Ukraine
Capital: Kyiv · Europe
Ukraine is one of Europe's largest countries and, since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the focus of global geopolitics. Located in Eastern Europe with a pre-war population of about 40 million, it is famed for its fertile black soil and grain exports, long known as the 'breadbasket of Europe'. The war has devastated its economy and population, yet forged a fierce national identity and will to resist. Ukraine's fight to defend its sovereignty against a powerful neighbour resonates deeply with many Taiwanese — how a democratic society defends itself under threat is the war's profound lesson for the world, and for Taiwan.
- Capital
- Kyiv
- Population
- 41,167,335
- Area
- 603,550 km²
- Currency
- hryvnia
- Languages
- Ukrainian
Country profile
Background
Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which was the largest and most powerful state in Europe during the 10th and 11th centuries. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the…
Location
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Belarus, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east
Climate
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther…
Terrain
mostly fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, with mountains found only in the west (the Carpathians) or in the extreme south of the Crimean Peninsula
Natural resources
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
Ethnic groups
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 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 est.)
Religions
Orthodox (includes the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), and the Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant,…
Government
semi-presidential republic
Economy
lower-middle-income, non-EU, Eastern European economy; key wheat and corn exporter; gradual recovery after 30% GDP contraction at start of war; damage to infrastructure and agriculture balanced by consumer and business resilience in western Ukraine; international aid has stabilized foreign exchange reserves, allowing managed currency float; continued progress on anti-corruption reforms
Ukraine · Travel guide
Understand
Ukraine possesses fertile farmlands, a well-developed industrial base, and a well-developed educational system.
Attitude towards tourism during the war As of 2025, Ukrainians love foreign tourists coming and visiting Ukraine. They believe tourists support their economy and have the potential to spread the word about the importance of American-European defence against Russian aggression. Ukrainians don't consider it insensitive or disrespectful for foreign tourists to visit Kyiv or Lviv. Quite the opposite. Millions of tourists visit Ukraine every year. 2.5 million visited in 2024 alone.
Geography With a land area of 603,550 square kilometres (233,030 sq mi), Ukraine is one of Europe's largest countries (although only 45th globally). It is much larger than metropolitan France. The country has borders with 7 countries ― Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.
History
Ukrainian history is long and proud, with the inception of Kyivan Rus (possibly founded by Swedish Vikings) as one of the most powerful countries in medieval Europe. This state shaped the cultural and religious foundations of modern-day Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. It fell prey to Mongol conquest, and the western half of Ukraine was subsequently conquered from the Mongols by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 12th century. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania merged with the Kingdom of Poland to form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, and Kyiv remained part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the 18th century. The Russian Empire absorbed much of Ukraine in the 18th century to the detriment of its culture and identity. Western Ukraine, notably including Lviv, was for some time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and part of Poland in the years between two World
Getting there
Entry requirements For the most up-to-date information please visit the E-Visa portal of the MFA government website. Select your country to get more information.
Visa-free Citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan can visit and stay in Ukraine indefinitely visa free. However, citizens of Moldova and Uzbekistan must hold proof of sufficient funds on arrival. Citizens of Poland can visit visa-free for up to 18 months. Citizens of all other European Union member states as well as Albania, Andorra, Australia, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, St. Kitts and Nevis, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States/American Samoa and Vatican City can visit visa free for up to 90 days within a 180 day period. However, citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan must also have proof of sufficient funds when arriving in Ukraine. For citizens of Mongolia, the visa free only applies to service, tourist and private trips on conditions that documents certifying the purpose of the trip are provided. Citizens of Argentina can visit visa free for up to 90 days within a 365 day period. Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei and Serbia can visit visa free for up to 30 days within a 60-day period. Citizens of Hong Kong can visit visa free for up to 14 days.
Electronic visas Electronic visas are valid for a maximum of 30 days and cost US$20 for a visa with single entry and US$30 for double-entry visa with decision within 3 business days. Urgent visa processed within 1 business day is also available for double the visa fee (US$40/60). H
Getting around
The quickest way to get around big cities is the so-called marshrutka: the minibuses which follow routes much like the regular buses do. You can generally flag them down or ask them to stop at places other than the specified bus stops. The fare is paid as soon as you get in (except in Odesa, where you pay upon exiting), and is fixed no matter how far you want to go. This is the same for the conventional buses, tram, trolley-buses and the Metro. Tell the driver that you want to get off when you are approaching the destination. Each city has an intercity bus station from which you can go pretty much anywhere in Ukraine. Fares and quality of service vary widely. Public transport timetables can be searched and tickets bought from tickets.ua service.
Maps Ukraine is well mapped in most of usual online services. Especially eastern areas are well mapped in the open source OpenStreetMap (OSM), which is also used by this travel guide, and by many mobile Apps like OsmAnd (complex with many add-ons) and MAPS.ME (easy but limited). OSM is well supported due to voluntary work during the ongoing conflict. Download the maps, as trains in rural areas are often uncovered by mobile data connection. Russian internet services are often blocked due to sanctions against them from a side of Ukrainian government since 2017 (see Connect below). However, Yandex maps can find streets with their old names, which is often useful as many locals still use them. As in other former Soviet states, Ukraine is well covered by older Soviet military maps which were produced in the decades before 1991. These
Cities & destinations in Ukraine 44
Country fields from Wikidata (CC0); flag via Wikimedia Commons; profile from the CIA World Factbook (public domain); travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).