Interesting Facts about Ukraine

Ukraine Interesting Facts

Ukraine, officially Ukraine, is a country in Europe. Here are some interesting facts about Ukraine:

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe in terms of total area– spanning 603.55 square km.

Ukraine has 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The most famous national dishes of Ukraine are borscht and varenyky.

Ukraine is often referred to as the "Breadbasket of Europe" because it boasts ideal conditions for growing wheat and is a major wheat producer.

Unlike many cultures around the world, Ukrainians wear their wedding rings on their right hand instead of their left.

The folk tradition of Easter eggs originated in Ukraine. Eggs were originally sculpted using wax and dye. The wax was eventually removed, leaving an impressive pattern of vibrant colors.

The longest musical instrument in the world also comes from Ukraine. The piece of pipe is aptly named Trembita.

Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met at the Yalta Conference in 1945, which was hosted by Ukraine. The meeting was aimed at charting the way forward in regards to the organization of post-war Europe. Venue: Livadia Palace, now a museum.

In 1986, the world's largest accident at a nuclear power plant occurred in Ukraine. The tragedy occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located in the northern part of the country. The area has since been declared an exclusion zone. The disaster and the announcement resulted in several ghost towns. The area attracts many tourists despite the high levels of radiation.

Ukraine has the deepest metro station in the world, built in 1960.

The invention of the first gas lamp took place in Lviv.

Ukrainian is the third most beautiful language in the world.

Ukraine has built the largest aircraft in the world. This aircraft was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau and is known as the Antonov An-225 Mriya.

The Tunnel of Love is one of the most popular tourist attractions.

The Atlas Weekend festival is held annually in Ukraine.

The world's first constitution was drawn up and adopted in 1710 by Ukrainian Hetman Pylyp Orlyk.

The Mongols invaded in the 13th century and destroyed Kyiv. They occupied most of Eastern Europe and moved west to the Atlantic Ocean. When Ogedei Khan, son of Genghis Khan, died, they returned to their homeland and spared the rest of the continent.

The independence of Ukraine was officially proclaimed on August 24, 1991. Its parliament declared that the country would no longer follow the laws of the USSR, but would follow its own laws.

The seven major rivers of Ukraine are the Danube, Dnieper, Desna, Pripyat, Southern Bug and Northern Donets. About 95% of the country's rivers are part of the catchment basins of the Black and Azov Seas.

Ukraine shares land borders with Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Russia.