Go to Links Click here for more information The Ukraine is a country of about 50 million people in the eastern part of Europe.

Listen to the Ukrainian National Anthem

Geography Ukraine's neighbours are Belarus, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. Most of southern Ukraine touches two large seas: The Black Sea and the Azov Sea. Most of Ukraine is a flat plain, called a "steppe." Some forests can be found in the west, north and south. These have fir, pine, beech, oak and elm trees. The Carpathian Mountains are found in the western part of Ukraine.	Click on the map above to see images from around the Ukraine
	The Dnieper (Dnipro) River is the main river in the Ukraine.	The Dnieper (Dnipro) River flows south through the centre of the country.   It is one of the longest rivers in Europe. Dams on this river provide electricity to much of Ukraine.
Climate Summer in the Ukraine is mostly mild, but in the south it can be very hot. The summer months are dry with some showers and thunderstorms. Rain is more likely in the north and northwest. The southern parts are much drier. Winters in the Ukraine are milder than in most parts of Canada. Snow falls on most of the country except the far south. The mountains are usually colder than other areas. Click here to check the current weather in The Ukraine
	Economy   Ukraine is known as the bread basket of Europe because of the grain crops grown here. Wheat, corn, vegetables and all kinds of fruit do very well here because of the sunshine, rain and rich soil. Ukraine is also an important area for sugar production. Sugar is made from sugar beets grown here. The country also has many natural resources. Iron ore, coal, oil, gas and electricity are produced here. Most industries are found in the big cities like Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkov, and Lviv. Airplanes, ships, farm and motor vehicles, trains, computers and chemicals are produced in the larger cities.
People There are about 50 million people living in Ukraine today. The population has been going down over the past 10 years. Most of the people (75%) living in the Ukraine are ethnic Ukrainian. The largest other group are Russian (22%). There are also from the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary and Romania living here. More than half of the people belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church. See People of the Ukraine		Ukrainian traditions, dances and costumes vary in different areas of the country.
Click for more information on the Ukrainian Government For general information Visit:	Government Ukraine is a democratic country. The leader is called the president. The president is elected by the people. Ukraine became independent in 1991. Before that time is was controlled by the Soviet Union (Russia.) Today, the President is elected by a free vote of citizens over 18 years of age and becomes the leader of the state. A statue of Taras Shevchenko - the esteemed Ukrainian poet and artist - stands in the city of Kiev (Kyiv).