Ukraine…. All you need to know and more….
You’ve been looking for your soul mate for a while and finally you feel you have found her!! She is gorgeous, sweet, kind and clever and she is…..Ukrainian. You have never been to Ukraine and know nothing about it. Do not worry, we will give you 10 main facts about Ukraine that help you start your acquaintance with Ukraine, its culture and bring you closer to your girlfriend.
1. Geography
Ukraine is bordered by the Russian Federation to the north and east; Belarus to the north; Poland, the Slovak Republic and Hungary to the west; and Romania and Moldova to the southwest.
2. Area
603,700 sq km (233,090 sq miles).
3. Population
46.4 million
4. Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
5. Capital
Kyiv. Population: 2.7 million
Independence Square in Kiev
6. Language
Ukrainian is the official state language. It is still widely spoken in western and central Ukraine, although Russian is the main language spoken in Kyiv, eastern, southern Ukraine and Crimea.
7. Religion
There are about 35 million Ukrainian Orthodox faithful, although the church is divided into a traditional pro-Moscow and a breakaway pro-Kyiv faction. Five million Eastern-rite (Uniate) Catholics, subservient to Rome, are concentrated in western Ukraine. There are also Protestant and Muslim minorities.
Saint Nicholas Temple in Nikolaev
8. Currency
Hryvnya (UAH) = 100 kopiyok (singular: kopiyka).
Notes are in denominations of UAH500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1.
Coins are in denominations of UAH1 and 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 kopiyok.
Ukrainian hryvnya
9. Ukrainian cuisine:
“Borsch”- the best example of Ukrainian cuisine.
“Deruny” are potato pancakes that are easy to cook, very nourishing and tasty.
“Holubtsi”, or cabbage rolls, are one of the favorite Ukrainian meat dishes.
“Varenyky” – filled dough pockets.
Ukrainian cuisine
10. Public Holidays
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.
New Year’s Eve in Kiev
Holidays 2009
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
7 Jan Orthodox Christmas Day.
8 Mar International Women’s Day.
17 Apr -20 Apr Orthodox Easter
1 May – 2 May Labour Days.
9 May Victory Day.
8 Jun Orthodox Pentecost.
28 Jun Constitution Day.
24 Aug Ukrainian Independence Day.
Pysanky are intricately designed ornamental Easter eggs. Pysanky are intricately designed ornamental Easter eggs.
Holidays 2010
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
7 Jan Orthodox Christmas Day.
8 Mar International Women’s Day.
2 Apr – 5 Apr Orthodox Easter.
1 May – 2 May Labour Days.
9 May Victory Day.
24 May Orthodox Pentecost.
28 Jun Constitution Day.
24 Aug Ukrainian Independence Day.
These facts about Ukraine are just basic ones that will give you an idea about the country. We are sure once you learn more about it – you will fall in love not only with Ukrainian Women but with the country itself. And we will help you by offering more detailed information on Ukrainian culture, traditions, cuisine, places of interest, girls, marriages and a lot more in our future posts.
