Geographical Location

Ukraine is located in the Central East Europe between 44''20' and 52''20' N and 22''5' and 41''15'E, in the southeastern part of the East European plain.
Ukraine’s geographic position is quite advantageous since the most important transportation routes are crossing its territory linking West Europe with countries of Trans-Caucasia and Central Asia.
Ukraine’s territory stretches for 893 kilometers from north to south, and for 1316 kilometers from west to east, and is one of the largest countries which borders do not transgress the bounds of Europe.
The geographic center of Europe is on the territory of Ukraine not far from Rakhov in Zakarpatia oblast. As far back as 1887, experts of Austria Hungary had determined this point, stele and land-surveying sign marking it. In Latin, the following words were engraves there: LОСUS РЕRЕNNІS. Dilicentissime cum lіbеllа lіbrаtіоnіs guае еst іп Аustrіа еt Нungаrіа соnfесtа сum mеnsurа grаdum mеrіdіоnаlіum еt раrаllеlоumіеrum Еurореum. МD ССС LХХХVІІ, "that translated state such a thing: “Permanent, exact, and eternal place. Very precisely, using special apparatus made in Austria and Hungary, with scale of meridians and parallels, set the Center of Europe. 1887.”
The Outermost Points of Ukraine’s Territory:
In the north: Petrivka (village, Chernihiv oblast);
In the south: Cape Sarych (Autonomous Republic of Crimea);
In the west: Chop (town, Zakarpatia oblast);
In the east: Chervona Zirka (village, Luhansk oblast).
The total area of Ukraine is 603 700 sq. kilometres that makes 5.7 percent of the teritory of Europe or 0.44 percent the world. Ukraine’s territory is larger greater than that of France (544 thousand sq. km), Spain (505 thousand sq. km), Sweden (450 thousand sq. km), Germany (356.3 thousand sq. km) and Poland (312.7 thousand sq. km).
Total length of the border: 6992 km
Extension of the land border: 5737 km
Length of the sea border: 1355 km (the Black Sea); 249.5 (The Sea of Azov), and 49 km (Kerch Strait).
Neighboring Countries:
Ukraine borders upon Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in the west, through which territories lies the shortest route to the countries of Western and Central Europe. The border of Ukraine with Russia is in the north and east, while in the southwest the country it is contiguous with Moldova and Romania. In the north, Ukraine adjoins Belarus through which territory it is linked with Baltic countries. It is with Romania and Russia that in addition to the land border Ukraine has a sea border too.
Outlet to the Sea
Ukraine has a wide outlet to the Black Sea and Sea of Azov that link it with countries of the Mediterranean. Also through the sea Ukraine borders with Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia. The area of the exclusive (sea) economic zone of Ukraine is over 82 thousand sq. km.

Money

The monetary unit of the present-day Ukraine is hryvnia.

Even before the present era began arrowheads were originally used as money equivalent in the Northern Black Sea coastal region. The first coins that our ancestors encountered were of ancient Greece origin found in hoards or individually on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov coasts.
At the end of the 10th century in Kyivan Rus Prince Volodymyr took to minting coins of silver and gold called "sribnyk"and "zlatnyk". Later, in ancient Rus they issued a cast silver piece hryvnia that became the principle monetary unit of the country.
The things did come around so that the territory of Ukraine was part of other countries with the correspondent use of monies. Situation started changing only after the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) was created. Under the UPR, Hetmanat, and Dyrectoria existing from 1917 to 1920, twenty-four types of legal tender were being issued.
Conditions for introducing full-fledged national currency have formed after independence of Ukraine was declared. To follow the traditions of the Kyivan Rus and liberation efforts of 1917 to 1920 hryvnia and its small change kopeck were put into circulation. Founded in 1991, the National Bank of Ukraine is granted prerogative rights to put into circulation (emit) banknotes and coins.
The NBU designs the bills and defines their face-value, assigns protective system and payment marks. To print and coin money the Country's own Mint and Banknote factory was set up with the state-of-the-art equipment provided.The letter code of the currency is UAH, with numerical code 980, abbreviated form as "грн" in Cyrillic.

Population

Women dominate the sex-age pattern of Ukrainian population. According to population census accomplished in 1989, there were 27.8 mn women in Ukraine (54% of the total population), and 23.9 mn of men (46%). The exceeding quantity of women was stipulated by considerable losses in the number of men during the years of the World War II. Today, such tendency primarily characterizes the elder age groups. The 1950s featured even the greater difference in the number of men and women. For instance, in 1959 total quantity of men in Ukraine was behind the quantity of women by 4.1 mn. In the 1980s and the 1990s, such gap gradually converged. In 2000, total quantities of men and women under 46 years old generally stood on a par.

