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Ukraine Facts & Worksheets

Ukraine is a country located in the eastern part of Europe. It is the 46th largest country in the world and the second largest country in Europe after Russia.

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Ukraine is a country located in the eastern part of Europe. It is the 46th largest country in the world and the second largest country in Europe after Russia. The Crimean Peninsula, located on the southern border of Ukraine, was annexed by Russia in 2014; however, Ukraine still claims the territory.

See the fact file below for more information on Ukraine, or you can download our 25-page Ukraine worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

FLAG OF UKRAINE

  • The flag of Ukraine consists of a simple design featuring two horizontal bands of blue and yellow.
  • The blue in the flag represents the sky.
  • The yellow in the flag represents wheat.
  • It was originally used in 1848 and officially adopted on November 3, 1918. 
  • The current design was adopted on January 28, 1993.
  • Flag Day has been celebrated in Ukraine annually since 2005, every 23rd day of August.

ETYMOLOGY

  • The name Ukraine, according to an old widely known hypothesis, simply means “borderland.”
  • According to more recent studies, the name Ukraine might mean “homeland” or “region country.”

GEOGRAPHY

  • Ukraine is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west, and Romania, Moldova, and the Black Sea to the south.
  • In terms of size, Ukraine and Russia are the largest European countries, with Ukraine as the second.
  • The coastline of Ukraine spans a length of 2,782 km or 1,729 mi. 
  • Ukraine has a total area of 503,638 km², and 7% of its area is water. 
  • Ukrainian landscape consists of fertile plains and plateaus divided by rivers.
  • The highest mountain in Ukraine is the Hora Hoverla, one of the mountains in the Carpathian Mountains. 

DEMOGRAPHICS

  • As of a 2020 estimate, Ukraine has a current population of 41,660,982. 
  • The people of Ukraine are called Ukrainians. 
  • The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian. 
  • Recognized regional languages in Ukraine include Belarusian, Greek, Hebrew, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, and Yiddish, among others.
  • Ukrainians and Russians are the main ethnic groups that comprise the Ukrainian populace.
  • Majority of the Ukrainian population subscribes to Christianity.

CAPITAL OF UKRAINE

  • The capital and largest city in Ukraine is Kyiv, located in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River.
  • Kyiv is also the most populous city in Ukraine, with a population of 2,950,800 as of 2019.

LANDMARKS

  • The Optymistychna Cave is the fifth longest cave in the world, located in Ternopil, with a length of 240.5 kilometers. It is also the longest gypsum cave in the world. 
  • The Ozerna Cave is the second longest gypsum cave and the fifteenth longest in the world, also located in Ternopil. The total length of the cave is 134 kilometers.
  • The Askania Nova Steppe, located in Kherson, is a large steppe or plateau where 600 species of plants are found. 
  • The Talianki is the largest neolithic settlement in Europe, located in Cherkasy, dating back to 3,850 to 3,700 BC.
  • The Bakla Caves is a system of man-made caves in Crimea made in the 3rd to 9th century.

