Chernivtsi Museum of Folk Architecture and Life Shows Ukraine in the 19th Century
One of the greatest museums in Ukraine - Chernivtsi Regional Museum of Folk Architecture and Life - is ready to welcome visitors for International Museum Day on the 18th. Ancient houses and unique mills recreate the authentic atmosphere of Bukovyna in the 19th century.
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Musician at Pirogovo - Museum Of Folk Architecture And Life Kyiv Ukraine
Musician at Pirogovo - Museum Of Folk Architecture And Life Kyiv Ukraine
Pyrogovo Tour
Pyrogovo - An Open-Air Fairy Tale!
To get know the real Ukraine is possible only...
by revealing its history
plunging into the world of Ukrainian folk art and Ukrainian people's life.
If you wish to understand this country,
you must visit the largest Eastern European open-air Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life - Pyrogovo.
Extremely interesting tour around all the historical regions of Ukraine
unforgettable memories of Ukrainian culture of 16-20 centuries.
over 300 excursion objects
Visit Pyrogovo -- place where Ukrainian fairy tale comes true!
Pyrogovo - An Open-Air Fairy Tale!
Memorable Architecture of the Ukrainian city of Lutsk: Ancient Lubart's Castle
Lutsk is one of Country’s most ancient cities. For a long time, it was not a particularly popular destination for tourists. Now, more and more people are recognizing Lutsk for the variety of sights it has to offer. Let's have a look at the city's memorable architecture, starting with Lutsk Castle.
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Chernivtsi: Little Vienna in Western Ukraine| travel vlog | 切爾諾夫策 |
Chernivtsi is a city in Western Ukraine with a large architectural and cultural heritage from the times of the Habsburg Empire. Back then known by its German name Czernowitz, the city began to flourish in the late 18th century. The German language became the lingua franca due to the influence of the Habsburgs and the large Jewish population. Chernivtsi was the capital of Bukovina - a region covering parts of present southwestern Ukraine and northeastern Romania. Literary figures including the late 19th-century novelist, travel writer and journalist Karl Emil Franzos published their works about the city and the region in German.
The architectural heritage of the city is very well preserved. Most of the buildings in the city center originate from the late 19th and early 20th century, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire built beautiful houses that resembled the architectural styles of contemporary buildings in Vienna - mainly Art Nouveau style.
Chernivtsi also became a center of both Romanian and Ukrainian national movements. It became part of Romania after 1918. The large mainly German and Yiddish-speaking Jewish population of the city perished during W W II. From 1945 to 1991, Chernivtsi was part of the Ukrainian SSR within the Soviet Union. During that time, the architectural heritage suffered greatly from decay and neglect. In 1991, Chernivtsi became part of present Ukraine.
In recent years, many of the once dilapidated buildings in the city center have been restored. Today, Chernivtsi is a colorful city with a rich architectural and cultural heritage.
Hope you enjoy this vlog style video i filmed with in Chernivtsi, Ukraine! I had such an amazing trip, more summer videos to come...
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M U S I C
Adventures by A Himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
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☆ F R E E S T U F F ☆
Get $20 off your first Uber ride using this code: be9dpu
Get $40 in Air Bnb housing:
第一次使用Uber的20美金折扣碼: be9dpu
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Хмельницкая область. Кам.-Подольский район. Природа. Khmelnitsky region. Kam.-Podilskyi. Nature.
Картографические данные: Google, DigitalGlobe
Map data : Google, DigitalGlobe
МОИ ПУТЕШЕСТВИЯ. MY TRAVELS
Украина. Хмельницкая область. Каменец-Подольский район. Природа.
Ukraine. Khmelnitsky region. Kamianets-Podilskyi district. Nature
Композиция Namaste принадлежит исполнителю Audionautix. Лицензия: Creative Commons Attribution (
Исполнитель:
The composition Namaste belongs to the performer Audionautix. License: Creative Commons Attribution (
Artist:
Видео создано из моих авторских фотографий во время поездок в Каменец-Подольский район Хмельницкой области
The video was created from my copyright photos during trips to the Kamianets-Podilskyi district of Khmelnitsky region
Субтитры к данному видео опубликованы по материалам статьи из Википедии.
Лицензия: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
Ссылка:
Subtitles for this video posted on the article from Wikipedia.
License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
Link:
А теперь совершим путешествие на самый юг Хмельницкой области – в Каменец-Подольский район! Здесь природа совсем другая, чем в Славутском районе.
