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It's the geographical center of Europe, bordering the Black Sea,
between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the
east.
From the CIA Factbook:
"Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus,
which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most
powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and
Mongol invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy
of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation
for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new
Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the
mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite
continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain
autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the
18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by
the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in
1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of
independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a
brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22
and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German
and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more
deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991
with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the
legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at
economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass
protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the
authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow
a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a
reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. The new government presents
its citizens with hope that the country may at last attain true
freedom and prosperity."
Find out more from the
Welcome to Ukraine magazine.
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Kiev (also known as Kyiv) |
See pictures of
Kiev
Kiev is rich in history.
It is one of the world's ancient cities.
It was the center of statehood and culture of the Eastern Slavs
and was named after Prince Kiy (Kyi in Ukrainian ) who
founded the first citadel on the hills on the right bank of the
River Dnipro in the sixth century.
It was here that Prince Volodymyr, the famous ruler of the feudal
state of Kiev Rus, baptized his subjects in 988 A.D.
You can see a lot of historical relics in the city now.
Kiev has a huge area of about 825 square kilometers.
Administratively the city is divided into ten districts, among
them three are located on the left bank that is flat and seven are
located on the hilly right bank.
The city is located on
both banks of the Dnipro in its middle part, 950 km (591 miles)
from its mouth in the Black Sea.
The Dnipro is the mightiest of all Ukrainian rivers.
Dnipro is translated from the Old Slav language as "deep
water". The Greeks called the river "Borisfen", that is , a river
of the North.
There are seven bridges across the Dnipro, among them the unique
non-welded Paton Bridge built in the thirties.
The left bank of the Dnipro is sloping and low, whereas the right
one towers over the river (the fall is about 100 meters), which
makes the city landscape inimitable in its beauty.
The natural
surroundings of Kiev are also very special for it is located on
the border of mixed forests and forest-steppe. There are forests
of Pushcha Voditsa and Svyatoshin in the northwest and Goloseyev
Forests in the south of Kiev.
The city's greenery zone is over 250
thousand hectares. More than 250 kinds of trees and shrubs grow in
the streets, gardens, parks and forest parks of the city. Most of
all the Kievites like the chestnut-tree that is considered to be
one of the symbols of the capital.
We, Ukrainians, like our capital, its
splendid parks, public gardens, cafes and theaters.
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