Ukraine

Where the name comes from

Ukraine is related to Slavic kraj, “land” or “edge”; readings as “country” and “borderland” reflect a debated history of use.

First people

Farmers of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture built some of Europe’s largest settlements here about 6,000 years ago.¹

Known for

Ukraine’s rich black soils made it a major grain grower, and its Black Sea grain exports feed people far beyond Europe.²

Outside contact

From the 800s, Kyivan Rus, with Kyiv as its capital, linked East Slavic communities with Scandinavian traders; Mongol armies sacked Kyiv in 1240, and Polish and Russian rule followed.^3,4,5

The modern country

Ukraine declared independence in 1918, but Soviet rule followed, and it became a founding Soviet republic in 1922; it became independent in 1991.⁶