ABSTRACT

Ukraine was a former Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. In 1991 it gained independence as a unitary state. Ukraine is a parliamentary–presidential republic in Eastern Europe with borders to Poland, Belarus, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Moldavia and Romania. The capital of Ukraine is Kiev. The basic law of the State is the Constitution. The country is divided into 27 administrative-territorial units, 24 of which are provinces, one is an autonomous republic and two are cities in subordination to the state (Kiev, Sevastopol). Ukraine is washed by the Black and Azov seas. The country’s territory is 603,628 square kilometres; its population as of 1 January 2015 is 42,759,300 residents. The official language is Ukrainian. The majority of believers are Orthodox Christians.