For most of the 20th century Ukraine was part of the mighty USSR, but the country gained independence in 1991, after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Many people are surprised to discover that Ukraine is the largest country whose territory is wholly in Europe – although the European part of Russia is more than six times larger.
Like its neighbours Romania, Poland and Belarus, Ukraine has a typically continental climate with very cold winters and warm – sometimes hot – summers. In the capital, Kyiv, in the north of the country, summer temperatures average in the mid-20s Celsius, while in winter the average temperature is just below freezing.
However, conditions often get much colder and hotter – as low as -25C in winter and 35C in summer. The city of Odessa, on the shores of the Black Sea in the south, has a less extreme climate, with warmer and wetter summers than the north.
The disputed territory of the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014 but still considered by international observers to be part of Ukraine, is further south still, and almost surrounded by the Black Sea. As a result, it has a largely Mediterranean climate, with very warm summers and fairly mild winters. Crimea also experiences less rainfall than farther north, with less than 500mm (20in) of precipitation annually.
