9 Amazing Facts About Ukraine – The Second Largest Country In Europe

1. Ukraine has an area of 603,628 km2, making it the second-largest country by area in Europe after Russia.

2. Ukraine was home to one of the world’s first ever, in the form of the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, written by a Ukrainian Cossack in 1710.

3. Did you know, that Ukrainians celebrate Christmas and New Year twice? This is because the dominant religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which follows the Julian calendar, according to which Christmas is celebrated on the 7th January and New Year on 14th January.

4. Arsenalna, also known as the Kiev Metro Station, located on the Kiev Metro City line, with a depth of 105.5 meters , is the deepest metro station in the world.

5. In Ukrainian village Mezhireche, archaeologists have found the oldest map in the world and the oldest settlement of those that were built by man. Scientists believe that these artefacts are 15000 years old!

6. When Ukraine declared its independence from the USSR, it had over a thousand nuclear warheads and the third largest nuclear potential after Russia and America. On its initiative, Ukraine refused to hold onto the third largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world and handed the warheads and missiles over to Russia and destroyed the silos. In return, Ukraine was compensated financially for disarmament and guaranteed security from the other nuclear powers.

7. According to a Research and Branding Group Survey, a large percentage of Ukrainians, nearly 80%, have never travelled abroad.

8. The largest aeroplane ever was built was in Kiev, Ukraine. The Antonov An-225 Mriya has a wingspan of 88.4 meters and weighs 640,000 kg. It was built during the Soviet era, and only one piece of the same was ever built.

9. The amount of radiation released in the Chernobyl explosion that took place in Pripyat city in 1986 was 400 times higher than that created by the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during WWII. The city was abandoned immediately after the accident and is now a ghost town. However, some area around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is home to five million Ukrainians, even though it is still contaminated, even after 30 years.

That was all for Ukaraine. Do let us know how did you find the blog in the comments section below!

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