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Geographically the country is bordered by Poland, Belarus and Russia to the north, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary to the west and the Black Sea to the south. Also, Russia lies on the east and to the south (Crimea). Additionally, Ukraine has been a geographical buffer zone between the west and the east. Over the centuries the ethnic dividing line between Europeans and Russians has vacillated back and forth through Ukraine.
Ukraine would be annexed into the U.S.S.R. in 1922 and would not achieve independence until the end of the cold war. On July 16, 1990 the legislature enacted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. Since independence the country has experienced considerable political and economic turbulence while trying to adopt to market economics and liberation from Russian influence. Unfortunately, Ukraine would have a more severe economic contraction after independence from the U.S.S.R. than other former soviet republics. The economy of Ukraine would be devastated by an 60% contraction in GDP initially.
The landscape is characterized by very fertile soil that exists over 2/3 of the country. This dark soil ranges between 3-5 feet thick and is very rich in humus. However, after incorporation into the U.S.S.R. the collectivization policies of Joseph Stalin resulted in widespread famine. Farmers were not allowed to receive any grain until unrealistic quotas were met resulting in further falls in output. As a result, millions of Ukrainians would lose their lives to famine.
Infamously, the country was the location of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. Fukushima is the only other nuclear disaster to reach a maximum magnitude rating of 7. It is considered the most expensive disaster of all time costing over 18 billion rubles to contain. Ultimately, 500,000 workers would be deployed to contain the damage and 31 would lose their lives during the meltdown. The long term effects of radiation poisoning such as cancer are still being monitored. However, Ukraine is still a safe destination for global travel despite the Chernobyl debacle. The Black Sea and the European architectural designs make Odessa and Kiev world class global travel destinations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster
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