Editing Ukraine (section)

== Geography and population ==

Most of Ukraine consists of plains, river valleys and agricultural steppe. The Ukrainian Carpathians rise in the west, mainly within [[Zakarpattia Oblast]], [[Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast]], [[Lviv Oblast]] and [[Chernivtsi Oblast]]. [[Uzhhorod]], the administrative centre of Zakarpattia Oblast, stands near the Slovak border and forms one of the country's main western road and railway gateways.<ref name="uzhhorod-geography"/>

The Dnieper flows south through Kyiv and central Ukraine before reaching the Black Sea. Other major rivers include the [[Dniester]], the [[Southern Bug]], the [[Donets]] and the [[Tisza]]. The Tisza enters [[Hungary]] from western Ukraine and forms part of the wider Danube drainage system.

Ukraine's Black Sea coastline contains ports, river mouths, agricultural regions and coastal settlements. The northern Black Sea coast connects the country with the lower Danube, the Balkans, the Caucasus and maritime routes leading through the Bosporus toward the Mediterranean.<ref name="black-sea-geography"/>

Parts of southwestern Ukraine belonged to the wider historical territory of [[Moldavia]]. These areas formed part of the borderlands between the Carpathians, the Dniester, the lower Danube and the northern Black Sea region.<ref name="moldavia-territory"/>

Ukrainian is the official language. Russian, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Crimean Tatar and other languages are also used by regional and minority communities. Ukrainian cultural life developed through literature, music, religious traditions, regional customs and the historical experiences of the steppe, Carpathian and Black Sea regions.

Most religious communities belong to Eastern Christian traditions. Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and other religious institutions are also present. Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Uzhhorod are important educational and cultural centres.