Ukraine
Ukraine is a country located in Eastern Europe with an area of 233,032 square miles (603,549 sq km). According to estimates from 2023, the population of Ukraine is 43,131,000. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv (Kiev). Ukrainians make up more than three-fourths of the population, with a significant minority of Russians. The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, although other languages such as Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, Belarusian and Bulgarian are also spoken. The main religion in Ukraine is Christianity (predominantly Eastern Orthodox) but there are also other Christian denominations, Roman Catholics and Protestants, as well as Islam.
Ukraine consists of mostly flat plains and the Carpathian Mountains that span through the western region for more than 150 miles (240 km). The major rivers of Ukraine are the Dnieper (Dnipro), Southern Buh (Pivdennyy Buh), Donets and Dniester (Dnistro). The Donets Basin in east-central Ukraine is home to one of the major industrial and mining-metallurgical complexes in Europe. In this region, iron ore and coal are mined and natural gas, petroleum, iron and steel are produced. Additionally, Ukraine is a major producer of winter wheat and sugar beets.
The government of Ukraine is a unitary multiparty republic with one legislative body known as the Verkhovna Rada which is made up of 450 members. The Head of State is the President and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister.
Ukraine has no official religion, its currency is the hryvnya and according to population rankings from 2022, it is the 35th most populous country in the world. It is estimated that by 2030, the population will be 42,628,000 people. The density of the population is 185.1 persons per square mile (2023) and 71.5 persons per square kilometer (2023). Approximately 69.5% of the population lives in urban areas, while 30.5% lives in rural areas. The life expectancy at birth is 66.9 years for males and 77 years for females (2019). The Gross National Income (GNI) is 147,691 U.S.$ ’000,000 (2020) and the GNI per capita is 3,540 U.S.$ (2020).