Geography of Ukraine

Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe: lying on the northern shores of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The country borders Belarus in the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in the west, Moldova and Romania in the south-west, and Russia in the east. The border lengths with each country are: Belarus , Hungary , Moldova , Poland , Romania on the south and on the west, Russia , and Slovakia . Ukraine is also bordered by of coastline. The border with Russia, part of which runs through the Sea of Azov, is the country's longest border. The village of Vel'ké Slemence is split between Slovakia and Ukraine. == Relief ==

s lying north of the Black Sea. The bright green belt girdling the Black Sea's southern coast, extending westwards, denotes a region of subtropics. Most of its territory lies within the Great European Plain, while parts of western regions and southern regions lay within the Alpine system. In general Ukraine comprises two different biomes: mixed forest towards the middle of the continent, and steppe towards the Black Sea littoral. Major provinces include, Polesian Lowland, Dnieper Lowland, Volhynia-Podolie Plateau, Black Sea-Azov Lowland, Donets-Azov Plateau, Central Russian Upland, Carpathians, and Pannonian Basin. 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 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 an average height above sea level being . 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 Precambrian basement rocks from the Ukrainian Shield. Plains are considered elevations of no more than among which there are recognized lowlands (plains) and uplands (plateaus, ridges, hill ridges). ====Great European Plain (subregion East European Plain)==== • Volhynia-Podillia Upland (Volhynia-Podillia Plateau) • Volhynian Upland • Podolian Upland • Little Polesia Plain • Khotyn Upland (part of Moldavian Plateau) • Roztochchia • Sian-Dniester Lowland • Eastern Carpathian Foothills • Polesian Lowland • Dnieper Upland • Dnieper Lowland • Central Russian Upland • Donets-Azov Plateau • Donets Upland (Donets Ridge) • Azov Upland • Black Sea-Azov Lowland • Black Sea Lowland • Crimean Lowland • Azov Lowland Alpine system • Transcarpathian Lowland (extension of Great Hungarian Plain, part of Eastern Pannonian Basin) • Eastern Carpathians (part of Carpathian Mountains) • Outer Eastern Carpathians (more Eastern Beskids and the Ukrainian Carpathians) • Inner Eastern Carpathians (more Vihorlat-Gutin Area) • Crimean Mountains == Soil ==

, Ochakiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast From northwest to southeast the soils of Ukraine may be divided into three major aggregations: • a zone of sandy podzolized soils • a central belt consisting of the extremely fertile Ukrainian black earth (chernozems) • a zone of chestnut and salinized soils 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". These soils may be divided into three broad groups: • in the north, a belt of deep chernozems, about 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 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. ==Hydrography==

river, Donetsk The territory of Ukraine is bordered by the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. More than 95% of the rivers are part of those two seas' drainage basins. A few rivers are part of the Baltic Sea basin. There are seven major rivers in Ukraine: Desna, Dnipro, Dnister, Danube, Prypiat, Siverian Donets, and Southern Buh. == Climate ==

. Mid-range scenarios are currently considered more likely , 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. Average annual temperatures range from in the north, to in the south. Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it is highest in the west and north and lowest in the east and southeast. 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. The World Bank has stated that Ukraine is highly vulnerable to climate change. {{Weather box == Natural resources ==

Significant natural resources in Ukraine include: iron ore, manganese, natural gas, titanium, kaolin, uranium, and arable land. == Environmental issues ==

Ukraine has many environmental issues. Some regions lack adequate supplies of potable water. 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. ==See also==