Ukraine has a rich history and has many unique characteristics.

Our top 10 interesting facts about Ukraine:

1. Ukraine is the first largest country in Europe.

2. The Ukrainian people as a nation appeared at the time of Kyivan Rus, the major Slavic state on the grounds of modern Ukraine, with Kyiv as its capital, in the 9th century. Moscow was founded more than 200 years later in 1147 by a prince of Kyivan royal origin.

3. The official language of Ukraine is of course Ukrainian, however, there are 20 different languages spoken in Ukraine. 18% of Ukrainians are English speakers.

4. Ukraine was once known as the Breadbasket of Europe, owing to its large agricultural industry. 25 % of black soil worldwide is found in Ukraine.

Ukraine is the world’s largest producer of sunflower seeds, and across every part of Ukraine, you’ll see stunning fields of these yellow blooms – so many that they’d cover the entire of Slovenia if you uprooted them!

5. UNESCO World Heritage Sites designate some of the most important parts of the world and Ukraine is lucky enough to be home to seven, including the Saint-Sophia Cathedral in the capital city of Kyiv.
   
6. Ukraine is the birthplace of the biggest plane ever built, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, a cargo plane. It has the largest wingspan of any aircraft, at 88.4 meters and weighs 706 US tons.
   
7. In 2016, the travel blog Yonderbound made a rating of the most delicious cuisines in the world. Ukrainian cuisine proudly entered the top ten, and in Europe it was recognized as the third. Borscht is a symbol of Ukrainian cuisine, the first and only dish that is already considered by UNESCO and included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine. According to the survey, most Ukrainians consider it to be their favorite dish of the national cuisine. By the way, not only Ukrainians think so: CNN included borscht among the 20 most delicious soups in the world!
   
   Varenyki or, in the Western Ukrainian style, pierogi, is a dish that Bill Clinton put on his list of Must Be Served, to which the Jewish poet Saul Chernikhovskyi dedicated a poem of the same name and a musical idyll mentioned by Kotlyarevskyi in the “Aeneid”.
   
   Ukraine, Germany, France and the USA are still arguing for the right to be called the homeland of Kyiv-style cutlets. Nevertheless, today the Kyiv cutlet is a gastronomic symbol of the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv-style cutlet is so popular that it is not only prepared in foreign restaurants under the name Chicken Kyiv, but also included in the consumer basket in Great Britain.
   
   Galushka is sometimes called the queen of Ukrainian cuisine. This dish made from boiled dough as a separate dish or an ingredient for soup was prepared all over Ukraine, but it became the most popular in Poltava Oblast. Here they even erected a monument to this dish and hold a festival in its honor.

8. Ukraine is home to one of our favourite holiday pastimes – Easter eggs! Originally coloured and patterned using wax and dye, we have Ukraine to thank for our favourite decorative treat.

9. Standing at 2,061 metres, Mount Hoverla, part of the Carpathian Mountains which fall into Western Ukraine, is the tallest peak in Ukraine and a popular site for extreme sports.

10. Ukraine is bordered to the south by the Black Sea, and which includes Ukraine-controlled Zmiinyi Island, known commonly as Snake Island due to natural inhabitants. It’s the only natural home of the critically endangered Golden Lancehead Pit Viper, which were trapped on the island in the last Ice Age.