The largest country in Europe
Ukraine is the largest country in Europe. At 603,628 sq. km., it stretches from Russia in the east to Poland in the west, with the Black Sea running along its southern border. It’s nearly three times the size of the UK and beats the second biggest country, France, by 50,000 sq. km. The state is divided into 24 oblasts (counties)
Seven UNESCO World Heritage sites
Ukraine is home to seven sites protected by the UNESCO World Heritage List. These include Kyiv’s Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Lviv’s historic center, Chernivtsi University, as well as unique wooden churches in the Carpathians and the beech forests that surround them. More information about these sites can be found in our other article.
Language
The Ukrainian language is the only official language in Ukraine. Interestingly, the Ukrainian language was rated the 3rd most beautiful language, in 1934, behind French and Persian; it was also rated the 2nd most melodious, behind Italian. In addition, many Ukrainians are bilingual: in many areas, you will find people who speak Russian or those who understand it.
TRANSPORT
Ukraine has a well-developed system of public transportation. Every large city and regional center is connected to the railway network and receives passenger trains daily from other major cities. Many cities also contain cheap and efficient bus and tram services, costing as little as 8UAH (0.3$). Airports in Ukraine are easily accessible by public transport and service buses, or taxis which would cost about 7UAH per km. To reach Kyiv Boryspil Airport you can also take an express train from the railway station.
The world’s deepest metro station.
Arsenalna, along Kyiv’s Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska train line, is the world’s deepest metro station at 105.5 meters below the ground. Staring down from the top of the steep escalator to the darkness of the metro below can be quite scary. However, their construction took place during the cold war era; the threat of nuclear bombs meant such deep-lying stations could protect the citizens of Kyiv from such disaster. Thus, the influence of conflict in the 20th century can be seen, even in such mundane activities as the morning commute to work.
