The Geographical Position of Ukraine
We live in Ukraine. Ukraine is our Motherland. It is one of the largest countries in Europe. It occupies the territory of 603 700 square km. Ukraine is larger than France and Italy. It is twice as big as Italy. Our country stretches for 1. 300 km from east to west and 900 km from north to south. 95 % of the Ukrainian area is flat. The rest of the Ukrainian territory is mountainous.
Ukraine has twenty-four regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The largest regions of Ukraine are Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions. There are many cities, towns and villages in Ukraine. They are very green and nice. Many people live there. The population of the country is 47 mln people.
The country is situated in the centre of Europe. The geographical centre of Europe is the town of Rakhiv. Ukraine borders on seven countries: Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Rumania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
The Black Sea and the Sea of Azov wash the country in the south. The Black Sea is deep. The sea of Azov is very small but it is warm and shallow. Due to the fact that the country has sea borders and many bordering countries, the geographical position of Ukraine is rather favourable for the trade and international links. The main ports are Odessa, Kherson, Mykolayiv and Sevastopol.
The biggest cities are Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Odessa. Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine. It is a very old and nice city. Kyiv stands on the Dnieper. The Dnieper is one of the longest rivers in Europe. It divides the country into right-bank and left-bank Ukraine, and flows into the Black Sea. The main rivers of Ukraine are the Dnieper, the Dniester, the Bug and the Donets.
There are the Crimean Mountains and the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. The Crimea is a famous Ukrainian resort. Many Ukrainian people and people from abroad come to the Crimea in summer. Their slopes are steep. Roman-Kosh is the highest peak of the Crimeans. It is 1, 545 m high.
The Carpathian Mountains also attract many tourists. Hoverla is the highest peak of the Carpathians. It is 2, 061 m high. Many tourists climb there. These mountains are young. They have flat summits and gentle slopes. There are many treeless summits which are called polonynas. People come there in any time of the year, especially in winter, they like to skate and to ski there. Boukovel is a famous ski centre of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians rivers with cold, pure and fresh water attract many tourists too. There are over 3, 000 lakes in Ukraine. The largest freshwater lakes are Lake Yalpuh and lake Svytiaz.
There are a lot of picturesque parks, forests, ancient castles and beautiful streets in Ukraine. Most forests are in the Carpathians and in Polissia. We can see such trees as: pines, fir-trees, oaks, beeches, and birches there. Ukraine has extremely fertile black soil. They grow a lot of crops, fruits and vegetables there. We can find many birds and animals in Ukraine.
The geographical position of Ukraine has many advantages. It is favourable for the development of its economy due to the natural resources, such as coal, iron, ore, titanium, granite and marble, salt. Ukraine has 5% of the world’s mineral resources. Our country has many plants, institutes, schools, theatres, cinemas and museums. Ukraine is the nicest country in the world and we love it very much. Ukrainian people are always ready to invite a lot of foreigners.
Exercise 3. Answer the questions:
1. What is the name of our Motherland?
Is Ukraine a large or a small country?
What territory does Ukraine occupy?
How many countries does Ukraine border on?
What countries does Ukraine border on?
6. Where is Ukraine situated?
7. What seas is Ukraine washed by?
8. How many regions does Ukraine have?
9. What are the largest regions in Ukraine?
10. Where do people live in Ukraine?
11. What are the biggest cities of our country?
12. What can you say about Kyiv?
13. What are the main rivers rivers of Ukraine?
14. What mountains are there in Ukraine?
15. What is the highest peak of the Crimean mountains?
16. What is the highest peak of the Carpathian mountains?
17. Why do we love our Motherland?
18. What practical advice would you give to a visitor about interesting places
in Ukraine?
19. Which do you think is the most important information for a visitor to know?
20. Is the geographical position of our country favourable for the industrial development?
Exercise 4. Choose the correct item to complete the sentences:
1. Ukraine borders on ... .
a) 9 countries; b) 5 countries; c) 7 countries.
2. Ukraine is twice as big as ... .
a) France; b) Italy; c) Poland.
