Swallow's Nest Castle overlooking the Black Sea, Yalta, Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine. © Mike_kiev/Dreamstime.com A fully independent Ukraine emerged only late in the 20th century, after long periods of successive domination by -, Russia, and the (U.S.S.R.). Ukraine had experienced a brief period of independence in 1918–20, but portions of western Ukraine were ruled by Poland,, and in the period between the two World Wars, and Ukraine thereafter became part of the Soviet Union as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (S.S.R.). When the Soviet Union began to unravel in 1990–91, the of the Ukrainian S.S.R. Declared (July 16, 1990) and then outright independence (August 24, 1991), a move that was confirmed by popular approval in a (December 1, 1991). With the dissolution of the U.S.S.R.

Aizpildi pieteikumu, un mēs reģistrēsim tevi par klientu, atvērsim kontu un vienosimies, kad un kurā filiālē varēsi parakstīt dokumentus un saņemt savu Luminor karti. Ja vēlies pieteikties konta atvēršanai bez norēķinu kartes vai ja esi Latvijas nerezidents, tad kontu varēsim atvērt tikai klātienē mūsu filiālē.

In December 1991, Ukraine gained full independence. The country changed its official name to Ukraine, and it helped to found the (CIS), an association of countries that were formerly republics of the Soviet Union. Cliffs on the Crimean Peninsula overlooking the Black Sea. Philippe Michel/age fotostock Drainage Almost all the major rivers in Ukraine flow northwest to southeast through the plains to empty into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The, with its dams, huge reservoirs, and many tributaries, dominates the entire central part of Ukraine. Of the total course of the Dnieper, 609 miles (980 km) are in Ukraine, making it by far the longest river in the country, of which it drains more than half.

Like the Dnieper, the, with its major tributary, the Inhul, flows into the Black Sea. Flashtool drivers. To the west and southwest, partly draining Ukrainian territory, the (Dnistro) also flows into the Black Sea; among its numerous tributaries, the largest in Ukraine are the and the Zbruch. The middle course of the, a tributary of the, flows through southeastern Ukraine and is an important source of water for the (Donbas). The flows along the southwestern frontier of Ukraine.

Marshland, covering almost 3 percent of Ukraine, is found primarily in the northern river valleys and in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Danube, and other rivers. Dnieper River Dnieper River at Kiev, Ukraine. Allan Cash Photolibrary The rivers are most important as a, and for this purpose a series of canals has been built, such as the Donets–Donets Basin, the Dnieper–Kryvyy Rih, and the North Crimea. Several of the larger rivers are navigable, including the Dnieper, Danube, Dniester, (Pryp’yat), Donets, and Southern Buh (in its lower course).

Dams and hydroelectric plants are situated on all the larger rivers. Ukraine has a few natural lakes, all of them small and most of them scattered over the river floodplains. One of the largest is Lake Svityaz, 11 square miles (28 square km) in area, in the northwest. Small saltwater lakes occur in the and in. Larger saline lakes occur along the coast. Known as limans, these bodies of water form at the mouths of rivers or streams and are blocked off by sandbars from the sea. Some artificial lakes have been formed, the largest of which are reservoirs at hydroelectric dams—e.g., the reservoir on the Dnieper upstream from.

The Kakhovka, Dnieper,, Kaniv, and Kiev reservoirs make up the rest of the Dnieper cascade. Smaller reservoirs are located on the Dniester and Southern Buh rivers and on tributaries of the Donets River. Small reservoirs for water supply also are found near,, and other industrial cities. Three large artesian basins—the Volyn-Podilsk, the Dnieper, and the Black Sea—are exceptionally important for municipal needs and agriculture as well. Soils From northwest to southeast the soils of Ukraine may be divided into three major aggregations: a zone of sandy soils; a central belt consisting of the black, extremely fertile Ukrainian; and a zone of chestnut and salinized soils. The podzolized soils occupy about one-fifth of the country’s area, mostly in the north and northwest. These soils were formed by the extension of postglacial forests into regions of grassy steppe; most such soils may be farmed, although they require the addition of nutrients to obtain good harvests.