Country · Europe
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. About 44.6 million people live there, in an area of 603 500 square kilometres. Its capital city is Kyiv.
Picture credit: Juan Antonio Segal (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Roman Zacharij (Public domain) · Roman Zacharij (Public domain) · Francisco Anzola (CC BY 3.0) · Ввласенко (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Ukraine?
Ukraine lies in Eastern Europe, on the continent of Europe.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 5 455 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 2 782 km long.
It shares a border with 7 countries: Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia.
How big is Ukraine?
Ukraine covers 603 500 square kilometres.
That is about 5.9 times the size of Iceland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 44th largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 73.9 people on every square kilometre.
That is close to the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Ukraine?
About 44.6 million people live in Ukraine.
That is the 31st biggest population in the world.
People here speak Ukrainian.
They pay with the Ukrainian hryvnia (₴).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 66 years.
The land of Ukraine
The land of Ukraine sits on average 175 metres above sea level, which makes it one of the flatter countries on Earth.
Its coast runs for about 2 782 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 139 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Ukraine different?
Dishes the country is known for: Borscht and Varenyky.
Websites from here often end in .ua.
Ukraine and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 6 live in Ukraine.
It takes up about 0.45 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Europe the country ranks 2nd of 45 by size, and 7th by population.
Ukraine and its neighbours
Russia, its largest neighbour, is about 28.3 times bigger.
Russia has more people: 144.5 million against 44.6 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 5 live wild in Ukraine: Grass snake, Common carp, Beluga sturgeon, White stork and Wels catfish. The highest mountain in the country is Hoverla, at 2 061 metres. The longest river in the country is the Dnieper. The largest lake in the country is Lake Yalpuh.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
How big is Ukraine compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 16 times as big as Ukraine: 9 372 610 km² against 603 500 km². See both on one map
- Ukraine is about 2.5 times as big as the United Kingdom: 603 500 km² against 242 900 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Ukraine?
The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Ukraine?
About 44.6 million people live in Ukraine, which makes it the 31st most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Ukraine?
How big is Ukraine?
Ukraine covers 603 500 square kilometres, making it the 44th largest country in the world. That is about 5.9 times the size of Iceland.
What is the highest mountain in Ukraine?
The highest mountain in Ukraine is Hoverla, 2 061 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Ukraine?
The longest river in Ukraine is the Dnieper. Of its 2 201 kilometres, about 1 095 run through the country.
What is the largest lake in Ukraine?
The largest lake in Ukraine is Lake Yalpuh. It covers about 149 km².
Which continent is Ukraine in?
Ukraine is in Europe, in the part called Eastern Europe.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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