The Ukraine is a country in South Eastern Europe, which borders on the Black Sea. This country was a part of the Soviet Union from 1917 until 1991. The Soviet Union was a communist country, and took over many smaller countries over the years. The Ukraine was one of those countries. In 1991, the Soviet Union was overthrown, and the Ukraine became free.
The Ukraine is a little smaller than the state of Texas, but larger than France. The Carpathian Mountains are in the Ukraine. The climate in the Ukraine is called temperate continental. They have warm summers and cool to cold winters. The Ukraine has very fertile soil, and farmers are able to grow many crops. The farmers grow wheat, corn, rye, potatoes and flax. Most of the Ukraine is made up of fertile plains called steppes. The 3 rivers in the Ukraine are the Dniester, the Dnieper and the Donetsk. These rivers help the people to generate electric power.
The language in the Ukraine is Ukrainian. The capital of the Ukraine is called Kiev. This is a large city in the central part of the country. Ukrainian money is called the hryvnia. The Ukraine is a democracy, and the people get to vote to elect their leaders. The country is led by a President. .
The religion in the Ukraine is mostly Ukrainian Orthodox. This is a type of Catholic religion, but there are many differences. People who are Ukrainian Orthodox celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Orthodox Easter is also celebrated on a different day than the Roman Catholic Easter. The leader of the Orthodox church is not the Pope. The Orthodox church is led by the Bishops. There are also Protestant, Muslim and Jewish people in the Ukraine. Another holiday celebrated by the Ukrainian Orthodox church is the Epiphany, which is a holiday which celebrates the baptism of Jesus.
A major holiday in the Ukraine is called Independence Day. This holiday is August 24, but the Ukrainians also celebrate on January 22, which is when the Ukrainians tried to declare their independence from the Soviet Union in 1918.
