Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

Gulf of

Taganrog

Sea of

Azov

Bla

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Karkinitt’ka Zatoka^

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Kiev
Reservoir
Kremenchuk
Reservoir
Kakhovka
Reservoir
Ozero
Shahany
sLOVaKia
HUNGaRY
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Hora Hoverla
2061m
Chornobyl’
Shostka
Dniprorudne
Feodosiya
Dzhankoy
Cahul Artsyz
Izmayil
Kotovs’k
Korosten’
Kovel’
Konotop
Okhtyrka
Yalta
Pervomays’k
Kamyanets’-
Podil’s’kyy
Romny
Luhans’k
Chernihiv
Sumy
Luts’k
Rivne
Zhytomyr
Bila Tserkva
Ternopil’
Uzhhorod
Chernivtsi
Ivano-
Frankivs’k
Khmel’nyts’kyy
Vinnytsya
Bâlπi
Comrat
Tiraspol
Cherkasy
Poltava
Kryvyy Rih
Mykolayiv
Kherson
Kerch
Melitopol’ Berdyans’k
Kirovohrad
Dniprodzerzhyns’k
Kremenchuk Syeverodonets’k
Krasnyy Luch
Pavlohrad
Horlivka
Yevpatoriya
Simferopol’
Sevastopol’
L’viv
Odesa
Dnipropetrovs’k
Donets’k
Kharkiv
Zaporizhzhya
Mariupol’
KiEV
(KYYiV)
cHifliNÂU
(annexed by
Russia, 2014)
535
Volcano Mountain Capital
city
Large
city/
town
Small
city/
town
Ancient
monument
N
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km
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Find out more
Europe
Europe, history of
Iron and steel
Nuclear energy
Soviet union, history of
KIEv
The capital of Ukraine lies on
the Dnieper River, 591 miles
(952 km) from the river’s mouth on
the Black Sea. Kiev was founded in the 8th century
as the capital of the state of Kievan Rus. The focus
of the city is the ancient Upper Town, where
historic buildings still survive despite the damage
done during World War II. The Church of Saint
Sophia (left), founded in the 11th century, is a
famous landmark of the Eastern Orthodox faith.
INDUSTRIal hEaRTlaND
Eastern Ukraine, with
its rich reserves
of iron, coal,
gas, and oil, is a
major center of
industry. Ukraine
is one of the
world’s top steel
producers, and large iron and
steel works dominate the
landscape. Ukraine also
manufactures mining and
transportation equipment, cars,
locomotives, ships, and turbines.
UKRaINE haS BEEN an independent republic
since 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. The
country is dominated by rolling flat grasslands, rich
in fertile soils, and is crossed by major rivers such as
the Dnieper, Donets, and Bug. The year-round
warm climate and sandy beaches of the Crimean
Peninsula attract many tourists, especially from
Russia and Germany. With its fertile land and mild
climate, Ukraine is a major cereals producer, once
called the “breadbasket” of the Soviet Union. In
the east, the basin of the Donets river is rich in
deposits of coal, iron ore, manganese, zinc, and
mercury. It is the center of a major industrial
heartland. In 1986, a radiation leak in Chernobyl,
one of Ukraine’s nuclear power stations, caused
panic in Europe. Much of the land around the
plant is still contaminated, and towns stand
desolate and empty. In 2004, when the people
elected a president who favored close ties with the
West, relations between Ukraine and Russia became
more strained and disputes occurred. In 2014,
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
The Carpathian Mountains form
Ukraine’s western border. To the
south lies the Black Sea. The
Crimean Peninsula extends into the
Black Sea, forming the Sea of azov
to the east. Ukraine’s flat steppes
are bisected by the Dnieper River,
which drains into the Black Sea.

ukraine

statistics

area: 233,032 sq miles

(603,550 sq km)

Population: 44,429,500

capital: Kiev

Languages: Ukrainian,

Russian, Tatar

Religions: Ukrainian

Orthodox, Roman

Catholic, Protestant,

Jewish

currency: hryvnia

Main occupations:

agriculture, mining

Main exports: Coal,

titanium, iron ore,

manganese ore, steel

Main imports: Oil,

natural gas

KIEv

Kiev is one of Eastern

Europe’s oldest towns. It is

believed to have existed as a

commercial center in the

early 5th century.

US_535_Ukraine.indd 535 27/01/16 2:39 pm