Ukraine is a large country in Eastern Europe known for its Orthodox churches, Black Sea coastline and forested mountains. Its capital, Kiev, features the gold-domed St. Sophia's Cathedral, with 11th-century mosaics and frescoes. Overlooking the Dnieper River is the Kiev Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, a Christian pilgrimage site housing Scythian tomb relics and catacombs containing mummified Orthodox monks.
Languages: Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9%
Ethnic Groups: Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8%
Belief Systems: Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 50.4%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 26.1%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 8%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 7.2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Protestant 2.2%, Jewish 0.6%, other 3.2%
Demographics:
Population: 44.5 million people (World Rank: 32nd) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 199 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 131st) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: -0.542 %/yr (World Rank: 234th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 68.5 years (World Rank: 160th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 39.4 years (World Rank: 28th) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Ukraine
Worldatlas.com
Ukraine
World Factbook
Ukraine - General Information
Encyclopedia.com
Travel Info for Ukraine
Travelnotes.org
Ukrainian Embassy
in Washington D.C.
Ukrainian Government Web Sites
by Gunnar Anzinger
