Geographical Position of Ukraine

Ukraine is an East European state that is situated mostly on the East European plains, Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains and Crimean Mountains. Ukraine has both land and sea borders. On the land, Ukraine borders on Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. The sea border of Ukraine is 1,959 km long and connects it to all the countries of the world with sea access.

The territory of Ukraine is 6,037 thousand square kilometers. It is larger than any other European state, including France, Spain and Germany. Due to its favourable situation in the centre of Europe, Ukraine is a transit point for passengers and goods from many other countries.

95% of Ukrainian land is formed by plains and about 5% – by mountains: the Carpathian Mountains in the west and the Crimean Mountains in the far south. Horizontal zones (belts) of Ukraine change from north to south, from mixed forests to plains. Mixed forests cover the north and stretch from east to west for more than 750 km (Ukrainian Polissya). Almost 45% of the lands are farming grounds, 30% – forests, 20% – hayfields. The zone of forests and plains (steppe) stretches from southwest to northeast for almost 1,100 km. This is a land of intensive farming – forests taking up only 12%, the rest are fertile soil.

Two mountain systems – the Carpathians and the Crimean Mountains form a stone necklace of Ukraine. Ukrainian Carpathians stretch in a line wider than 100 km and 280 km long. The highest Mountain of the Carpathians is Hoverla (2,061 m).The southern shore of Crimean peninsula is a narrow line on the south side of the Crimean Mountains. Zmiyinyi island, that is situated in the Black Sea, 120 km to the south of Odessa, is another part of Ukraine. Kosh is the highest mountain in the Crimean Mountains (1,545 m).

Our country is one of the natural resource leaders in Europe and the world. Such resources as mountain wax, granite, graphite are among the richest. For ages Ukraine has been a producer of various salts and has a rich base for metallurgical, porcelain, chemical industries, for production of ceramics and building materials, sources of precious and semiprecious stones. The coal base of Ukraine is Donbas. Oil and natural gas are concentrated in the Dniprovsko-Donetskyi and Prychornomorsko-Krymskyi regions and in the Carpathian oil and gas province. Ukraine’s own needs of oil are covered for 10-15% and for 25% of gas. There are considerable resources of iron and other ores in different regions of Ukraine. Our country is famous for its mineral water treatments (in Myrgorod, Svaliava, Truskavets, Feodosiia and others) and curative mud.

The territory of Ukraine is washed by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. There are almost 73 thousand rivers and streams in Ukraine. The largest river systems are those of the Dnipro, Danube, Dniester, Pivdennyi Buh and Siverskyi Donets. The largest lakes include the Sasyk, Yalpuh, Katalbuh, Kytay, and Svitiaz. A popular tourist destination is the mountain Lake Synevir.

Ukraine is situated in two climatic zones – moderate (the plains and both the mountain ranges) and Mediterranean subtropics (the southern shore of the Crimea). Generally, Ukraine is one of the climatically comfortable countries. The weather conditions in Ukraine have positive influence on various industries and development of tourism and recreation.

The flora of Ukraine is rich with nearly 30 thousand types of vegetation – from seaweed to mushrooms, from grass to trees. The forests take up 14% of the whole territory of Ukraine and the stocks of wood are plentiful. Pine and deciduous trees, like oaks, dominate in the forests. There are many types of flowers and herbs in Ukrainian forests, fields and mountains. Natural vegetation resources are widely used as a base for animal farming, hunting, production of honey and various medicinal herbs. Different natural conditions of Ukraine caused a rich and varied animal world to develop – almost 44,8 thousand kinds – mammals (bears, wolves, squirrels, deer, wild boars, hares), birds (doves, swans, traveling pelicans, pheasants), fish (carp, salmon, herring, tuna, dolphins, sea pigs) , insects and reptiles (lizards, snakes). Many among those are used by fur, hunting and fishing industries.

1. Ukraine is an East European state that is situated mostly on the East European plains, Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains and Crimean Mountains, isn’t it?

2. What countries does Ukraine border on?

3. How long does the sea border stretch for?

4. What is the territory of Ukraine?

5. Ukraine is smaller than France, isn’t it?

6. What geographical zones can be found in Ukraine?

7. How are two mountain systems called?

8. Is Hoverla or Kosh the highest mountain of the Carpathians?

9. What natural resources Ukraine is rich in?

10. The territory of Ukraine is washed by three seas, isn’t it?

11. What are the largest rivers of Ukraine?

12. Is the Yalpuh one of the largest Ukrainian lakes?

13. What climatic zones is Ukraine situated in?

14. Are different natural conditions favourable for flora and fauna?

15. What animals living in Ukraine do you know?

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