Eastern Europe
Golden · Vast · Resilient
Ukraine is a country located in Eastern Europe. Its capital city is Kyiv, with other major cities including Kharkiv and Dnipro. With a population of approximately 44.0M, the main language spoken is Ukrainian. The country covers an area of 603,550 km². The official currency is the Ukrainian hryvnia (₴). Traffic drives on the right side.
Ukraine is the largest country lying entirely within Europe and supplies more than 10% of the world's wheat exports.
Kyiv serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Ukraine, positioned in Eastern Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odessa — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Kyiv's Pechersk Lavra — the Monastery of the Caves — was founded in 1051 on limestone bluffs above the Dnipro River and contains a network of underground tunnels where the mummified remains of medieval monks are displayed by candlelight; the monastery complex is a World Heritage Site and the spiritual origin point of Eastern Orthodox Christianity as practised across Russia and the Slavic world.
With a population of approximately 44.0M, Ukraine is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Ukrainian, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Ukraine is reached via the dialling code +380. Ukrainians maintain a tradition of pysanky — Easter eggs decorated using a wax-resist method with geometric and symbolic patterns specific to each region — a practice pre-dating Christianity that was nearly suppressed in the Soviet period and has undergone a pronounced revival as an act of cultural assertion since 2014.
Ukraine spans 603,550 km², in the Eastern Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 49.0°N, 32.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.
The official currency is the Ukrainian hryvnia (₴), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Ukraine's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+02:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
The emblematic dish of Ukraine is Borscht. Food culture in Ukraine is deeply tied to local identity — shared meals and markets are central to daily life and social gatherings across the country.
Football / Boxing holds a special place in the heart of Ukraine's national identity. Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko held all four major heavyweight boxing world titles simultaneously between 2004 and 2015, an era of dominance so complete that the heavyweight division was effectively a Ukrainian property — and both brothers later became mayors of Kyiv, translating boxing fame into civic authority.
The highest point in Ukraine is Hoverla, rising to 2,061 metres above sea level. The Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine contain the largest primeval beech forest in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Slovakia and Romania, and the Dnipro River — which bisects the country north to south — has shaped Ukrainian settlement, agriculture and identity as fundamentally as the Nile shaped Egypt.