Geography – Travel over Seas and Mountains, across Grass Plains and through Rivers
The fascinating country of Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe and is bordered by the Black Sea, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. If you had to look on a map, you would find Ukraine at 49 00 N, 32 00 E. Ukraine is a geographically interesting country with many variations of climate and terrain taking place in an area which is only slightly smaller than the US state of Texas.
Ukraine enjoys some 2782 km of varied coastline – from stunning white beaches to rocky shores. It has no inland bodies of water but enjoys a large number of fertile plains or steppes nonetheless. The vast majority of the country consists of grassy, fertile plains and plateaus. The only mountains in Ukraine can be found in the west and extreme south of the country. The Carpathian Mountains are in the west and the Crimean Peninsula is in the south.
Generally speaking, Ukraine enjoys a temperate continental climate. On the southern Crimean coast it becomes somewhat Mediterranean. Winters along the coast may be cool and temperatures drop the further inland you go. Summers are warm to hot depending on what part of the country you are visiting. Ukraine enjoys a large variety of natural resources which are constantly mined and sourced for both local use and exporting. Some 57.1% of the country’s landmass is considered to be very arable and a large portion of this is already being farmed.
There are almost 23,000 rivers within the borders of Ukraine. Its longest river is the Dnieper (Dnipro) which is some 966 kilometers long. Other notable rivers include the Dniester, Donets, Danube and Southern Buh. Lake Svityaz is one of the largest natural lakes in the country. Water is used for drinking, transportation and hydroelectricity and is considered to be a very important natural resource in the country. As the second largest country in Europe, Ukraine’s geography is varied and picturesque. Don’t forget to take your camera with when visiting this beautiful country.