Spotlight on Culture

People that call this area Home

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The Ukrainian people

Cultural Profile of their country of origin- Ukraine

NOTE- With this installment of our culture series, we talk about the culture of the country of Ukraine- a place that right now is fighting for their right to freedom and independence. Since that part is being covered by regular media, we will focus on portraying their culture, their people, and other notable details- and not delve into the tragedy they are currently living.

Ukraine (Ukrainian: Україна, romanized: Ukraïna) is a country located in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. It covers approximately 600,000 square kilometers (or 230,000 square miles).

Prior to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, it was the eighth-most populous country in Europe- with a population of around 41 million people.

Ukraine It is also bordered by Belarus to the north; by Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; and by Romania and Moldova to the southwest; with a coastline along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to the south and southeast. Kyiv is the nation's capital and largest city. The country's national language is Ukrainian, but most people are also fluent in Russian.

The name of Ukraine might have come from the old Slavic term for "borderland", ukraina, and it is similar to the word krajina.

In the English-speaking world for most of the 20th century, Ukraine was formerly referred to as "the Ukraine". This is because definite articles would be natural in the English language when ukraina is translated; this is similar to when "Nederlanden", which means "low lands", is translated and written in English as "the Netherlands". However, since Ukraine's declaration of independence in 1991, this usage has become politically-incorrect, and should not be used because using "the" in front of their name implies disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty.

The official Ukrainian position is that referring to the country as "the Ukraine" is incorrect, both grammatically and politically.

Geography

The landscape consists mostly of fertile steppes (plains with few trees) and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the Dnieper (Dnipro), Seversky Donets, Dniester and the Southern Bug 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.

Ukraine's various regions have diverse geographic features ranging from the highlands to the lowlands. The country's only mountains are the Carpathian Mountains in the west, of which the highest is Hoverla at 2,061 meters (6,762 feet), and the Crimean Mountains, in the extreme south along the coast.

They also have a number of highland regions such as the Volyn-Podillia Upland (in the west) and the Near-Dnipro Upland (on the right bank of the Dnieper). To the east lay the south-western spurs of the Central Russian Upland, over which runs the border with Russia. Near the Sea of Azov there's also the Donets Ridge and the Near Azov Upland. The snow melt from the mountains feeds the rivers and their waterfalls.

Significant natural resources include lithium, natural gas, kaolin, timber and an abundance of arable land.

Ukraine has many environmental issues. Some regions lack adequate supplies of potable water. Air and water pollution affects the country, as well as deforestation, and radiation contamination in the northeast from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Ukraine has a mostly temperate climate, except for the southern coast of Crimea which has a sub-tropical climate. This is influenced by moderately warm, humid air from the Atlantic Ocean. Average annual temperatures range from 5.5–7 °C (41.9–44.6 °F) in the north, to 11–13 °C (51.8–55.4 °F) in the south.

Precipitation is highest in the west and north, and lowest in the east and southeast. Western Ukraine, particularly in the Carpathian Mountains, receives around 120 centimeters (47.2 inches) of precipitation annually, while Crimea and the coastal areas of the Black Sea receive around 40 centimeters (15.7 inches).

Facts & Stats

• Also known as Ukrayina.

• Capital: Kyiv

• Population: (2022 estimate) 43,637,000

• Form Of Government: unitary multiparty republic with a single legislative house (Verkhovna Rada). The Head Of Government is the Prime Minister (currently Denys Shmyhal), and the Head Of State is the President (currently Volodymyr Zelensky).

• Monetary Unit: hryvnya (UAH)

• Urban-Rural Population: Urban: (2020) 69.5% • Rural: (2020) 30.5%

• Official Language: Ukrainian.

• Ukraine doesn't have an official religion.

For more information on the connection of Ukraine with this area, read this article from the Forum here.

Stay tuned for more information on Ukraine and its culture, and more places and their people in future posts. Our area is blessed to be called home by many people of many cultures, and they deserve to be acknowledged.