Ukraine

The natural charms of Ukraine are slowly shining once again, despite the tragedy of Chernobyl and the economic hardships of years past. Today you can find much to enjoy in Ukraine, from roaming its picturesque countryside, where villages are set amid silver birches, to basking in the aging grandeur of Yalta or exploring nightclubs in the sophisticated capital city, Kiev.

Understanding The Geography

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north-east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the south-west and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The historic city of Kiev is the country's capital.

The Ukrainian landscape consists mostly of fertile plains, or steppes, and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the Dnieper, Seversky Donets, Dniester and the Southern Buh as they flow south into the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov.

To the southwest the delta of the Danube forms the border with Romania. The country's only mountains are the Carpathian Mountains in the west, of which the highest is the Hora Hoverla at 2,061 metres (6,762 ft), and those in the Crimean peninsula, in the extreme south along the coast.

Cities in The Ukraine

• Kiev - Capital
• Dniepropetrovsk
• Donetsk
• Kaniv
• Kharkiv
• Lviv
• Mykolayiv - shipbuilding centre in the Southern Ukraine Ochakiv (Ochakov, Achikale)
• Odessa
• Sevastopol
• Ternopil
• Uzhhorod
• Yalta

Climate Conditions

Ukraine has a mostly temperate continental climate, though a more Mediterranean climate is found on the southern Crimean coast. Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it is highest in the west and north and lesser in the east and southeast. Winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland. Summers are warm across the greater part of the country, but generally hot in the south.

Understanding The Culture

Ukraine is by no means a conservative country with respect to clothing, behaviour, overcharging you if they can get by with it, getting what you paid for (quality), smoking in your face, running over you with a car, cart, etc. It is very different from our western perspective in some of these extremes.

Unlike the West, many Ukrainian women wear risqué clothes. This does not always mean that the woman is a prostitute or "easy".