of ten survey points stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Baltic Sea in Ukraine. These points are located in various countries for exact measurements of the earth's shape and size. The arc reaches from Norway to Ukraine. The Ukrainian monument is among the country's world heritage sites.
Ukraine for Kids: Facts were last amended and updated on 22 August 2024.
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