Location & Climate

Geographical Location of Ukraine

Ukraine is in the Eastern part of Europe. It is located at the northwest end of the Black Sea and borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland to the northwest, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the south-west. Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe.

Most of Ukraine is located south-west of the Eastern European plain. Mountains occupy only 5% of Ukrainian territory: the Ukrainian Carpathian mountains in the west and the Crimean Mountains in the south. The highest peak in Ukraine, Goverla Mountain (2,061 m), is situated in the Carpathians. Roman-Kosh peak (1,545 m) is the highest mountain in Crimea.

Ukraine’s Black Sea coastline exceeds 1,500 km. Seacoasts in Ukraine are mainly flat, except for the region near the Crimean mountains. Water temperature at the seaside ranges from 0-8 °C in winter to 25°C in summer. The Azov Sea’s shore is low-lying, straight, with specific sand spits. The Azov Sea is rather shallow. Seawater near the shore freezes in winter and water temperature
in summer reaches 25-30 °C.

There are more than 73,000 rivers in Ukraine. These rivers mostly relate to the basins of the Black and Azov seas and only the Western Bug and right influxes of the Vistula River flow to the Baltic Sea basin. The largest rivers in Ukraine (Dnepr and Danube rivers) are navigable.

Ukraine has more than 20,000 water reservoirs including more than 3,000 lakes. They are mostly situated in Polesye, Prichernomorskaya lowland, and the Crimean steppe. Ukraine has extensive fertile farmlands and this makes the country one of the world’s largest grain exporters.

Climate

The climate of Ukraine can be described as a dry and continental climate with warm, dry summers and fairly severe winters. January is the coldest month with daytime temperatures usually around 0°C, but in some cases, winter months can be quite colder with temperatures far below zero, about -20°C or lower and strong, cold northeasterly winds, called Bora. Heavy snowfall or even snowstorms are also possible on some days. There are more than 290 sunny days in a year.

In summer, daytime temperatures reach 25-30°C, but sometimes quite higher – reaching 35°C or more, especially in the inland areas. The summer months most of the time enjoy dry weather with sunny periods. Rain often falls with sometimes heavy thunderstorms, but mostly along the coastal areas of the Black Sea. July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 24°C. Annual precipitation is about 400-600 mm but lowers in the inland areas of the country.

Generally, the weather is best between May and September, when days are warm and the nights are cool, although it rains more in spring than in summer. Autumn and winter are usually a little chilly and wet along the coastal areas of the Black Sea, and dryer further inland.