Ukraine is the second-largest European country, after Russia. Its various regions have diverse geographic features ranging from highlands to lowlands, as well as climatic range and a wide variety in hydrography. Most of the country lies within the East European Plain.
Lying between latitudes 44° and 53° N, and longitudes 22° and 41° E, Ukraine covers an area of 603,628 square kilometres (233,062 sq mi), with a coastline of 2,782 kilometres (1,729 mi).[1]
Ukraine also has a number of highland regions such as the Volyn-Podillia Upland (in the west) and the Near-Dnipro Upland (on the right bank of the Dnieper). To the east there are the south-western spurs of the Central Russian Upland, over which runs the border with the Russia. Near the Sea of Azov can be found the Donets Ridge and the Near Azov Upland. The snow melt from the mountains feeds the rivers and their waterfalls.
The total geographic area of Ukraine is 603,700 square kilometers (233,100 sq mi). Ukraine has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 147,318 km2 (56,880 sq mi) in the Black Sea.[7]
The land border of Ukraine totals 6,993 kilometers (4,345 mi).[8] The border lengths with each country are: Belarus 891 kilometers (554 mi)[failed verification], Hungary 103 kilometers (64 mi)[failed verification], Moldova 939 kilometers (583 mi)[failed verification], Poland 428 kilometers (266 mi)[failed verification], Romania 169 kilometers (105 mi) on the south and 362 kilometers (225 mi) on the west[failed verification], Russia 1,974 kilometers (1,227 mi), and Slovakia 90 kilometers (56 mi)[failed verification]. Ukraine is also bordered by 3,783 kilometers (2,351 mi) of coastline[failed verification]. The border with Russia, part of which runs through the Sea of Azov, is the country's longest border.[9]
Relief map of UkraineSimplified depiction of the biomes lying north of the Black Sea. The bright green belt girdling the Black Sea's southern coast, extending westwards, denotes a region of subtropics.
The western regions feature an alpine-like section of Carpathian Mountains, the Eastern Carpathians that stretches across Poland, Ukraine and Romania. The highest peak is Mount Hoverla, which at 2,061 meters (6,762 ft) above sea level is the highest point in the country. Mountains are limited to the west, the southern tip of Ukraine on the Sea of Azov. The western region has the Carpathian Mountains, and some eroded mountains from the Donets Ridge are in the east near the Sea of Azov.
Most of Ukraine's area is taken up by the steppe-like region just north of the Black Sea. Most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (or steppes) and plateaus. In terms of land use, 58% of Ukraine is considered arable land; 2% is used for permanent crops, 13% for permanent pastures, 18% is forests and woodland, and 9% is other.
Physiographic division of Ukraine
Most of Ukraine consists of regular plains with the average height above sea level being 175 metres (574 ft). It is surrounded by mountains to its west and extreme south. Wide spaces of the country's plains are located in the south-western part of the East European Plain. The plains have numerous highlands and lowlands caused by the uneven crystallized base of the East European craton. The highlands are characterized by Precambrianbasement rocks from the Ukrainian Shield.
Plains are considered elevations of no more than 0–600 m (0–1,969 ft) among which there are recognized lowlands (plains) and uplands (plateaus, ridges, hill ridges).
As much as two-thirds of the country's surface land consists of black earth, a resource that has made Ukraine one of the most fertile regions in the world and well known as a "breadbasket".[12] These soils may be divided into three broad groups:
in the north, a belt of deep chernozems, about 1.5 metres (5 feet) thick and rich in humus
south and east of the former, a zone of prairie, or ordinary, chernozems, which are equally rich in humus but only about 90 centimetres (3 feet) thick
the southernmost belt, which is even thinner and has still less humus
Interspersed in various uplands and along the northern and western perimeters of the deep chernozems are mixtures of gray forest soils and podzolized black-earth soils, which together occupy much of Ukraine's remaining area. All these soils are very fertile when sufficient water is available. However, their intensive cultivation, especially on steep slopes, has led to widespread soil erosion and gullying.
