Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe, after Russia, and is about the size of Texas!
Ukraine
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Facts About Ukraine
The capital city of Ukraine is Kyiv, which is over 1,500 years old and is known as the “Mother of Slavic Cities”!
As of early 2025, Ukraine has about 32 million people — a big change from before!
The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, but many people also speak Russian and other regional languages like Polish, Yiddish, Belarusian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Crimean Tatar, and Hungarian.
In Ukraine, the money is called the hryvnia (UAH). Each hryvnia is divided into 100 “kopiykas”, similar to how a dollar is divided into 100 cents.
Ukraine is a democratic country with a president and a parliament, similar to many other European nations. The president is elected by the people, and the parliament, called the Verkhovna Rada, makes the laws.
Ukraine’s flag has two equal stripes: blue on top for the sky, and yellow below for the wheat fields.
The national anthem of Ukraine is called “Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished,” and it was first written as a poem in 1862!
Ukraine’s national bird is the nightingale, a small brown bird famous for its beautiful singing.
Ukraine has four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Summers are warm, and winters are cold and snowy!
The Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine are home to beautiful forests and rare animals like the European brown bear!
The Dnieper River, flowing through Ukraine, is about 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) long. That’s like lining up around 3,200 school buses end to end!
Ukraine has some of the most fertile soil in the world, called “chornozem” or “black earth”!
The Tunnel of Love near Klevan, Ukraine, is a natural tunnel formed by trees growing over a railway track, making it look magical!
Ukraine has over 63,000 rivers and streams — that’s more than most countries in Europe!
Mount Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest mountain, stands at 2,061 meters (6,762 feet). That’s taller than stacking about 103 giraffes on top of each other!
Ukraine has beautiful beaches along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, stretching longer than 1,000 football fields!
The deepest and second-largest natural lake in Ukraine is Lake Svityaz, which is so clear you can see the bottom even in deep parts!
The largest natural lake in Ukraine is Lake Yalpuh, located in the Odesa region and covering an area of about 149 square kilometers (58 square miles)!
Ukraine has special protected areas called “zapovidnyk” where rare plants and animals are kept safe!
Pysanky are beautifully decorated Easter eggs that Ukrainians have been making for over 1,000 years!
The vyshyvanka is a traditional embroidered shirt that Ukrainians wear for special occasions!
The hopak is a traditional Ukrainian dance where performers do amazing jumps and spins!
Ukrainian folk music often uses an instrument called the bandura, which has more strings than three guitars combined!
In Ukraine, during the winter holiday of Malanka, children and adults dress up in colorful costumes and go caroling from house to house!
In Ukraine, when guests arrive, it’s traditional to offer them bread and salt as a special way to say ‘welcome’ and show kindness.
Ukrainian wedding celebrations can last for several days and include many fun traditions and games!
The ‘tryzub’ (pronounced ‘tree-zoob’) is an ancient symbol of Ukraine that looks like a trident, or three-pointed spear. It appears on Ukraine’s coat of arms and represents the country’s rich history and independence.
During winter holidays, Ukrainian children often make ‘didukh,’ which are decorative arrangements made from wheat.
Traditional Ukrainian houses were decorated with beautiful painted flowers called ‘Petrykivka’!
Borscht, a tasty soup made with beets and vegetables, is so important to Ukrainian culture that it’s recognized by UNESCO!
Varenyky, also known as pierogies, are yummy dumplings from Ukraine. They’re filled with all sorts of tasty things like mashed potatoes, cheese, meat, or even sweet cherries!
In Ukraine, children usually start school at age 6. On the first day, called the Day of Knowledge, they wear their best clothes to celebrate.
In Ukraine, people celebrate both their birthday and their name day, known as ‘Den’ Angela’ or ‘Angel’s Day.’
Salo, a traditional food made from cured pork fat, is considered a national dish of Ukraine!
Many Ukrainian schools have chess clubs because chess is a very popular game in Ukraine!
Ukrainian children often learn traditional crafts like embroidery and pysanky decoration in school!
Many Ukrainian families grow their own vegetables in garden plots called “gorods”!
Hot tea with herbs and honey is a popular drink in Ukrainian homes, especially during cold weather!
Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, was founded over 1,500 years ago by three siblings named Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid!
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, was built in 1037 and still stands today, with beautiful ancient mosaics inside!
Princess Anna of Kyiv became Queen of France in 1051 and could read and write when most European rulers couldn’t!
The first constitution in Europe was written by Ukrainian Pylyp Orlyk in 1710!
Zaporizhian Sich, located on islands along the Dnieper River, was a famous fortress where Ukrainian Cossacks lived and trained hundreds of years ago!
The ancient city of Chersonesos in Crimea was founded over 2,500 years ago by ancient Greeks!
Ukrainian engineers designed and built the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the largest and heaviest airplane ever constructed — its wingspan was almost as long as a football field!
The famous writer Nikolai Gogol was born in Ukraine and wrote stories about Ukrainian life!
The first university in Eastern Europe was founded in Ukraine in 1576!
Ukrainian inventors helped create the first helicopter and the first electronic computer in Europe!
