With its thousands of square miles of black earth steppe, Ukraine is best known in the West as the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union. Few people realize that it is an industrial powerhouse in its own right. The third largest former Soviet republic, Ukraine is the second most populous former Soviet republic, with about 50 million inhabitants. Ukraine is famous for its wonderful churches and cathedrals dating back hundreds of years, as well as the steppe itself: a huge undulating field stretching the length of the country - essentially one vast farm.
Ukraine did not have a good 20th century. Thousands of Ukrainians died in the WWI German invasion, the Russian Revolution and civil war. Millions died in Stalin's forced collectivization and the famine of the 1930s; millions more suffered in the purges of the late 1930s. Still more died as a result of the Nazi invasion and occupation during WWII. And in 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, contaminating thousands of square miles of land. Today, Ukraine suffers from chronic power shortages and a lackluster economy that is struggling through reforms that have only recently begun to bear fruit.
Ukraine's climate and weather is continental, but tempered by the Black Sea; winters and summers are rather temperate near the coast and harsher inland. Ukraine has no natural hazards to speak of. Its greatest environmental problem is the radioactive contamination of the area surrounding Chernobyl.
Inhabitants of Ukraine are 73 percent Ukrainian and 22 percent ethnic Russian. Most people speak Ukrainian, a Slavic language closely related to Russian; Russian is the most prevalent second language, especially in the Crimea (the most ethnically diverse area of Ukraine). English is spoken mostly by those who deal regularly with tourists. Most Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox, and Easter is a major holiday; look for the traditional, exquisite Ukrainian Easter eggs.
The usual port of entry into Ukraine is Kiev (alternately spelled Kyyiv or Kyiv), a city of about 2.5 million inhabitants, but there are increasing numbers of travelers arriving by ferries and cruise ships in Odessa and other ports. There are 15 airports in the Ukraine with flights to 50 countries. Popular airlines include Ukraine International Airlines, Lviv Airlines, Transaero, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Delta Air ways, British Airways, Aeroflot and Air France. Air travel between cities is reliable. Ukraine has an excellent, highly efficient (if not quite modern and comfortable) rail network linking all major cities. The road network is extensive, but in poor repair; traffic drives on the right.
The phone system is challenged: except in large cities, much of it is archaic and in disrepair. Thanks to foreign investment, card phones and digital cell phones have virtually replaced the old coin-operated phones in large cities like Kiev or Dnipropetrovsk. ATMs can be found in most large cities, but credit cards are only accepted at the most upscale establishments and at banks in major cities.
Visitors and tourists to Ukraine will always be objects of attention; the country is nominally secure, but Foreigners should always be vigilant that their perceived affluence, compared to the sometimes desperate poverty of many inhabitants, makes them targets for petty crime. Pickpocketing, purse-snatching and other forms of theft are common.
Staples of the Ukrainian diet are hearty soups and stews (including the famous beet soup borsch), stuffed cabbage leaves (holuptsy) and a wide variety of sausages.
Prices for Western-style amenities have largely been deregulated, so hotel and restaurant prices in Kiev and other large cities can be just as expensive as in the West.
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