The smallest proportion of the soil cover consists of the chestnut soils of the southern and eastern regions. They become increasingly salinized to the south as they approach the Black Sea.[11]
Visualisation of climate change in Kyiv, showing different temperature ranges between different 30-year time periods.
Ukraine is firmly in the mid-latitudes, and generally has a continental climate, except for its southern coasts, which feature cold semi-arid and humid subtropical climates.[18] Average annual temperatures range from 5.5–7 °C (41.9–44.6 °F) in the north, to 11–13 °C (51.8–55.4 °F) in the south.[19]Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it is highest in the west and north and lowest in the east and southeast.[19] Western Ukraine, particularly in the Carpathian Mountains, receives around 1,200 millimetres (47.2 in) of precipitation annually, while Crimea and the coastal areas of the Black Sea receive around 400 millimetres (15.7 in).[19]
Water availability from the major river basins is expected to decrease, especially in summer. This poses risks to the agricultural sector.[20] The negative impacts of climate change on agriculture are mostly felt in the south of the country, which has a steppe climate. In the north, some crops may be able to benefit from a longer growing season.[21] The World Bank has stated that Ukraine is highly vulnerable to climate change.[22]
Climate data for Kyiv (1991–2020, extremes 1881–present)
Significant natural resources in Ukraine include: iron ore, manganese, natural gas,[37] titanium, kaolin, uranium, and arable land.[5][38]
Environmental issues
Ukraine has many environmental issues.[39][40] Some regions lack adequate supplies of potable water.[41] Air and water pollution affects the country, as well as deforestation, and radiation contamination in the northeast stemming from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.[42]
^Schuur, Edward A.G.; Abbott, Benjamin W.; Commane, Roisin; Ernakovich, Jessica; Euskirchen, Eugenie; Hugelius, Gustaf; Grosse, Guido; Jones, Miriam; Koven, Charlie; Leshyk, Victor; Lawrence, David; Loranty, Michael M.; Mauritz, Marguerite; Olefeldt, David; Natali, Susan; Rodenhizer, Heidi; Salmon, Verity; Schädel, Christina; Strauss, Jens; Treat, Claire; Turetsky, Merritt (2022). "Permafrost and Climate Change: Carbon Cycle Feedbacks From the Warming Arctic". Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 47: 343–371. doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-011847. Medium-range estimates of Arctic carbon emissions could result from moderate climate emission mitigation policies that keep global warming below 3°C (e.g., RCP4.5). This global warming level most closely matches country emissions reduction pledges made for the Paris Climate Agreement...
^Phiddian, Ellen (5 April 2022). "Explainer: IPCC Scenarios". Cosmos. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023. "The IPCC doesn't make projections about which of these scenarios is more likely, but other researchers and modellers can. The Australian Academy of Science, for instance, released a report last year stating that our current emissions trajectory had us headed for a 3°C warmer world, roughly in line with the middle scenario. Climate Action Tracker predicts 2.5 to 2.9°C of warming based on current policies and action, with pledges and government agreements taking this to 2.1°C.
^"Ukraine". Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profiles. Food and Agriculture Organization. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
^"ЦГО Кліматичні дані по м.Києву". cgo-sreznevskyi.kyiv.ua (in Ukrainian). Central Observatory for Geophysics. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
^"ЦГО Кліматичні рекорди". cgo-sreznevskyi.kyiv.ua (in Ukrainian). Central Observatory for Geophysics. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
^Cappelen, John; Jensen, Jens. "Ukraine – Kyiv"(PDF). Climate Data for Selected Stations (1931–1960) (in Danish). Danish Meteorological Institute. p. 332. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
^Погода и Климат – Климат Одессы [Weather and Climate – The Climate of Odesa] (in Russian). Weather and Climate (Погода и климат). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
