1. Ukraine

2. Name Ukraine
“Ukraine” in modern Ukrainian language still retains the word “ukraity” meaning ‘to mark out’. Scientists believe that in ancient times ‘Ukraine’ meant “the land singled out for us by God”.

3. General information Area: 603 700 kм² Population: 47, 2 mil
Capital city: Kyiv
Official language: Ukrainian
Currency: Hrivna (letter code UAH, digital code 980, abbreviation – hrn).
Ukraine is a member of United Nations from 1945.
Largest cities: Kyiv, Kharkov, Dnipropetrovsk, Lvov, Donetsk, Odessa, Zaporozhye
Climate: moderate climate, subtropical of Mediterranean type on the Crimea Southern Coast, Mild climate in Zakarpatye with warm low snow winter and rainy summer.
Time zone: GMT+2 (UTC+2)
Internet domain: ua

4. National holidays January 1 – New Year
March 8 – International Women’s day
May 1, 2 – International Labor Day
May 9 – Victory Day
June 28 – Constitution Day
August 24 – Independence Day

5. Symbols Flag of Ukraine
A blue and yellow bicolor
The 23rd of August is a day of Ukrainian national flag.
The national flag was officially adopted for the first time in 1918 by a short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic.

6. Symbols The Coat of Arms of Ukraine (Tryzub)
The history of the trident symbol as featured in the current Ukrainian coat of arms is more than 1000 years old. The first known archeological and historical evidence of this symbol can be found on the seals of the Rurik dynasty.
Ukrainian speakers also point out that the trident can be broken into four letters of the Cyrillic alphabet, spelling ‘liberty’ (ВОЛЯ, volya)
Yaroslav “The Wise”
Svyatoslav
Volodymyr the Great

7. National anthem
“Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy" or "Ukraine's glory has not perished” is the naitional anthem of Ukraine. The lyrics constitute a slightly modified original first stanza of the patriotic poem written in 1862 by Pavlo Chubynsky, music was composed by Mykhaylo Verbytsky.

8. Ukrainian national symbols
Willow is a symbol of beauty, continuity of the life, holy tree of Ukrainians.
Periwinkle is a symbol of eternity.
Viburnum is a symbol of beauty, love, happiness.
Rushnyk is an attribute
of numerous Ukrainian
rituals.

9. Location Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe.
It borders Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.

10. Geography Ukraine is a second country in Europe by area.
Ukraine is located in the center of Eastern Europe.
Most of territory is plain, but there are Crimean and Carpathian mountains. The highest pick in Ukraine is Goverla Mountain (2, 061 m) situated in Carpathians.
On territory of Ukraine are situated Black Sea and Azov Sea.
There are more than 73, 000 rivers in Ukraine. The largest of them Dnepr and Danube are navigable.

11. Government
Ukraine is a republic under a mixed semi-parliamentary semi-presidential system.
President – head of the country ()
Legislative - The parliament, Verkhovna Rada
Executive - the Cabinet of Ministers, which is headed by the Prime Minister ().
Judicial - Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

12. Economy
Ukraine is industrial and agricultural country. Industrial production sector includes: machine building (Ukraine produces nearly all types of transportation vehicles: automobiles, buses, trucks, ships, airplanes, subway and rail cars, and even space craft), metallurgy and metal working, chemical and petrochemical industries, food processing industry.
Ukraine also intensively produces electric power.

13. Foreign trade
Ukraine ran foreign trade in commodities with partners from 201 countries worldwide.

14. Natural resources
One quarter of world’s black soil reserves are located in Ukraine.
Ukraine possesses 5% of world natural resources.
Industrial extraction of coal is mainly done in Donbass region.
Oil and gas are concentrated in Pridneprovskiy-Donetsk and the Prichernomorskiy-Crimea oil and gas bearing regions.
There are deposits of iron,
manganese, mercury,
nickel, chrome, titanium
ores.