Каменец-Подольский район (укр. Кам'янець-Подільський район) — административная единица на юге Хмельницкой области Украины. Административный центр — город Каменец-Подольский.
Главная достопримечательность природы тут – река Днестр. К сожалению, качество днестровской воды оставляет желать лучшего… Не всегда она чистая.
Днестр – самое популярное место отдыха и рыбалки жителей области.
Кроме того, в окрестностях Каменца-Подольского встречаются удивительные карстовые пещеры. Наиболее известная из них – пещера Атлантида. Если в неё спуститься, то с потолка там свисают сталактиты.
Ну и, конечно же, Товтры! Ещё одна достопримечательность района. В нашей области Товтры имеют своё красивое название – Медоборы. Некоторые учёные считают, что Медоборы (Товтры) – это продолжение Карпатских гор, своеобразное их вкрапление в подольские ландшафты.
Одним из самых посещаемых мест также является каньон реки Смотрич в черте Каменца-Подольского. Такого места больше нигде нет в нашей области, только в Каменце!
Кому интересно - подписываемся на интересный канал!
Wooden Tserkvas of Poland and Ukraine - UNESCO World Heritage Site
This UNESCO World Heritage site covers some 16 wooden Tserkvas (or churches) across the Carpathian region of south-eastern Poland and western Ukraine. The tserkvas date from between the 16th and 19th centuries, and are Greek Catholic or Orthodox. We managed to visit several of the Polish ones and were very impressed with both the architecture and the decoration!
More World Heritage sites in Poland:
More wooden church World Heritage sites:
Wooden Churches of Slovakia:
Wooden Churches of Malopolska:
Don't forget to Like and Subscribe to see more of my UNESCO World Heritage Journey!
Music: Bensound.com - Happiness
An ancient church in Transcarpathia is in danger
One of the architectural pearls of Transcarpathia is threatened at the moment. An exclusive wooden church of the 17th century has been a tourist attraction of Novoselitsa village for 50 years now. The church building is an active museum and the village residents are incredibly proud they’ve been able to preserve for so long the most valuable artifact that catches an eye of fastidious travelers. However, an arbitrary decision of the village council head to transfer the church to a small Greek-Catholic community can pose an existential threat for the museum complex.
Natalia Vamosh, director of the museum complex in Novoselitsa village
I was told people want to pray here. But I am dead set against it. Firstly, the church here is very small. It was built without any nails. This is the smallest church in Ukraine with such mural painting.
Protopriest Mikhail Golubka, senior priest of the Holy Assumtion church in Novoselitsa village
Architecture should be for tourists, for them to come and watch how our ancestors and great grandfathers used to build it. You know, this is the 17th century and not a single nail was used in the building. That is why tourists visit this place, they leave their comments which tell how much they like it here.
I am totally against making this church active. Furthermore, we have no congregation here. All in all there are 7 people whom I gave the entrance door keys because I did not want to have an argument with them. Almost every Sunday I come here to check how many people have gathered. No more than seven.
The Greek-Catholic congregation numbers about 7 persons – namely they can now dispose of the church with the original mural painting. Yet the issue of security measures did not become primary for the community. They entered the church for the first time on Easter – with food baskets and burning candles.
I’d like to draw your attention to this crucifixion. As I have already told, our church was built in the 17th century. But if take a closer look at this crucifixion, it is clear the church was built as Orthodox.
The second visit of the church took place on May 15, when 30 vans with the residents from neighbor villages of the district and region came allegedly to the church service.
They gathered plenty of people. It looked like a real show. The people could not understand what they had to do, what church they have to go to.
They filled the yard of the museum complex, waving a piece of paper, which had been purportedly issued in Kiev! Actually, what the document was and whether it was a document altogether remained vague for both the deputies and the villagers.
I neither held the documents nor saw them. I just saw the decision of Novoselitsa village council.
Family Life in Rural Ukraine, A Litle Bit of Halloween
Halloween party with local kids in our village library
Ukraine Jewish Heritage Museum Project - Rabbi Shmuel Reaction
Jewish Heritage In Ukraine Museum Project - Rabbi Shmuel Reaction @ Menorah Center, Dnipropetrovsk SEP2015. This project started in Volyn Region won 1st prize at the National Museum Festival, and is not being requested by many museums across the country. For more information contact Joel.Susel@HBBRLLC.com
Beautiful Lviv park
Recreation park named after Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Ukrainian culture parks іmenі Bohdan Khmelnytsky) - park in Lviv (Ukraine), a monument of landscape architecture local (since 1984). Located between the streets Stryi, Guards and Vitovskoho (former Dzerzhinsky). The top of the park adjacent to the Cultural Monument of Glory, street Stryis'ka Stryiskyi separates it from the park, and the street Vitovskoho - from Citadel. The total area of 26 hectares.
