Fun facts about Ukraine

1. The official currency in The Ukraine is called the Hryvnia
2. Kiev is at least 1,400 years old. It gets its Ukrainian name, Kyiv, from the eldest brother of the family who founded the original settlement. His name was Kyi.
3. Ukraine produces an enormous amount of wheat.
4. Until 1990, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.
5. Ethnic Russians make up about one fifth of the Ukrainian population
6. Ukraines most valuable exports are crude sunflower oil followed by corn, wheat and then iron ore.
7. Traditional Ukrainian dishes include varenyky and pierogi dumpling dishes and soup called borsch
8. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 occurred at a reactor in the Ukrainian town of Pripyat.
9. Heavily involved in the Soviet space programme, Ukraine today has its own space agency
10. Ukrainian cuisine is as varied as the country is large.
11. Ukrainian folk music is famous for its distinctive use of minor keys.
12. Ukrainian national dress is extremely colourful.
13. Ethnic Ukrainian folklore is distinctive among other such traditions, including Russian.
14. Ukraine has hundreds of sporting venues, both for spectating and participating.
15. The Carpathian Mountains lie at the Western boundary of Ukraine.
16. The River Dnieper, which flows through Ukraine to the Black Sea.
17. Orthodox Christianity is very important to the majority of Ukrainians and plays a central part in national life.
18. Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev is a world heritage landmark.
19. Taras Shevchenko is widely thought of as the Father of Ukraine.
20. Written Ukrainian uses the Cyrillic alphabet.
21. Iron and steel production are the major heavy industries in Ukraine.
22. Ukraine's natural environment consists of a number of different biological zones.
23. Under an act which came into force in 1991, Ukraine has 33 Ramsar Convention wetland sites.
24. Ukraine has a flourishing IT sector, which is playing a growing part in the country's economy.