Geography

Relief

Ukraine lays at the South-West of the East European Plain. The most part of its territory (95%) has the plain shape. To the West there is chain of mountains of Ukrainian Carpaty, to the extreme South there are ridges of Crimean Mountains.

Mountains

Mountains make 5% of the territory of Ukraine and are situated to the West (Carpathian Mountains) and to the extreme South (Crimea Mountains).

Ukrainian or Eastern Carpaty are the most part of Alpine Carpathian rock formation. They are young mountains with average height established during Alpine rugosity era. Their heights are from 1200 to 1600 meters. Mountains consist of several strands stretch from North-West to South-East by 270 km. Eastern mountains strands known as Vneshniye Carpaty. The highest part of the Ukrainian Carpaty is Chornogora mountain-mass with some peaks over 2000 m. There is the highest peak of Ukraine – Hoverla (2061 m).

The peculiarity of Carpathian rock formation is that its territory covered with unique for the Central Europe pristine forests. The mountains itself are “soft” peaks without rocks and mountain plains covered with Alpine meadows. In Carpathian Mountains you can see mountain pine, which grows at Pop Ivan mountain at the height over 2000 meters, European larch – the highest tree of Carpathians (54 m) not far from Rakhov and blunt-leaved pussy-willow – the lowest tree (up to 15 cm) on the hills of Bliznitsa mountain. The blossoming valley of daffodils one can see in spring not far from Khust. Karst caves and deposits of rock-salt formed in the mountains many thousands years ago. There are salt lakes above the salt deposits. They resemble the Dead Sea in Israel by their properties.

Crimea Mountains occupy extreme South of Crimea peninsula and are the part of Crimea-Caucasus mountain system. Crimea Mountains obtained their shapes in Alpine fold era. They stretch from West to East for 180 km. There are three strands: Main with height of 1200-1500 m, Interior with heights 400-600 m and Exterior wit heights 250-350 m. The Main strand is the highest in Crimea Mountains. It is the chain of plain forestless mountain-mass called yaila. Roman-Kosh Mountain (1545 m) is the highest peak of Crimea Mountains situates at Babugan-yaila. Coastal hills of the Main strand are ended with the Southern Coast of Crimea.

Seas

The area of the Black Sea makes 422 thousand sq. km. To Azov Sea it is connected through Strait of Kerch and to Marble Sea it is connected through Strait of Bosporus. In the boarders of Ukraine length of the coast line makes over 1500 km. Sea banks at the territory of Ukraine are mostly sloping (excluding Crimea Mountains district). There are many estuaries and lakes separated from the sea by narrow sand lines formed in the North-Western part of the coast. Black Sea depth in its central part exceeds 2000 m. In the zone adjoined Ukraine the depth is 100-120 m. Depth is rather significant only at the area of Southern coast of Crimea. In North-Western part of the sea water temperature in winter is in the frames from 00C to +80C (from 320F to 46.40F). In summer water surface temperature reaches +230…+250C (73.40F…770F).

In the North-Western part of the sea salinity of water makes 13-14%0 and 16%0 near the Southern Coast of Crimea. At the depth of 150-200 m the Black Sea water is saturated with hydrogen sulphide. That is why the organic life is mainly concentrated in the upper layer of water.

Azov Sea occupies the area of 39 thousand sq. km. The shores of the sea are low-laying, straight with characteristic sand spits (Berdianskaya, Obitochna, etc.). The biggest spit of 112 km length is Arabatskaya Strelka. It separates the system of shallow bays with mineralized water called Sivash from the sea. Azov Sea is not deep. Its maximum depth is 15 m. In winter the sea is frozen near the shore. In summer temperature of the upper layer reaches +250…+300C (770F…780F). The average salinity is 10-11%0. Maximum salinity in Sivash Bay is 25%0.

Rivers

Totally there are 73 thousand rivers in Ukraine. One hundred of them have the length over 100 km. Most part of the rivers of Ukraine belongs to the Black and Azov seas basins. Only Zapadnyi Bug and other right tributaries of Vistula belong to Baltic Sea basin.

Dnipro is the third river in Europe by length (after Volga and Danube). It takes the beginning at Valdai Hills in Russia and fall into Dnipro estuary of the Black Sea. Dnipro divides the territory of Ukraine from North to South into right bank and left bank parts. It basin covers almost half territory of the country. Its right bank is steep and rises above the water up to 50-150 m and the left one is sloping and plain.

The biggest tributaries – Prypiat and Desna are navigable.

Danube flows by its low stream through the territory of Ukraine. It falls into the Black Sea and makes a big delta of three branches. Danube is an important water way, which connects Ukraine to many countries of Europe. Tisa and Prut are the biggest Danube tributaries at the territory of Ukraine.

Lakes and Estuaries

There 20 thousand water reservoirs on the territory of Ukraine. More than 3 thousand of them are lakes. They situate mostly at Polesje, Black Sea Lowland and in Steppe Crimea. Yalpug is in delta of Danube and Svytiaz at Polesje are the biggest fresh water lakes.

Lakes of Black Sea Lowland and Steppe Crimea were formed mostly because the sea flooded river valleys and gorges. Some of them are called estuaries (Dnestrovsky, Tiligulsky, Kouyalnitsky, Molochny).