More information is here
Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church, Kosiw, MB
Located in the Kosiw district southwest of Dauphin, MB, near the northern boundary of Riding Mountain National Park, the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Sts. Peter and Paul is a fine interpretation of a type of traditional church architecture found in Western Ukraine. Overlooking pastoral rolling farmland, the cruciform wooden church with its five eight-sided banyas (onion domes), including a large two-tiered central dome, has served the area pioneers and their descendents since 1921. Find out more at readreidread.com
Ukraine's Pilots Put on Aerobatic Display at Kyiv Aviation Festival
Ukraine has opened its air sports season in style. An aircraft festival has taken place in the Kyiv Region - with some of Europe's most talented pilots taking part.
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Доброго здоров’ячка! Івано-Франківському національному медичному університету — 70 років
Документальний фільм про Івано-Франківський національний медичний університет.
автор сценарію/продюсер: Надія ШЕГДА
режисер: Денис ОВЧАР aka DaPix Sunny
літературний редактор: Вероніка ЗАНИК
оператор/монтаж: Денис ОВЧАР
media studio «DenFilm»
диктор: Орест ПАСТУХ
звукорежисер: Мирослав ЛИТВАК
музика: Віктор НОВОЖИЛОВ
у фільми використані зйомки:
Михайло КОВАЛИШИН
Остап ОРІЩАК
Едуард САГІТОВ
Василь МИКУЛЯК
Craig A. SMITH
Mitch MARTINEZ
The Jackson Clinic
архівні фотографії міста з колекції:
Віталій БОДНАР
Зіновій ЖЕРЕБЕЦЬКИЙ
перекладачі: Христина ВІНТОНІВ, Христина МИХАЙЛЮК
водій: Ігор СТАРОДУБЦЕВ
у ролях
Георгій Бабенко: Радислав ПЕТРІВ
Юхим Мельман: Омелян ЮРАХ
Golden Hands (1957) Sergei Parajanov
Sergei Parajanov's 1957 documentary on Ukrainian Folk Arts, not to be confused with the 2009 documentary of the same name about Ben Carson.
Bucharest | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Bucharest
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Bucharest (; Romanian: București [bukuˈreʃtʲ] (listen)) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, at 44°25′57″N 26°06′14″E, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than 60 km (37.3 mi) north of the Danube River and the Bulgarian border.
Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. It became the capital of Romania in 1862 and is the centre of Romanian media, culture, and art. Its architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical), interbellum (Bauhaus and art deco), communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of Little Paris (Micul Paris). Although buildings and districts in the historic city centre were heavily damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, and above all Nicolae Ceaușescu's program of systematization, many survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom. In 2016, the historical city centre was listed as endangered by the World Monuments Watch.According to the 2011 census, 1,883,425 inhabitants live within the city limits, a decrease from the 2002 census. Adding the satellite towns around the urban area, the proposed metropolitan area of Bucharest would have a population of 2.27 million people. According to Eurostat, Bucharest has a functional urban area of 2,412,530 residents (as of 2015). Bucharest is the sixth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits, after London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, and Paris.
Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of Eastern Europe. The city has big convention facilities, educational institutes, cultural venues, traditional shopping arcades, and recreational areas.
The city proper is administratively known as the Municipality of Bucharest (Municipiul București), and has the same administrative level as that of a national county, being further subdivided into six sectors, each governed by a local mayor.
