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Location
Central Eastern Europe.
Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Area
603,700 sq km (233,090 sq miles).
Population
46.4 million (2008 estimate).
Population Density
79.2 per sq km.
Capital
Kyiv. Population: 2.7 million (official estimate 2007).
Geography
Ukraine is bordered by the Russian Federation to the north and east; Belarus to the north; Poland, the Slovak Republic and Hungary to the west; and Romania and Moldova to the southwest. It is a varied country with mountains in the west, plains in the centre and the Black Sea views to the south. The north of the state is dominated by forests. Its other two main features are wooded steppe with beech and oak forests and the treeless steppe. The River Dnieper divides Ukraine roughly in half, and flows into the Black Sea.
Government
Republic. Gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Head of State
President Viktor Yushchenko since 2005.
Head of Government
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko since 2007.
Recent History
Since being swept to power by the Orange Revolution in 2005, Viktor Yushchenko's presidency has been far from smooth thanks to economic woes and a fractious coalition, which has lead to frequent bouts of parliamentary and government paralysis. The linguistic split of Ukraine (Ukrainian is primarily spoken in the west, Russian in the east) has also complicated matters, with Yushchenko being forced to back his arch rival Viktor Yanukovych, popular in the eastern and southern parts of the country, for prime minister in 2006. However in 2007 Yulia Tymoshenko, a Yushchenko ally, became Ukraine's prime minister and is popularly tipped as a future president, favouring NATO membership over traditional ties to neighbouring Russia.
Language
Ukrainian is the sole official state language. It is still widely spoken in western and central Ukraine, although Russian is spoken by virtually everyone. Russian is the main language spoken in Kyiv, eastern Ukraine and Crimea.
Religion
There are about 35 million Ukrainian Orthodox faithful, although the church is divided into a traditional pro-Moscow and a breakaway pro-Kyiv faction. Five million Eastern-rite (Uniate) Catholics, subservient to Rome, are concentrated in western Ukraine. There are also Protestant and Muslim minorities.
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Social Conventions
Ukrainian people are warm and particularly friendly to visitors. It is not at all uncommon for Ukrainians to invite strangers into their own homes. Formal attire is rarely required, though people dress smartly for the theatre. Visitors should avoid ostentatious displays of wealth in public places.