Country's codes
International phone code for Ukraine: +380
Standard EAN-13 (country barcode): 482
Olympic country code: UKR
Useful country information
Total area: 233,089 sq mi (603,700 sq km)
Population (2022 est.): 43.81 million
Capital (2022 est.): Kyiv (Kiev), 2,962,180
Kyiv: Capital City Profile
Other large cities: Kharkiv, 1,441,622; Odessa, 1,003,705; Dnipropetrovsk, 1,001,962; Donetsk, 962,024;
Monetary unit: Hryvna
National name: Ukrayina
Languages: Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian (regional language) 24%, other (includes small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities) 9%
Ethnicity/race: Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belorussian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001)
Religions: Orthodox (includes Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox (UAOC), Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish
Note: Ukraine's population is overwhelmingly Christian; the vast majority - up to two-thirds - identify themselves as Orthodox, but many do not specify a particular branch; the UOC-KP and the UOC-MP each represent less than a quarter of the country's population, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church accounts for 8-10%, and the UAOC accounts for 1-2%; Muslim and Jewish adherents each compose less than 1% of the total population (2013 est.)
Background:
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe and the second-largest country in Europe after Russia. The Crimean Autonomous Republic — encompassing the Crimean Peninsula in the south — was part of Ukraine until 2014, when Russia illegally annexed it in violation of international law, a move condemned by the United Nations General Assembly and the vast majority of the world's nations.
The country is rich in natural resources and has been fought over and subjugated for centuries. Its struggle for liberty is one of the defining stories of modern history. Short-lived independence from Russia (1917–1920) was followed by brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921–22 and the Holodomor of 1932–33), in which over 8 million people perished. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 million more Ukrainian deaths. The Holodomor was officially recognised as a genocide by Ukraine and dozens of nations worldwide.
Independence was achieved with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, and Ukraine embarked on a difficult path toward democracy and reform. The 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013–14 Euromaidan (Revolution of Dignity) demonstrated the Ukrainian people's firm desire for European integration, democratic governance, and an end to corruption.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine — the largest conventional war in Europe since World War II. Russian forces attacked from the north, east, and south, targeting cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Zaporizhzhia with missile strikes, aerial bombardment, and ground offensives. The invasion has caused tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties and triggered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since 1945, with millions of Ukrainians displaced internally and abroad.
Ukraine's resistance has been fierce and widely admired. Under President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian forces repelled the initial assault on Kyiv and recaptured significant territory in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. The courage of the Ukrainian military and civilian population drew an outpouring of international solidarity — over 50 countries have provided military, financial, and humanitarian support, and the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, and many others imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in response to the aggression.
Across the world, millions of people have expressed support for Ukraine — from landmark buildings lit in blue and yellow, to rallies on every continent, to an unprecedented mobilisation of humanitarian aid. Ukraine applied for European Union membership in February 2022 and was granted EU candidate status in June 2022, a historic step reflecting its path toward European integration.
The conflict is ongoing, but the international community remains largely united in calling for a just and lasting peace that respects Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the rights of its people. The world watches with hope that peace will be restored and that Ukraine — a nation that has survived centuries of subjugation — will emerge free, whole, and prosperous.
Source of Information:
