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 Zaporizhia

     Zaporizhia (Ukrainian: Запоріжжя, translit. Zaporizhzhia, Russian: Запорожье, translit. Zaporozh'ye, Polish: Zaporoże) is a city in south-central Ukraine, which rests on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative center of the Zaporizhia Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zaporizkyi Raion (district) within the oblast. The city itself is directly subordinate to the oblast, and is located approximately 70 km from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.

     Zaporizhia was formerly referred to as Aleksandrovsk (Russian: Александровск), after the commander of the first Russian Army, Prince Alexander Golitsyn, but was renamed in 1921 to Zaporizhia (literally, "behind the cataracts", referring to the Dnieper cataracts near Khortytsia). It is currently the sixth largest city in Ukraine and has a current estimated population of 790,000 (as of 2007).

Zaporizhia is an important industrial center of Ukraine, particularly a home for:

• famous hydroelectric power plant known as "DnieproGES";
• ZAZ, the country's main car manufacturing company;
• Motor-Sich design-bureau and production company, the world-famous aircraft engine manufacturer.

     The city was very much an 'engineering city' during Soviet times, with all the consequences in terms of pollution that might be expected. The move to market economy since the independence of Ukraine has seen the demise of some of these concerns. This has improved the air quality. Although Zaporizhia is not regarded as a particularly attractive city, Dnieper River cruise ships make it one of their scheduled stops in order to visit Khortytsia Island.

     After the end of the Russian Revolution, the city became an important industrial center. The presence of cheap labor and the proximity of deposits of coal, iron ore, and manganese created favorable conditions for large-scale enterprises of the iron and mechanical engineering industry. Today Zaporizhia is an important industrial centre of the region with heavy industry (particularly metallurgy), aluminium, and chemical industry. In the city cars, avia motors, radioelectronics are manufactured. The port of Zaporizhia is an important place of transshipment for goods from the Donbass. Zaporizhstal, Ukraine's fourth largest steel maker, ranks 54th in the world and is based in the city.