Map, emblem and flag of Ukraine
Location
 Ukraine is located in the very center of Europe at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. Ukraine borders on Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus and Russia.
The total area of Ukraine is 603,700sq.km. And it is one of the biggest countries of Europe.
The country consists of 24 regions and the Crimea- autonomous republic.
The capital of Ukraine is Kiev.
Climate
The climate is moderately continental and comparatively warm and dry with more than 290 sunny days in the year in the South Ukraine (Black Sea coast, Crimea).
Average winter temperature from -8 to -15 C.
In the Southern regions of Ukraine the winter temperature is lower-10C.
Average summer temperature from +18 to +25 C), though by hot summer can get up over +35C.
Geography
 Ukraine is situated in East-Europe plain. The most part of the country is in low-lying lands, fertile plains with two highlands areas in the South-Crimean mountains (the highest point is Hoverla - 2,061 meters). Southern coast of Ukraine is washed by the Black sea and Azov sea. The majority of Ukrainian rivers flow into the Black Sea among the biggest and the most important are Dnipro, Dnister, Desna, Pivdeny (Southern) Booh.
Language
State language is Ukrainian, but the majority of population is bilingual and speaks Russian as well. The Russian spoken population is dominated in the southern and the eastern regions (Odessa, Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk) and Crimean peninsula. The most popular foreign language is English.
Government system
Ukraine is republic with the constitutional form of government headed by the President. The power is divided among executive, legislative and judicial branches.
The President designates a Prime Minister and regional governors, the Supreme Council can veto his decisions. Executive branch: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the President and approved by the Supreme Council. Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council (Verkhovna Rada) consists of 450 seats. The Ukrainian national emblem is a golden Trident, which dates back to Rjurik Dynasty, the governors of Kievan Rus
Cuisine
You would be impressed with quantity and quality of different restaurants and pubs here. You can find in Ukraine as refined European entrees, nourishing Ukrainian cuisine, Italian Pizzerias as spicy and exotic Asian food in Chinese and Japanese restaurants or just fast food.
Ukrainian restaurants become more and more popular with such traditional dishes as red Borsch, several kinds of Ukrainian Vareniki (dumplings) stuffed with potatoes, stewed cabbage, onions and mushrooms, all kinds of meats or cheese and cherries, Golubtsy (cabbage rolls)-cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, meat, carrot and fried onion, traditionally served with sour cream or tomato sauce, Holodetz-jellied meat or fish with horse- radish, stuffed fish prepared by special recipe of Jewish women living in Odessa, suckling pig with spices and a load of other Ukrainian specialties.
Ukrainian cuisine is famous for its abundance of natural components grown in the fertile Ukrainian soil.
All fruits planted in Ukraine have marvelous taste and scent: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peaches, sweet watermelons, ruddy apples, grapes
Electricity
 The standard electric supply in Ukraine is 200V/50Hz. Ukrainian plugs are of the same kind as in the most European countries - two round pins.
If electric appliances you bring have different specs make sure to take a converter or plug adapter. To save an electric power in the last week of March all watches in Ukraine are set an hour forward and an hour backward in the last week of October .
Public transportation
Most Ukrainian cities have extensive traffic system which operates from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Couches, trams and trolleys are rather slow, but it is a cheap and cozy way to travel within cities.
There is numerous taxi service, orders are taken via phone. A taxi or a gypsy cab can be caught right on the street simply by putting out your hand.
Shopping
 Ukraine is famous for its high -quality textile as well as food products and beverages, delicatessen, caviar, chocolate, beer, vodka, Crimea wines and plenty of others. Shops and markets trade via Gryvna exceptionally. Some of shops accept Visa/MasterCard/Euro Card .You can identify such places by credit cards signs on the entrance door. Buying a souvenir, a painting, a sculpture or other handcrafts it is a good idea to get a certificate identifying whole value (it is absence) of the purchased good. This document might be useful when going trough the customs upon departure from Ukraine.
The majority of stores and supermarkets are opened from 8a.m. to 9p.m. or 11p.m., as for food stores many of them are opened twenty - four-hour 7 days a week, lunch-time is usually either from 1 to 2p.m. or 2 to 3 p.m.
State and public offices are opened from 9a.m.to 6p.m. Monday trough Friday with a lunch-hour from 1p.m. as a rule.
Usual work - time for restaurants and cafes are from 11-12 p.m. or until last customer leaves. Most banks are open to public from 9a.m. to 3p.m. with a lunch hour from 1 to 2p.m. and are closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Resorts and sanatoriums
There are lots of resorts and sanatoriums, located in ecologically clean parts of Ukraine where you relax, rejuvenate your body and freshen up your mind. The most popular of them are nested in the western and southern regions of Ukraine and in Crimean peninsula, which are washed by the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. The sanatoriums function all the year round and offer recreation, health improvement and various types of treatment both for adults and parents with children or groups of children with a tutor for rest and therapy
At guests' disposal: curative mud and pine needle baths, massage shower,, manual massage, acupuncture, aromatherapy, thermo therapy, inhalation rooms, sauna, equipped beaches, bars, disco, cinema, tennis courts, playgrounds for children, library and everything for the amateurs of active rest: scooter riding, diving, snorkeling and other on - and under - water amusements. In winter - Alpine skiing tracks with ski-lift, skating, sledging and so on.
If you dream about having a quiet rest, tanning on a marvelous, clean beach, admiring the beauty of unspoiled, herb-scented meadows, picturesque parks and forests, fishing, breathing in the mixture of steppe and sea air -the Ukrainian resorts are a place for you!
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