15. Ukraine is European leader by number of mineral rock deposits, ozokerites, brimstones.
The deposits of graphite are the most important in the world.
The extraction of rock and potassium salt has been conducted in Ukraine for a long time.
There are opened deposits of precious and semiprecious stones on the territory of Ukraine.
More than 15 deposits of gold have been discovered over the last several years.

16. Flora and fauna
Approximately species of plants grow in Ukraine.
More than 400 of them are included in the Red Data Book.
14% of Ukraine’s territory is covered with forests.
About 250 species of herbs are recognized by official medicine.
Fauna in Ukraine is diverse and numbers almost species.
The rarest surviving animals are found in numerous conservation areas.
11 natural national parks, 4
biosphere conservation areas,
16 wilderness areas and a lot of
dendroparks have been created
in Ukraine.

17. Ukrainian history
Ukraine has got rich and interesting history, which can be divided on next periods:
Ancient Ukrainian history
Kiev Rus
Galytsian-Volynian Principality
As Part of Rich-Pospolyta
Cossacks
The Liberating War in the mid-XVII Century
The Ukrainian state during the late XVII century
Right-bank Ukraine in XVIII century
The Left-Bank Hetmanate
Ukraine of the XIX century
The Ukrainian national revolution
As part of USSR
The Way to Freedom and Independence

18. The ancient Ukrainian history
The first man appeared on the territory of modern Ukraine more than 300, 000 years ago.
The Tripillian culture of the Copper-Bronze age is considered as one of the most ancient archaeological cultures.
In the seventh century BC the
Skythians lived in Ukrainian steppes.
Then Ukraine was occupied by
Goths.

19. Kiev Rus
In the year 882 prince Oleg ascended to the Kiev throne and creates Kiev Rus, which spread from the Black Sea to the White sea, from the Carpathians to the Volga River.
Christianity was officially introduced as a state religion to the Kievan Rus only in 988 by Volodymyr The Great.

20. Cossacks
Cossacks for Ukrainians are heroes, a symbol of the best things which happened in our history.
Sense of Cossack’s life is happiness, peace and truth on their Motherland.
In the XVI century Cossacks opened their own military-political organization: Zaporizhian Sich.
It originally had a military-administrative system based on a principals of Cossack democracy.
The most popular hetmans: Nalyvaiko,
B.Hmelnyckyi, Baida-Veshnyveckyi, I.Sirko,
I.Mazepa, K.Rozumovskyi, D.Doroshenko.
Sich has been destroyed by Katerina II.
Nowadays Ukrainian Cossack’s
organization is restored.

21. The Ukrainian National Republic
The First President of Ukraine was M.Hrushevskyi.
Army of Ukrainian National Republic opposed to the Polish state, Red armies and the White Grade at the same time.
Soviet Russia occupied the capital city and the whole Ukraine.
A powerful tide of peasant resistance rose. The greatest revolts were orginized by Nestor Makhno, ataman Zelenyi, ataman Hryhoriev.

22. The Way to Freedom and Independence
Ukraine became an independent sovereign state acknowledged by international community on 24th of August in 1991.
On a referendum “The Bill of Independence Announcement of Ukraine” 90.3% of the population gave positive response.

23. Sport Klychko brothers
Ukrainian sportsmen, boxers, champions of the world and Europe in super heavy weight.

24. Sport Jana Klochkova
Ukrainian swimmer, champion of the Olympic games (5 gold and 1 silver medal)
Champion of Europe and the World.
Hero of Ukraine

25. Ukrainian Culture Ukrainian culture is:
White houses in cherry gardens and rushnyky which can be found only in Ukraine!
Colorful and bright
national costumes, ancient traditions, unforgettable national art.

26. National Music
Ukrainian music includes all types of the music art: national, professional and academic.
Kobzars – Ukrainian musicians and singers were creators of historical songs.
With song Ukrainians protected their Motherland, worked, brought up their children, opened their feelings.

