Ukraine

Україна Ukrayina Ukraine
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Ukrainian: Ще не вмерла України Transliteration: Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy "Ukraine's glory has not yet perished"
Location of  Ukraine  (orange) on the European continent  (white)
Capital (and largest city)	Kiev (Kyiv) 50°27′N 30°30′E
Official languages	Ukrainian
Government	Parliamentary democracy
- President	Viktor Yushchenko
- Prime Minister	Viktor Yanukovych
Independence	from the Soviet Union
- Declared	August 24, 1991
- Referendum	December 1, 1991
- Finalized	December 25, 1991
Area
- Total	603,700 km² (44th) 233,090 sq mi
- Water (%)	7%
Population
- 2005 estimate	46,481,000 (27th)
- 2001 census	48,457,102
- Density	77 /km² (115th) 199 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$390.306 billion (28th)
- Per capita	$7,213 (86th)
HDI (2004)	0.774 (medium) (77th)
Currency	Hryvnia (UAH)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD	.ua
Calling code	+380

Ukraine (Ukrainian: Україна, Ukraina, /ukraˈjina/), sometimes incorrectly referred to as The Ukraine, is a country in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north-east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the south-west, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south.

Ukraine has a unique ever-important geostrategic position between Europe and Asia. In recent decades, this position has been transformed into the role of one of Eurasia's key transportation nodes. Particularly, Ukraine is Europe's main and crucial gas- and oil-transiting country.

The historic city of Kiev (Kyiv) is the country's capital.

From at least the ninth century, the territory of present-day Ukraine was a centre of medieval East Slavic civilization forming the state of Kievan Rus, and for the following several centuries the territory was divided between a number of regional powers. After a brief period of independence (1917–1921) following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Ukraine became one of the founding Soviet Republics in 1922. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic's territory was enlarged westward after the Second World War, and again in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, Ukrainian SSR became one of the co-founder members of the United Nations. It became independent again after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.