HISTORY

  • Neanderthals settled in Ukraine around 43,000 to 45,000 BCE. 
  • Modern humans settled in Ukraine in 32,000 BCE.
  • In 900 BCE, or the Iron Age, Ukraine was inhabited by Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians.
  • Ukraine was a part of the Scythian Kingdom, Scythia, between 700 BCE and 200 BCE.
  • The Antes, the ancestors of Ukrainians, inhabited the Ukrainian territory in the fifth and sixth centuries.
  • The Kyivan Rus’ was established in the 9th century.
  • The Kyivan Rus’ became powerful in the 10th and 11th centuries.
  • The Kyivan Rus’ was the foundation of Russian and Ukrainian identity. The most important city of the kingdom was Kyiv, modern Ukraine’s capital. 
  • In the 13th century, the Kyivan Rus’ was destroyed due to the Mongol Invasion.
  • The Kyivan Rus’ became divided and was ruled by different powers such as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Russia.
  • The Cossack republic was formed in the 17th century and prospered until it was split between Poland and Russian Empire in the 18th century. 
  • Ukrainian People’s Republic was declared on June 23, 1917. 
  • Ukraine became a part of the USSR on November 1, 1918.
  • From 1932 to 1933, there came the “Great Famine”, popularly known as the Holodomor, which was a part of the greater Soviet famine of 1930 to 1933 and resulted in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. 
  • Prior to the famine, Ukraine was known as one of the biggest grain-producing states in the Soviet Union.
  • Post-war Soviet Ukraine experienced a boom in industrial production, becoming one of the top producers in Europe.
  • After the death of Soviet political leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, the Crimean Peninsula was relocated from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR under the new leadership of Nikita Khrushchev.
  • Ukraine declared independence from the USSR on August 24, 1991.
  • The current constitution of Ukraine was declared on June 28, 1996.
  • Ukraine’s relations with the West and Russia have been an important landmark of its political landscape from the late 1990s until the 2000s.
  • In 1994, Russia signed the “Budapest memorandum”, which stated that security and territorial guarantees would be provided in exchange for nuclear weapons. Despite the memorandum, Russia ultimately waged war against Ukraine. 
  • In early 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, which was followed by military conflict between the two countries.
  • The war was in a “frozen state” until February 2022, when it became full-scale.
  • In June 2022, Ukraine became a candidate to the European Union amid the war with Russia.

CULTURE

  • Arts and Crafts
    • Ukrainians utilize textile arts in their culture, particularly in their wedding tradition. 
    • In traditional celebrations, Ukrainian embroidery, laces, and folk dress are worn.
    • The use of color in Ukrainian embroidery is specific as it is related to their folklore. 
  • Music and Dance
    • Ukrainian music consists of folk, classical, and modern rock, genres in which they have been internationally recognized.
    • Some elements of Ukrainian folk music have been incorporated into Western music and modern jazz.
  • Cuisine
    • Traditional Ukrainian cuisine features chicken, pork, beef, fish, and mushrooms.
    • Other staple Ukrainian food and ingredients are potatoes, grains, and vegetables, it may be pickled, boiled, or fresh.
    • Varenykyis one popular Ukrainian dish which is dumplings with potatoes, mushrooms, sauerkraut, cottage cheese, cherries, or berries. 
  • Sports
    • The Soviet Union helped Ukraine in terms of physical education. 
    • Some Soviet policies enabled the construction of stadiums, swimming pools, and gymnasiums in Ukraine. 
    • Football is the most popular sport in Ukraine.

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

  • Victory Day is an annual public holiday held on May 9 as a way to commemorate victory over Nazism in Europe.
  • Known locally as Kraina Mriy, the Ukrainian World Music Festival is a summer celebration of Ukrainian culture and folk music that happens in late June or early July.
  • The city-wide celebration of Lviv City Day, a festival full of music and food, takes place on the first Saturday of May.
  • Ukraine marks its Independence Day on August 24 as a way to celebrate the nation’s independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) or Soviet Union.

Ukraine Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Ukraine across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Ukraine, which is a country located in the eastern part of Europe. It is the 46th largest country in the world and the second largest country in Europe after Russia.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Ukraine Facts
  2. True or False
  3. Map Study
  4. History Sequence
  5. About Ukrainians
  6. Holiday Sketch
  7. Get That Name Right
  8. Drawing Landmarks
  9. Ukraine Wrap-up
  10. Welcome to Ukraine!
  11. Current News

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ukraine best known for?

Ukraine offers awe-inspiring sights of its diverse terrain and a proud and well-preserved culture and tradition. What’s more impressive is that this geographically immense country—the largest in Europe excluding Russia—is teeming with diversity few others can compare to!

What is unique about Ukrainian culture?

Ukrainians are renowned for their hospitality and generous spirit. Every social gathering is accented with delicious food, served to guests in abundance. Refusing to share the meal or drink you’ve been offered would be considered extremely rude—it demonstrates your disregard for the host’s kindness!

What does Ukraine produce for the world?

As a leading steel producer in the world, Ukraine stands tall with its primary ferrous metals industry. Much of this production is focused in the Donets Basin- the nation’s industrial core- with cast iron, rolled steel, and metal pipes all being crafted there.

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Link will appear as Ukraine Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 20, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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