The history of Ukraine, its culture, society, cities, villages and nature are full of wonders and amazing facts that Ukrainians themselves sometimes do not know. Find out more interesting facts about Ukraine that will definitely surprise you

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Ukraine has a long history and has gone through many stages of development over the course of its existence that have shaped the character and worldview of modern Ukrainians.

Facts you didn't know about the first capital of Ukraine. Read more about Kharkiv here.

In addition, the rich cultural heritage and amazing nature make Ukraine a unique country that hides countless amazing facts. Thousands of foreigners who come to explore Ukraine even during the war confirm this.

Here are the most interesting facts about Ukraine that will surprise not only foreigners who have never heard of the country before, but also Ukrainians.

Impressive facts about the culture and history of Ukraine

1. The world's first constitution, which outlined the rights of citizens and the government, was drafted and enacted in 1710 by Ukrainian Hetman Pylyp Orlyk. For comparison, the U.S. Constitution was drafted and adopted in 1787.

2. Zaporizhzhya Sich - a socio-political and military-administrative organization of the Ukrainian Cossacks, founded in 1553-1554, today considered one of the first democratic entities in the world.

3. Of the 12 Lavras in the world, 4 are located in Ukraine: the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv, has existed since 1051), the Pochayiv Lavra (Pochayiv, Ternopil region, since 1833), the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra (Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region (received the status of a Lavra in 2004) and the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra of the Studite Statute (Univ since 1898).

4. Ukrainian folk songs have become the basis for many world musical masterpieces. For example, George Gershwin's composition "Summertime" was written on the basis of the Ukrainian lullaby "Oh, Sleep Walks by the Windows", which he heard performed by the National Choir of Ukraine under the direction of Oleksandr Koshits.

5. Ukraine gave up the third largest nuclear weapons arsenal in the world (after the United States and russia). At the time of its declaration of independence, more than 1,000 nuclear warheads and missiles were deployed on the territory of Ukraine. Why? The answer is here.

6. The world's oldest map, carved on a mammoth bone, and the oldest settlement of Homo sapiens were found in Ukraine, in the village of Mezhyrichchia, Rivne region. They are 14.5-15 thousand years old.

7. Ukraine is home to the world's civilizational cradle, older than the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge - the Stone Tomb complex in Zaporizhzhia region.

Find interesting and unusual facts about the city of Dnipro here. Find out more about Odesa, Lviv, and Ternopil.

Amazing facts about the nature and resources of Ukraine

1. In 1929, the USSR declared that about 60% of all proven gas reserves were concentrated on the territory of Ukraine, after which the country became one of the largest exporters of natural gas to Europe for a certain period of time. Today, Ukraine ranks 3rd in terms of shale gas exploration in Europe, ahead of only Poland and France.

2. Ukraine has the largest reserves of manganese ore in the world, 2.3 billion tons or about 11% of all deposits on Earth.

3. The Ukrainian cave "Optimistic" is the longest gypsum cave in the world and the second longest after the "Mammoth Cave" in the United States.

4. Ukraine has 1/4 of all black soil reserves on the Earth.

5. The world's only underwater river is located in the Black Sea. If it were on land, it would rank sixth in terms of water volume (22 thousand cubic meters per second).

6. Ukraine has its own Maldives - amazing beaches with white sand and clear blue sea. They are located on the protected island of Dzharylgach in the Kherson region, which was destroyed by russia. It is worth noting that the local flora and fauna are listed in the Red Book, and that mustangs and camels used to live here.

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The most interesting facts about Ukrainians

1. The first song to be performed in space was "I look at the sky and think", sung by Ukrainian cosmonaut Pavlo Popovych on the Vostok-2 spacecraft specifically for Ukrainian spacecraft designer Serhiy Korolyov. It should be noted that even Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, called him one of the best specialists in the industry.

2. Ukrainian Yuriy Kondratyuk, developed the "stopping theory" on a celestial body with a strong gravitational field, which was successfully used by the Americans to land on the moon.

3. Ukrainians are one of the most educated nations on the planet in terms of the number of citizens with higher education. 

4. Ukrainian Yurii Burdiak saved Winston Churchill's life during the Anglo-Boer War in Africa. At that time, Churchill was captured as an ordinary journalist, and Burdiak, who was the commander of one of the Boer units, saved the future leader of England from execution. 

Traditional foods and dishes that foreigners should try.

Facts and references to modern Ukraine that you have not heard before

1. In 2011, the game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars predicted the events that would take place in 3 years, as a significant part of the game's plot is devoted to Ukrainian resistance and defense against russian troops. And in Combat Mission: Black Sea, released in 2014, Ukraine is fighting against russia together with NATO.

2. In Gary Gray's movie "The Italian Job", released in 2023, there is a phrase that describes the character of Ukrainians in a humorous way. Thus, Skinny Pete says to his friend, the main character of the movie, "Are you out of your mind? Listen to me, Charlie. Get out of Los Angeles. Get the hell out of here. Because I know one thing: never mess with Mother Nature, your mother-in-law, and the damn Ukrainians!"

3. The An-225 Mriya aircraft destroyed by russia at the Gostomel airport near Kyiv at the beginning of the full-scale invasion had the largest cargo capacity in the world. By the way, the Mriya set 462 aviation records, including more than 240 world records.

4. One of the modern checkpoints on the border between Ukraine and Slovakia divides the village in half, forming Mali Selmentsi and Velyki Selmentsi. This happened because the village of Selmentsi was once divided between the USSR and Czechoslovakia right along one of the streets.

And this is just a small part of the impressive facts that Ukraine can surprise you with. But at the same time, we must say that the most amazing fact of modern Ukraine is its brave, desperate and unbreakable struggle against the russian invaders, which proves that Ukrainians are indeed an amazing people!

Interesting facts about Kherson - read what you didn't know about the hero city here.

We remind you that you can support Ukrainians and become an ambassador of Ukraine in the world by purchasing Visit Ukraine merchandise. Read more about how to support the country in difficult times, become an integral part of global solidarity, and help overcome challenges in our previous article.

Main photo: Serhii Korovayny

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