A Quick Guide to Ukraine +

Ukraine is the second largest country of Europe with the territory of 233,088 square miles bordering Russia, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania. The capital is Kiev with the population of more than 3 million people. Other big cities are Odessa, Lviv, Donetsk and Kharkov (the spelling and pronunciation of geographical names in Ukrainian and Russian is different).

Geography

The Ukrainian landscape is mostly flat or rolling with fertile plains, Carpathian Mountains in the southwest, low mountain ranges along the Crimean cost in the extreme south, some forests in the north and the Black Sea in the south. There are large rivers such as Dnipro (Dnieper), Southern Buh and Dniester flowing into the Black Sea and the Azov Sea.

Ukraine has varied and contrasting scenery with steppes, heavily farmed fertile plains, hills and picturesque mountain ranges making it a popular tourist resort with excellent opportunities for sports activities and recreation. Ukraine is especially popular with holiday makers from the former Soviet Union countries.

Climate

The Ukrainian climate is quite similar to that of northern Great Plains and wheat-growing parts of Canada. It is characterized by high and rather disproportionate precipitation (abundant in the north and west and lower in the east), with cold and sometimes snowy winter and worm or even hot summer. The average temperature is 67^oF for summer and 21^oF for winter.

Population

Ukraine has the population of more than 48 million people, the majority of who are of Ukrainian and Russian origin. Other ethnic groups and minorities include Belarusians, Jews, Poles, Greeks and others. 64% of the population is urban. The official language is Ukrainian but Russian is spoken equally. The major religion is Orthodox and Catholic Christianity.

Political System

Ukraine is a unitary semi-presidential republic with a single chamber 450-seat parliament called Verkhovna Rada, popularly elected president and a president nominated Prime Minister. Ukraine is composed of 24 provinces (oblasts) and the autonomous republic of Crimea.

Travel and Tourism

Although Ukraine is not a hot spot for international tourists, its popularity as a vacation resort is on the uptake. Due to the stable political situation and low crime rates the country is safe for tourism. The most visited places in Ukraine are Kiev, Lviv, Odessa, the sunny beaches of Crimea and skiing resorts of the Carpathian Mountains. Major attractions include ancient churches, monasteries and fortresses.

Ukrainian Women

Ukraine has a lot of breathtaking sites and Ukrainian women are certainly one of them. Slim, blond, intelligent, sexy and irresistibly attractive, they have earned Ukraine a reputation of the country with the most beautiful girls in the world. One can never get tired of admiring them speaking, singing, whispering and shouting about their beauty, dignity and grace. Of course, however long you listen to others sharing their impression of Ukrainian beauties you won’t get even half the picture of how stunning they really are. As the saying goes: ‘It’s better to see once than to hear a thousand times’.