Most of us don’t know much about Ukraine, other than maybe it’s flag and the things that it’s in Eastern Europe. So here are most interesting facts about Ukraine :
HISTORY OF UKRAINE
- The Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian statesman, drafted in 1710 is one of the first in Europe. For example, the French Constitution was drafted in 1791, the American Constitution in 1787. According to some experts, Pylyp Orlyk was the first to propose dividing power into executive, legislative and judicial.
- Investments from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and the United States in the late nineteenth century – early twentieth century, laid the foundations for the industrialization of the central and eastern regions of modern Ukraine.
- The Ukrainian aircraft AN-225 “Dream” is the largest and most powerful aircraft in the world. It can carry up to 640 tons.
- The Kiev metro station “Golden Gate” is decorated with stylized mosaics of Kievan Rus’. They represent the princes of Kyiv and ancient temples. In 2011 the station obtained the status of architectural monument. In the same year, Bootsn All declared this station among the 15 most beautiful metro stations in the ranking. In 2013, The Daily Telegraph placed “Golden Gate” on the list of the 22 most beautiful resorts in Europe.
- Since 1990 there have been 3 revolutions in Ukraine. The first, called Granite Revolution, took place in October 1990. The second, called Orange Revolution, and the third, Euromaїdan in 2013-2014. These three revolutions were aimed at the democratic path of Ukraine’s development.
ARTWORK:
- Kasimir Malevich, born in Kyiv, is one of the first abstract artists of the twentieth century. Painter, draftsman, sculptor and theorist, Malevitch is the creator of an artistic current that he called “suprematism”. His work “Black Square” is one of the most famous paintings of the twentieth century.
- Ukrainian musical instruments: Kobza, Bandura, Trembita, have a history that goes back a few centuries. They are not only used by traditional music groups, but also by some contemporary Ukrainian groups such as ONUKA.
- “The Horses of Fire” is a film by Ukrainian director Sergei Paradjanov, made in 1964. The short version of “Shadows of the Forgotten Ancestors”, taken from the work of Mikhaïl Kotzioubinski, this tale features shepherds and lumberjacks from the Ukrainian Carpathians. He has won about twenty awards in international competitions.
- Olexandre Dovzhenko is a Ukrainian director known in the world of cinema thanks to his poetic and innovative style. His film “The Earth”, released on the screens in 1930, was shown in New York where it received excellent reviews from critics from different countries.
- Maria Prymatchenko is a Ukrainian painter, whose paintings of naïve artistic style impressed Pablo Picasso. The artistic identity, colors and themes of Prymatchenko’s works, fantastic animals and flowers refer to the traditions of folk art.
GEOGRAPHY:
- The geographical center of Europe is in Ukraine. In 1886, geographers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, using modern technologies, determined that the geographical center of Europe was in Transcarpathia (the Dilove people).
- “Ukrainian Sahara” is what the Olechkivsky sands in the Kherson region are called. The surface of the sands exceeds 160,000 hectares, making it the largest desert in the world seen even from space.
- Çufut Qale, an ancient fortified city in Crimea, Ukraine, was built on the rock in the fifth or sixth century, on the outskirts of the Byzantine Empire.
- In the Black Sea, British scientists have discovered an underwater river unique in the world. The length of the river is 37 nautical miles, its width exceeds half a mile, the water flow is 4 m3 per hour. The river carries enormous amounts of water, specifically 22,000 cubic meters per second. This water has a high concentration of salt.
- Druzhkivka, a small village located in the Donetsk region, is one of the few places in Europe where you can still find petrified trees. The 250-million-year-old araucarias are a fossilized forest and cover an area of 1 hectare.
BIG NAMES:
- Sergey Bubka is a Ukrainian athlete, a specialist in pole vault, holds the world record for the number of international athletics competitions (35 times world record holder).
- Igor Sikorsky, aircraft builder made Leonardo da Vinci’s dream come true by designing the world’s first helicopter.
- Boris Paton, Ukrainian engineer has achieved a revolution in welding technology. His name was assigned to one of the bridges in Kyiv.
- Evgen Kalinin, the Ukrainian “Jean-Claude Van Damme”, was able to withstand the divisions for one minute and thirty seconds by leaning on two cars traveling at a speed of 20 km per hour.
- Anna of Kyiv, daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kyiv and Queen of France, wife of the French King Henry I, was a cultured woman, could read and write and participated in French politics.
UKRAINIAN PORTRAITS:
- The adjective “European” in Ukraine often means “clean, polite, honest, new”.
- The influence of women is hard to underestimate. Ukrainian women are present in all possible fields and do not give anything to men. In addition, Ukrainian women are among the most beautiful in the world.
- Ukraine is a country of religious diversity. Today in this country live representatives of about 100 religious denominations. The majority of believers in Ukraine are Orthodox (70%), Greek Catholic (7%), Protestant (2.2%), Catholic, Muslim, Jewish (1%).
- In Ukraine, 99.8% of adults can read and write. In 2015, Ukraine ranked third in the world education ranking.
- The McDonald’s fast food restaurant in Kyiv, near the station, is third in the ranking of the most popular McDonald’s in the country and in the top 5 of the most popular McDonald’s in the world.
Liked Interesting Facts about Ukraine? ALSO CHECK 20 Facts About Statue of Liberty
More Interesting Facts about Ukraine:
- The area of the country is 6,03,628 km, making it the largest country on the European continent.
- Unlike many cultures around the world, Ukrainians wear wedding rings on the right, not on the left.
- The folk tradition of Easter eggs comes from the egg tradition in Ukraine. Initially, the eggs were modeled with wax and dye. Finally, the wax was removed, leaving a striking pattern.
- During World War II, Ukrainian religious leaders provided protection to thousands of Jews. One of the leaders, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, was awarded in 2013 for his humanitarian role. Jews found refuge in Ukrainian monasteries and homes.
- The longest musical instrument in the world also comes from Ukraine.
- Russia and Austria in the nineteenth century showed little interest in Ukraine. The country was predominantly rural. The situation has changed with the progressive modernization and urbanization of Ukraine.