Ukraine

Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe. It's eastern neighbor is Russia. Ukraine is also bordered by Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. Ukraine's southern region meets the Black Sea. Ukraine capital is Kiev.

Long, cold winters and short, hot summers characterise the Ukraine's continental climate. There is also plenty of rain, and winter and autumn tend to be cloudy. The Crimean coast in the south has a Mediterranean climate. The winter months (October to April) bring regular snowfall and temperatures average between 17°F and 35°F (-8°C to 2°C), with temperatures dropping inland. Ukrainian summers can be hot, particularly in the south, and temperatures range between 64°F and 81°F (18°C and 27°C). Rainfall is highest in the northwest of the country and particularly in the mountains, with rain occurring mainly in the form of thundershowers and the occasional downpour.

Cherkasyis a city in central Ukraine. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast. The city is located on the bank of Dnieper River (specifically at the Kremenchuk Reservoir), about 200km south of the nation's capital, Kiev. Chernihiv is a historic city in northern Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk is a largest city. Luhansk was developed by the Soviet authorities into an important industrial center of the Eastern Europe, particularly a home to the major locomotive-building company. Mykolaiv a major city in southern Ukraine. The city has three major shipyards. Zaporizhia is an important industrial center of Ukraine. Odessa is a warm water port, but of limited military value.

Ukraine is an industrial and agricultural country. It is rich in natural resources such as coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel and uranium. Highly developed industries include metallurgy, mining, power and fuel, machine-building, food production and textile. Ukraine is important to world energy markets as it is a critical transit center for exports of Russian oil and natural gas to Eastern and Western Europe. It is a major energy producer (including nuclear power) and consumer. The national economy includes heavy machine building, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, shipbuilding, automotive industry, manufacturing of agriculture machinery, production of power plants, oil extraction and equipment. Ukraine produces planes and ships, trucks and buses, motorcars and trains, computer and electronic equipment, precision instruments and agricultural machines, TVs and radios, and chemicals. Odessa, Sebastopol, Nikolaev, Kherson and Kerch are the main Ukrainian sea ports. Ukraine's biggest trade partners are Russia, Germany, USA, Turkey, Italy, Belarus, Poland, China, Bulgaria and France.

Ukrainian is the native language of over 40 million people. It is now the official language of Ukraine. It is spoken widely in central and western Ukraine. In 1988 Ukrainians celebrated the 1,000-year anniversary of Christianity in Ukraine. About 75 percent of Ukrainians belong to the Eastern Orthodox faith.

The most important holiday in the Ukrainian church is Easter. Ukrainians are known throughout the world for their pysanky, decorating of eggs at Easter. Acrylic or oil paint is applied to hollow eggshells in bold, geometric patterns. Families save their finest examples, passing the decorated eggshells down as treasured family heirlooms.

Ukrainians generally wear Western-style clothing. Young Ukrainians enjoy following Western trends and fashions. They especially like popular brand-name or designer clothes. Different regions of Ukraine have their own traditional costumes. These are worn on holidays or other special occasions. The costumes are decorated with beautiful, colorful embroidery unique to each region.

Ukrainian cuisine plays a role in customs and rituals. There are ritual breads for Christmas, Easter, weddings, and funerals. These include Easter paska bread, and wedding korovai and dyven. Other traditional foods are pyrohy (baked pies with fillings), varenyky (filled, cooked dumplings), and holubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls). Borshch (red beet soup) is served with dinner. Pork and pork products, such as ham, sausage (kovbasa), and blood sausage (kyshka), are the most popular meats. Ukrainians also eat large amounts of potatoes, cooked buckwheat (kasha), and different types of rye bread.

The Great Patriotic War Museum houses a fascinating collection of World War II artifacts in a Soviet-built building. Decommissioned tanks sit outside the museum, symbolically painted with flowers and nearby, another interesting statue entitled 'To the Fallen' serves as a memorial to all those who fought and died in the war. Although most of the museum notes are in either Russian or Ukrainian, they are well laid out and the displays are fascinating.

Embroidery is the most popular Ukrainian folk art and hobby. It is known for its varied colors, complex stitches, and intricate designs.

Ukrainians engage in soccer, volleyball, track and field, basketball, hockey, skating, and swimming. Soccer is definitely the biggest sport, and the favorite team is Kiev Dynamo.