Bucharest | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:25 1 Etymology
00:03:34 2 History
00:09:16 2.1 Treaties signed in Bucharest
00:09:56 3 Geography
00:10:04 3.1 General
00:13:53 3.2 Climate
00:15:02 4 Law and government
00:15:11 4.1 Administration
00:19:26 4.1.1 City general council
00:19:41 4.2 Justice system
00:21:00 4.3 Crime
00:22:29 5 Quality of life
00:24:42 6 Demographics
00:28:11 7 Economy
00:30:53 8 Transport
00:31:01 8.1 Public transport
00:31:40 8.2 Railways
00:32:41 8.3 Air
00:33:29 8.4 Roads
00:35:14 8.5 Water
00:35:54 9 Culture
00:36:20 9.1 Landmarks
00:38:53 9.2 Visual arts
00:41:28 9.3 Performing arts
00:42:22 9.4 Music and nightlife
00:43:43 9.5 Cultural events and festivals
00:45:20 9.6 Traditional culture
00:46:35 9.7 Religion
00:47:44 10 Architecture
00:48:17 10.1 Historical architecture
00:51:06 10.2 Communist era architecture
00:53:24 10.3 Contemporary architecture
00:56:27 11 Education
00:58:06 12 Telecommunications and media
01:00:23 13 Healthcare
01:01:32 14 Sports
01:03:38 15 Natives
01:05:53 16 Twin towns and sister cities
01:06:11 17 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
Other Wikipedia audio articles at:
Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
Speaking Rate: 0.9854469284640742
Voice name: en-AU-Wavenet-C
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Bucharest (UK: , ; US: ; Romanian: București [bukuˈreʃtʲ] (listen)) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, at 44°25′57″N 26°06′14″E, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than 60 km (37.3 mi) north of the Danube River and the Bulgarian border.
Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. It became the capital of Romania in 1862 and is the centre of Romanian media, culture, and art. Its architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical and Art Nouveau), interbellum (Bauhaus and art deco), communist era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of Little Paris (Micul Paris). Although buildings and districts in the historic city centre were heavily damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, and above all Nicolae Ceaușescu's program of systematization, many survived and have been renovated. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom. In 2016, the historical city centre was listed as endangered by the World Monuments Watch.According to the 2011 census, 1,883,425 inhabitants live within the city limits, a decrease from the 2002 census. Adding the satellite towns around the urban area, the proposed metropolitan area of Bucharest would have a population of 2.27 million people. According to Eurostat, Bucharest has a functional urban area of 2,412,530 residents (as of 2015). Bucharest is the sixth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits, after London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, and Paris.
Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania. The city has a number of large convention facilities, educational institutes, cultural venues, traditional shopping arcades and recreational areas.
The city proper is administratively known as the Municipality of Bucharest (Municipiul București), and has the same administrative level as that of a national county, being further subdivided into six sectors, each governed by a local mayor.
Ukraine | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:04:26 1 Etymology
00:05:25 2 History
00:05:34 2.1 Early history
00:07:13 2.2 Antes people
00:08:06 2.3 Golden Age of Kiev
00:10:46 2.4 Foreign domination
00:14:58 2.5 Cossack Hetmanate
00:20:32 2.6 19th century, World War I and revolution
00:25:29 2.7 Western Ukraine, Carpathian Ruthenia and Bukovina
00:27:01 2.8 Inter-war Soviet Ukraine
00:30:21 2.9 World War II
00:35:13 2.10 Post-World War II
00:39:10 2.11 Independence
00:42:36 2.12 Orange Revolution
00:45:20 2.13 Euromaidan and 2014 revolution
00:48:02 2.14 Civil unrest and Russian intervention
00:52:35 3 Historical maps of states
00:53:12 4 Geography
00:55:59 4.1 Soil
00:57:49 4.2 Biodiversity
00:58:05 4.2.1 Animals
00:59:07 4.2.2 Fungi
00:59:57 4.3 Climate
01:01:04 5 Politics
01:01:24 5.1 Constitution of Ukraine
01:03:59 5.2 President, parliament and government
01:06:11 5.3 Courts and law enforcement
01:09:51 5.4 Foreign relations
01:13:11 5.5 Administrative divisions
01:15:05 5.6 Armed forces
01:18:13 6 Economy
01:26:30 6.1 Corporations
01:28:12 6.2 Transport
01:31:41 6.3 Energy
01:32:08 6.3.1 Fuel resources
01:33:59 6.3.2 Power generation
01:35:26 6.3.3 Renewable energy use
01:37:10 6.4 Internet
01:37:53 6.5 IT
01:39:22 6.6 Tourism
01:40:33 7 Demographics
01:41:46 7.1 Population decline
01:43:30 7.2 Fertility and natalist policies
01:46:09 7.3 Urbanisation
01:46:41 7.4 Language
01:50:48 7.5 Religion
01:54:36 7.6 Famines and migration
01:56:29 7.7 Health
02:01:26 7.8 Education
02:07:21 7.9 Regional differences
02:09:47 8 Culture
02:11:33 8.1 Weaving and embroidery
02:12:52 8.2 Literature
02:16:25 8.3 Architecture
02:22:22 8.4 Music
02:25:27 8.5 Cinema
02:27:46 8.6 Media
02:29:53 8.7 Sport
02:32:25 8.8 Cuisine
02:33:39 9 See also
02:33:51 10 Notes
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
Other Wikipedia audio articles at:
Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
Speaking Rate: 0.8183676641468551
Voice name: en-AU-Wavenet-C
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Ukraine (Ukrainian: Україна, translit. Ukrayina; Ukrainian pronunciation: [ukrɑˈjinɑ]), sometimes called the Ukraine, is a country in Eastern Europe. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of about 42.5 million, making it the 32nd most populous country in the world. Its capital and largest city is Kiev. Ukrainian is the official language and its alphabet is Cyrillic. The dominant religions in the country are Eastern Orthodoxy and Greek Catholicism. Ukraine is currently in a territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Including Crimea, Ukraine has an area of 603,628 km2 (233,062 sq mi), making it the largest country entirely within Europe and the 46th largest country in the world.
The territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC. During the Middle Ages, the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture, with the powerful state of Kievan Rus' forming the basis of Ukrainian identity. Following its fragmentation in the 13th century, the territory was contested, ruled and divided by a variety of powers, including Lithuania, Poland, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Russia. A Cossack republic emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries, but its territory was eventually split between Poland and the Russian Empire, and finally merged fully into the Russian-dominated Soviet Union in the late 1940s as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991 Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in the aftermath of its dissolution at the end of the Cold War. Before its independence, Ukraine was typically referred to in English as The Ukraine, but most sources have since moved to drop the from the name of Ukraine in all uses.Following its independence, Ukraine declared itself a neutral state; it formed a limited military partnership with Russia and other CIS countries while also establishing a partnership with NATO in 1994. In 2013, after the government of President Viktor Yanukovych ...
Ukraine | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Ukraine
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written
language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through
audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio
while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using
a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
In case you don't find one that you were looking for, put a comment.
This video uses Google TTS en-US-Standard-D voice.
SUMMARY
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Ukraine (Ukrainian: Україна, translit. Ukrayina; Ukrainian pronunciation: [ukrɑˈjinɑ]), sometimes called the Ukraine, is a country in Eastern Europe. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of about 42.5 million, making it the 32nd most populous country in the world. Its capital and largest city is Kiev. Ukrainian is the official language and its alphabet is Cyrillic. The dominant religions in the country are Eastern Orthodoxy and Greek Catholicism. Ukraine is currently in a territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Including Crimea, Ukraine has an area of 603,628 km2 (233,062 sq mi), making it the largest country entirely within Europe and the 46th largest country in the world.
The territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC. During the Middle Ages, the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture, with the powerful state of Kievan Rus' forming the basis of Ukrainian identity. Following its fragmentation in the 13th century, the territory was contested, ruled and divided by a variety of powers, including Lithuania, Poland, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Russia. A Cossack republic emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries, but its territory was eventually split between Poland and the Russian Empire, and finally merged fully into the Russian-dominated Soviet Union in the late 1940s as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991 Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in the aftermath of its dissolution at the end of the Cold War. Before its independence, Ukraine was typically referred to in English as The Ukraine, but most sources have since moved to drop the from the name of Ukraine in all uses.Following its independence, Ukraine declared itself a neutral state; it formed a limited military partnership with Russia and other CIS countries while also establishing a partnership with NATO in 1994. In 2013, after the government of President Viktor Yanukovych had decided to suspend the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement and seek closer economic ties with Russia, a several-months-long wave of demonstrations and protests known as the Euromaidan began, which later escalated into the 2014 Ukrainian revolution that led to the overthrow of Yanukovych and the establishment of a new government. These events formed the background for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014, and the War in Donbass in April 2014. On 1 January 2016, Ukraine applied the economic component of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the European Union.Ukraine is a developing country and ranks 84th on the Human Development Index. As of 2018, Ukraine has the lowest personal income and the second lowest GDP per capita in Europe. It also suffers from a very high poverty rate and severe corruption. However, because of its extensive fertile farmlands, Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain exporters. Ukraine also maintains the second-largest military in Europe after that of Russia. The country is home to a multi-ethnic population, 77.8 percent of whom are Ukrainians, followed by a very large Russian minority, as well as Georgians, Romanians, Belarusians, Crimean Tatars, Jews, Bulgarians and Hungarians. Ukraine is a unitary republic under a semi-presidential system with separate powers: legislative, executive and judicial branches. The country is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the GUAM organization, and one of the founding states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).