Who Named Ukraine?

Ukraine, which is the second-largest country in Europe, has several theories behind having its name ‘Ukraine’. One of such theories states that Historian Nikolay Kostomarov and his Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius (a secret political society that existed for a short period of time) in Kyiv began using the term “Ukrainians” during the 1830s when today’s Ukraine was known as ‘Little Russia’. 

Another theory suggests that the first recorded mention of the term ‘Ukraina’ that is similar to ‘Ukraine’ is dated 1187. Later, in the following years, similar terms were used for the lands with fortified borders. The terms geographical location. However, the terms did not specify or denote any fixed geographical region.

Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe located in the eastern region. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv and the national language spoken there is Ukrainian. Kyiv is located on the Dnieper River which is in the north-central of Europe.

Brief History of Ukraine

Like any other country, has a fascinating history that witnessed Gravettian Culture in the Crimean Mountains during the period of 32,000 BC. With several invasions, settlements, flourishing modernity, and a thriving rich culture, Ukraine is historically considered to be the first location where horses were domesticated.

Later, in the modern era, the Polish Ukrainian War and the Polish-Soviet War (during the First World War) resulted in western Ukraine becoming part of Poland. After the repercussions of 2 world wars while its stay in USSR and continuous dominations, Ukrainians began efforts for Independence and the country finally declared itself as an independent nation on 24th August 1991 by adopting the ‘Act of Independence’ in the Ukrainian parliament. Following this event, the country had its first presidential elections on 1st December 1991.

Geography of Ukraine

Located in eastern Europe, Ukraine shares its northern border with Belarus, Russia in the east, Moldova, and Romania south, and also, in the south, the country is bordered by the Black sea. The country is separated from Russia through the Kerch Strait that joins the Sea of Azov to the Black sea.

In terms of temperature, the country has a temperate climatic zone which consists of warm, humid air from the Atlantic Ocean. On the hand, precipitation occurs two to three times out of which mostly rainfall is recorded during the months of June and July and minimum in February.

The country has a good number of people who speak Ukrainian which is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Also, there are people in significant numbers who speak Polish, Yiddish, Rusyn, Belarusian, Romanian or Moldovan, Bulgarian, Crimean Turkish, and Hungarian.

Economy of Ukraine

Ukraine has a rich economy in terms of Agriculture, Transport, Energy, and Information Technology. The country is allegedly among the top producers and exporters in terms of agriculture and is considered the “Bread Basket of Europe”. Before the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country has a strong command over transportation through, roads, Rail transport, airlines, and waterways.

Gas, coal, nuclear, and oil are the major sources of energy in the country that are also currently hampered by the ongoing invasion.