
Ukraine was the center
of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th
centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened
by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated
into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid
the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries.
A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during
the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous
Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for
well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most
Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire.
Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able
to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-1920), but
was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered
two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million
died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for
some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although independence was achieved
in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive,
as many of the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts
at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. LOCATION:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black
Sea, between Poland and Russia CLIMATE: Temperate
continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation
disproportionately
distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in 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, hot in the
south BORDERS:
Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova
939 km, Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km,
Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km