3. Ukraine doesn’t border on ... .
a) Russia; b) France; c) Poland.
4. The Carpathian Mountains have ... .
a) flat summits and gentle slopes;
b) flat summits and deep slopes;
c) pointed tops and gentle slopes.
5. Ukraine consists of ... .
a) 23 regions and one Autonomous Republic;
b) 24 regions and two Autonomous Republics;
c) 24 regions and one Autonomous Republic.
6. Ukraine stretches for ... from east to west.
a) 1. 300 km; b) 900 km; c) 1. 200 km.
7. The Black Sea and the Sea of Azov wash the country ... .
a) in the north; b) in the south; c) in the west.
8. Ukraine is situated ... of Europe.
a) in the centre; b) in the south; c) in the north.
Exercise 5. Complete the sentences (Доповніть речення):
1. Ukraine borders on …
Ukraine is one of the …
The population of Ukraine is ..
The black Sea and the Sea of Azov …
The geographical position of Ukraine is favourable for …
Many Ukrainian people and people from abroad come to …
Exercise 6. Match two parts of the sentences (З’єднай дві частини речення):
1. Ukraine borders on a) France and Italy.
2. There are many treeless summits b) the centre of Europe.
3. Ukraine is washed by c) seven countries.
4. The country is situated in d) of the Carpathian Mountains.
5. Ukraine has extremely e) cold, pure and fresh water.
6. Boukovel is a famous ski centre f) which are called polonynas.
7. The Carpathians rivers have g) fertile black soil.
8. Ukraine is larger than h) the Black Sea.
9. Ukraine is covered with i) the rivers and mountains.
Exercise 7. Complete the sentences with the words from the box (Доповни речення словами з рамки):
left-bank / favourable / mountainous / stretches / Europe / advantages / villages / longest / foreigners / flat |
1. Ukraine is situated in the centre of ... .
2. Our country ... for 900 km from north to south.
3. 95 % of the Ukrainian area is.
4. The rest of the Ukrainian territory is ... .
5. There are many cities, towns and ... in Ukraine.
6. The Dnieper is one of the ... rivers in Europe.
7. It divides the country into right-bank and ... Ukraine.
8. The geographical position of Ukraine has many ... .
9. It is ... for the development of its economy.
10. Ukrainian people are always ready to invite a lot of.
Exercise 8. Decide if these statements are true or false, say the correct version if necessary:
Ukraine is situated in the south-east of Europe.
Ukraine borders on 8 countries.
Tripillians were first to grow crops.
Ukraine is a home to 130 different nationalities and ethnic groups.
The territory of Ukraine is smaller than that of France but larger than Great Britain’s.
The head of state in Ukraine is the President.
Kyiv was built in the 9th century on the Dnieper banks. It became the capital of Russian Rus.
The main river in the country is the Dnieper which is the third longest in Europe.
The deepest lake in Ukraine is Yalpuh.
More people live in the country than in the city.
The history of Ukraine covers more than 6 millennia.
Lviv, Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra and Ostrih were the centres of book printing.
Ukraine is the parliamentary republic.
In the 11th century Prince Jaroslav the Wise collected the first library in Kyiv Rus. It was one of the smallest in Europe.
The national currency of Ukraine is dollar.
Ukrainians make 58% of the population of Ukraine.
Ukrainians is a 4th educated nation in the world: 99.4% of Ukrainians aged 15 and over can read and write.
Ukraine’ s image is associated with ugly landscapes and fertile waters.
The national flag of Ukraine is associated with the blue sky and yellow fields of grain.
The geographic centre of Europe is in Zakarpatska oblast.
Ukrainians created the World’s First Constitution (by Hetman Pylyp Orlyk - 1710).
Exercise 9. Fill in the table with information about Ukraine:
Name of the country
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Capital city
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Large cities |
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Mountains
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The biggest rivers, lakes, seas |
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Public holidays |
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National symbols, country’s image |
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The state language (+languages spoken) |
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The state currency |
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