Ukraine: area, time and daily life

Ukraine lies in the east of Europe. Its land neighbours are Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus and Russia. The Black Sea and the Sea of Azov lie to the south. The area is about 603,700 square kilometres, including Crimea. The capital is Kyiv.

How the country is organised

Under the constitutional setup there are 24 oblasts, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and two cities with special status, Kyiv and Sevastopol. Crimea and Sevastopol are temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. The state emblem is a gold Tryzub.

Population and time

An estimate for July 2001 put the population at 48.76 million. The last census was in December 2001. There has not been another, and wartime estimates differ widely.

Kyiv time is UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer. The clocks still change: forward one hour on the last Sunday of March, back one hour on the last Sunday of October.

Land

Most of the country is plain. The highest point of the Carpathians is Hoverla, 2,061 m. The highest point of the Crimean mountains is Roman-Kosh, 1,545 m. The coastline is about 2,782 km. The largest rivers that reach the Black Sea are the Dnipro, the Dniester, the Danube and the Southern Buh. The Desna joins the Dnipro. It does not reach the sea on its own.

Language and daily life

The state language is Ukrainian. In large cities you will often hear Russian as well. English exists in tourist places, but not everywhere. Among dishes, know borshch, varenyky and holubtsi.

Bottled or filtered water is the safer choice for drinking, especially outside a large city you already know. The grid is 230 V, 50 Hz. Plugs are European, types C and F: two round pins. City transport runs in most towns. Each city sets its own fare. Take a taxi through a service or an app, and agree the price before you get in.