Ukraine is one of the largest countries in Europe. It is situated in the A)Europe. The territory of Ukraine is 603 700 B) kilometres. Ukraine borders on 1) and . In the south it’s washed by the 2) Sea and the Sea of 3) and has very important ports. The territory of Ukraine is mainly C), but the Carpathians and the Crimean Mountains make up 5% of its D). The 4)Mountains in the south are not very high but beautiful. The 5) are in the west of our country. It is the natural mountainous boundary of Ukraine. Their peaks are covered with snow. The highest peak of the Carpathian Mountains is 6) with 2061 m high. They are covered with mixed forests of pine, E) , F)and oak trees. There are the thickest forests in G), which are part of the famous Byelovezhskaya Puscha.
The major rivers are the Dnipro, the Dniester, the H), the Southern Bug and the Siversky 7). There are many beautiful old towns on their I). Practically all of them are interesting places, famous for their history. The 8) is the third longest river in Europe, which divides the country into J)-bank and K)-bank territories. Ukrainian rivers, lakes, L)have an important role in water supply and are used as sources of energy. Navigable rivers are important for transport. There are over 3000 lakes all over Ukraine. They are situated mostly in Polissia, the Black Sea lowlands and the Crimea.
The 9)of Ukraine is about 46 million people. Besides Ukrainians the M) of many other nationalities live there: Russians, Jews, Belarusians, Moldavians, Romanians, Greeks, Tatars, Poles, Armenians, Germans, N)and other ethnic minorities. They contributed to Ukraine’s culture and history.
There are many large cities in Ukraine, among them: 10) (the capital of Ukraine), 11) (the first capital of Ukraine, and its second largest city), 12) (its coal-mining centre), 13) (an important metallurgical centre), 14) (a scientific and cultural centre), 15) (the main port), 16) (the shipbuilding center) and many others.
The geographical position of Ukraine is very favourable for the development of its industry and agriculture. It’s rich in iron O), P), natural gas, oil, salt and other mineral resources. Ukraine has such branches of industry as metallurgy, machine-building, power industry, chemical industry and agriculture. Scientists of Ukraine make their contributions of important discoveries and Q)to the world science.
Because of mild climate Ukraine is traditionally an 17) country. Wheat, maize and other corns, vegetables all kinds of fruit are grown there.
The plant and animal worlds of our country are also very rich. There are a lot of different animals, birds and plants in the forests, fields and mountains.
Ukraine has a rich historical and cultural heritage. There are many higher educational establishments, theatres, libraries, museums, art galleries, exhibition halls in Ukraine. It’s also famous for many outstanding writers, poets and musicians.
There are a lot of places of interest in Ukraine. There is Kyiv, one of the oldest cities in Europe with its historical monuments, for example the monument of Taras Shevchenko, Bohdan Hmelnytsky. Among the famous places here are the St. Sophia’s Cathedral, Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra, St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral, St. Andrew’s Church, the Golden Gate etc.
Ukraine is a member of the United R) Organization and takes part in the work of many international organizations.
The Ukrainian 18) are the national flag and the Golden S). The national flag has two wide stripes: blue and yellow. The yellow colour symbolizes the colour of the sun and the T) , and the blue colour means a clear sky.
Ukraine is a country of ancient history. For a long period it lived under the rule of U), Lithuania, and Russia. It was part of the Soviet 19). On August 24, 1991 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Act of V)of Ukraine. Since then this country has been a sovereign state.