27. Modern Music Ruslana– singer, winner of Eurovision 2004.
Okean Elzy – popular rock group
Vopli Vidopljasova – popular rock group
Plach Eremiyi – popular rock group
Mandry - popular folk-rock group
Viy – popular folk-rock group
Skryabin –popular rock group
Tartak– popular group
Gaydamaky - popular folk-rock group

28. Traditional Dance
The most popular dance is hopak – this dance was created by cossacks.

29. Combat Hopak
Combat hopak is a martial art, based on the Ukrainian traditional dance Hopak. It was started by Volodymyr Pylat in the 1980’s.

30. Таrtаk “Our Summer”

31. Ukrainian embroidery
Symbols and Stitches Over 200 different stitching techniques have been identified throughout Ukrainian stitching. Each stitch impacts the full design.

32. Pearls of Ukraine Pysanka
In Ukraine, an Easter egg, decorated in special way is much more than a symbol of the Holiday. This is a kind of trademark, which can’t be found anywhere else.

33. Pearls of Ukraine Scythian gold
Pectoral (IV century BC)
The Museum of Historic Jewelry located on the territory of Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra Monastery contains a unique collection of Scythian gold. The most precious item of it is the famous Gold Pectoral.  

34. Pearls of Ukraine Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra
The ensemble of golden-domed cathedrals on the hills is called Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra Monastery. This is a famous, one of the most ancient and important monasteries maintained since the times of Old Rus. It's a place of  religious
pilgrimage, a spiritual
heart of Ukraine and
is said to be the
second important place
for Orthodox Christians
after Jerusalem.

35. Interesting Facts about Ukraine
Altogether Ukrainian sportsmen have won over 400 Olympic medals so far.
UNESCO has entered over 200 monuments and historical places in Ukraine onto the organization’s list of world cultural heritage spots.
Three out of six Lavra monasteries existing in the world are located in Ukraine.
Before 1793 French kings swore allegiance on the Slavonic-language Reims Gospel brought from Kyiv.
World’s longest instrument is trembita.

36. The first kidney transplant operation in the world was carried out in Ukraine.
The first in Eastern Europe institution of higher education was established in Kyiv (Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, 1615).
Ukraine’s first constitution was among the first in Europe. (“Pacts and Constitution of Rights and Freedoms of Zaporizhya Cossack Forces” prepared by hetman Pylyp Orlyk in 1710)
The first computer in continental Europe was built in Ukraine under the supervision of the scholar Sergey Lebedev.

37. Ukraine is one out of just nine countries worldwide currently designing and building transport aircraft as well as top-class civil aircraft.
Ukraine stands among the five world leaders in space exploration.
Ukraine stands 4th among the most educated nations in the world.
4 out of 10 European transport corridors come through Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine is heart of the Europe. The geographic centre of the Europe is located in Ukraine. (Near small town Rakhiv, Carpathians).

38. Five reasons why to visit Ukraine:
It has much to show even to a very demanding tourist. (exotic sites, mysteries of ancient Slavs, legends of the Old Rus and Cossacks' relics, rich collections of numismatics, ethnography).
It is comfortable. The country has done a lot to improve its accommodation and services to meet the up-to-date western criteria and to simplify visa, border and customs formalities.
It is safe. Ukrainians are known as a very tolerant and delicate nation. Neither ethnic, religious nor other disputes may threaten visitors' safety.
It's extremely hospitable and eager to communicate.
Ukrainian cuisine - natural, fresh and delicious has long been recognized by those who cares about the subject.
 It's just beautiful. And this is not all about the picturesque landscapes, although they are plenty, too. It's about people.

39. Sources “Modern economic. Potential of Ukraine” (СD)
Wikipedia. Free encyclopedia
Website of Ukrainian Public Mission Ukraine Cognita (
Haydamaka. (
Pearls of Ukrainian Culture (CD)
Lessons of History: Holodomor (
Website of central school of combat hopak (
“Мy country – Ukraine”.

40. See you in Ukraine!