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About Ukraine

     Ukraine (Ukrainian: Україна, Ukrayina, /ukraˈjina/) is a country in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The historic city of Kiev (Kyiv) is the country's capital.

     From at least the 9th century, the territory of present-day Ukraine was a centre of medieval East Slavic civilization forming the state of Kievan Rus, and for the following several centuries the territory was divided among a number of regional powers. After a brief period of independence (1917–1921) following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Ukraine became one of the founding Soviet Republics in 1922. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic's territory was enlarged westward after the Second World War, and again in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, Ukrainian SSR became one of the co-founder members of the United Nations. It became independent again after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

     At 603,700 km² (233,074 sq mi) and with a coastline of 2,782 km (1,729 sq mi) [5], Ukraine is the world's 44th-largest country (after the Central African Republic, before Madagascar). It is the second largest country in Europe (after European part of Russia, before metropolitan France).

     According to some, the geographical center of Europe lies in Ukraine, perhaps near the western town of Rakhiv. The question of Europe's geographical center is subject to ongoing debate, however.

     The Ukrainian landscape consists mostly of fertile plains (or steppes) and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the Dnieper, Seversky Donets, Dniester and the Southern Buh as they flow south into the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. To the southwest, the delta of the Danube forms the border with Romania. The country's only mountains are the Carpathian Mountains in the west, of which the highest is the Hora Hoverla at 2,061 m (6,762 ft), and those on the Crimean peninsula, in the extreme south along the coast.

     Ukraine has a mostly temperate continental climate, although a more mediterranean climate is found on the southern Crimean coast. Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it is highest in the west and north and lesser in the east and southeast. Winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland. Summers are warm across the greater part of the country, but generally hot in the south.

About Sumy

     Sumy (Ukrainian: Суми, Russian: Сумы) is a city on the Psel River in the Ukraine, and the capital of the Sumy Oblast. As of 2004, the city's population is 283,700. It is served by Sumy Airport.

     Sumy was founded in 1652 at the bank of the Psel River (a left tributary of the Dnieper) as a Cossack fortress. It was intended to protect Sloboda Ukraine from the Crimean Tatar attacks. After their attacks discontinued and the territory was incorporated into the Russian Empire, Sumy evolved into an important economical centre. During the German occupation of Ukraine during World War II (1941 - 1943), Sumy sustained heavy damage. The war over, destroyed parts of the city were rebuilt anew. Sumy is a twin town of Celle, Germany since January 17, 1990.

     The city centre was once dominated by the large cathedral of the Saviour's Transfiguration. It is a Neoclassical structure of the 18th century, extensively repaired and reconstructed in 1858 and 1880s, when the belltower of 56 metres was added. The interior features frescoes by Vladimir Makovsky and Klavdiy Lebedev. The Resurrection Church (1702), the oldest structure in the town, is still in fair preservation, owing to recent restoration works (picture). The cathedral of the monastery of St. Pantaleon was erected in 1911 to a design by Aleksey Shchusev and is scored to resemble medieval monuments of Novgorod and Pskov.