Religion

Ukraine is tolerant to religious confessions of all kinds.
The biggest religious denominations are the Orthodox Churches of the Kyiv and Moscow Patriarchates (the Kyiv Patriarchate, dissolved in the Russian Empire, was re-established after Ukraine's independence). The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Greco-Catholic Church, banned in the Soviet Union, were revived after Ukraine regained her independence.
51.6% of the Ukrainian population declare themselves Orthodox Christians. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate has 3196 parishes; The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church has 1110 parishes, and the Greco-Catholic Church has 3334 parishes, Roman Catholic has 842 parishes.
There is a number of other Christian confessions: Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, and others; Judaism and Islam are practised religions as well. There are 262 Judaic communities and 462 Muslim communities in Ukraine.

Next information we take from web site http://travel.state.gov

March 28, 2008

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Ukraine is undergoing profound political and economic change as it moves from its Soviet past toward a market economy, multi-party democracy, and integration into Euro-Atlantic and other international institutions. In recent years, the availability of goods and services has increased along with increased rates of growth in Ukraine's economy, and facilities for travelers have improved somewhat. Nonetheless, the availability of travel and tourist services remains uneven throughout the country, and Ukraine still lacks the abundance of many of the goods and services taken for granted in other countries. Read the Department of State Background Notes on Ukraine for additional information.

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Depending on the length and purpose of travel, U.S. citizens may or may not be required to get a Ukrainian visa prior to coming to Ukraine. A passport valid for six months beyond the planned date of travel is required. According to Ukrainian Presidential Decree #1008, dated June 30, 2005, U.S. citizens are exempt from the requirement to have a Ukrainian visa as long as the duration of their stay in Ukraine does not exceed 90 days and the purpose of their travel is tourism, private travel, or business. U.S. citizens whose planned stay in Ukraine exceeds 90 days, and so consequently bears the characteristics of a long-term stay, must have visas authorizing their entry into Ukraine. If the purpose of their visit is other than tourism, private travel, or business, an appropriate visa must be obtained. U.S. citizens may apply for all types of visas through Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates overseas. A list of required documents for the visa application will be determined based on the purpose and length of travel on a case-by-case basis. Contact details for Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates are available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine web site at http://www.mfa.gov.ua/mfa/en/305.htm.
Visas may be obtained from the Consular Office of the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, DC, or from Ukrainian Consulates General in New York, Chicago, or San Francisco. For additional information about Ukrainian visas and related policy, please contact the Ukrainian Embassy or Consulate nearest you.

Embassy of Ukraine
3350 M Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20007
Tel: (202) 333-0606
Fax: (202) 333-0817
Web site: http://www.mfa.gov.ua/usa/en/

Consulate General of Ukraine in New York
240 East 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 371-5690
Fax: (212) 371-5547
Web site: http://www.ukrconsul.org/

Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco
530 Bush Street, Suite 402
San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel: (415) 398-0240
Fax: (415) 398-5039
Web site: http://www.ukrainesf.com/

Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago
10 East Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
Tel: (312) 642 4388
Fax: (312) 642 4385
Web site: http://www.ukrchicago.com/

The Government of Ukraine does not issue visas at the point of entry into Ukraine. Travelers whose purpose of travel puts them in a category that requires a visa must obtain the correct Ukrainian visa prior to arrival; otherwise they will be turned back to the United States or will have to travel to another country to obtain a visa.

All foreigners entering or staying in Ukraine must be registered with Ukrainian authorities. American Citizens traveling to or staying in Ukraine are reminded that recent changes to Ukrainian immigration law change the registration procedures for short-term stays. The registration for short-term visits of up to 90 days is completed at the border by the customs offices. Such registration is valid for 90 days out of each period of 180 days; the calculation of the 90-day period begins from the date of first entry into Ukrainian territory.

Travelers who intend to visit Russia from Ukraine must also have a Russian visa. The Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Ukraine is located at Prospekt Kutuzova 8, tel.: (380-44) 284-6816, fax 284-7936, e-mail: general@rucons.kiev.ua, http://www.embrus.org.ua.

Visitors to Ukraine should also note that Ukrainian law requires them to obtain mandatory health insurance. For more information see the section on Medical Insurance below.
Visit the Embassy of Ukraine's web site at http://www.mfa.gov.ua/usa/en/1609.htm for the most current visa information. Also, see the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' web site at http://www.mfa.gov.ua/usa/en or http://www.ukraineinfo.org/.
For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Regulations sheet and visit the Ukrainian State Customs Service web site at http://www.customs.gov.ua/dmsu/control/en/index.

SAFETY AND SECURITY:

Ukraine is largely free of significant civil unrest or any organized anti-American domestic political movements. However, occasionally, mass demonstrations occur in larger cities, such as Kyiv, and are usually sponsored by individual political forces. In 2008, there has been an upsurge in the number of pro-Russian anti-NATO protests. These protests are likely to increase in size and frequency as Ukraine pursues closer ties to the alliance. While the majority of these protests are small and peaceful, they can still result in violence and it is best to avoid such gatherings.

There also have been increasing incidents of racially-motivated violence; groups of "skinheads" and neo-Nazis target people of Asian, African, or other non-European descent, as well as religious minorities, in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine (see the section on Crime below).

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs' web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, including the Worldwide Caution, can be found.

Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State's pamphlet A Safe Trip Abroad.