Territory: 603,700 sq. km

Border countries: Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova.

The state of Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe. It borders on Poland, Russia, Belarus, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. In the south Ukraine is washed by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
With its territory (603,700 sq. km.) and population (48 million people) Ukraine is one of the largest European countries; also it is the nearest neighbor of the European Union.

Climate generally is moderate continental, only the South Crimea has subtropical climate. The longest river in Ukraine is the Dnipro; the Carpathians are the highest mountains.

In 1991 Ukraine became an independent (from the Soviet Union) state. It includes the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and 24 oblasts (administrative regions). The official language is Ukrainian.