Tourist Attractions and Places of Interest in Ukraine
Ukraine is a former Soviet country located in Western Europe, with 603,700 sq km of total area (a little smaller than Texas) and 43.3 billion population (CIA, 2008). It is located in geographical center of Europe and its landscape mostly consists of plateaus and plains, as well as mountainous regions to the west (Carpathian) and to the south (the Crimean peninsula). The country has 2,782 km coastline of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The climate is temperate continental and Mediterranean in the Crimean peninsula. Winters are usually cold with average temperature in January varying from 32F in Crimea to 20F in Kiev. Summers are quite hot with average temperature in July 64-73F (DeLong, 2007).
Therefore, the advantageous geographical position and climatic conditions of Ukraine are perfectly appropriate for the development of tourism. Another important factor which stimulates the flow of tourists to Ukraine is its unique ancient culture and local traditions. Nevertheless, Ukrainian tourism infrastructure is very underdeveloped and the country welcomes any investors who want to construct new facilities for foreign tourists. Also, Ukrainian government is making some determined steps directed on attracting more overseas tourists to the country, including a recent decision about abolishing visas for the citizens of many European countries (Mliugina, 2006).
The eastern and central regions of Ukraine, including Donbass, are heavily industrialized. Therefore, overwhelming majority of tourist attractions are concentrated in the western part, in Crimea and in the capital, Kiev. The Carpathian region is a famous tourist place, which can offer facilities for rehabilitation in summer and comfortable ski resorts in winter. Such cities as Lviv, Uzhhorod, Kolomyya, Mukacheve, Kamyiants-Podliskiy, are popular with their beautiful European architecture, numerous medieval castles and cathedrals (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007). Tourists also enjoy the opportunity to participate in traditional ceremonies and customs of the Carpathian region.
Another important tourist attraction of Ukraine is the Crimean peninsula with its beautiful mountainous landscapes, unique climate and sunny beaches. This region has rich history and for long time it was a part of the Ottoman Empire. That is why in such Crimean cities as Bakhchisaray and Sudak there are numerous monuments of Ottoman architecture. Chufut Kale is a mountainous area covered with caves and fortifications preserved from the times of Crimean Khanate. In Sevastopol it is possible to see the monuments of the Greek and Byzantine epochs. Such cities as Yalta, Alupka and Eupatoria are known summer resorts which offer the tourists such attritions as botanical gardens, architectural monuments, vine festivals, as well as swimming, hiking, mountain climbing, etc. (The Independent, 2004).
Finally, the countryÕs capital Kiev is the most popular place to visit in Ukraine. Kiev is one of the most beautiful European cities with more than 15 centuries of history, which was the center of the development of Slavic Civilization. The most important historic monuments of Kiev include a great number of churches and cathedrals (Kiev Pechersk Lavra, St. AndrewÕs Church, St. VolodymyrÕs Cathedral, etc.), palaces, museums, gardens and Kiev Zoo. Another popular attraction is classic art, numerous concerts and ballet performances. In Kiev visitors can enjoy proper accommodation, transportation and communication networks. Other important tourism centers of Ukraine include Odessa, Kharkiv, Poltava, Chernigiv, Zhytomyr, and many others (Go2Kiev, 2008).
In conclusion, it is necessary to underline that Ukraine has a great potential for becoming a destination for millions of foreign tourists. But there are certain problems which must be immediately solved by Ukrainian authorities. In addition to the necessity to improve the countryÕs infrastructure, there is also a problem of safety. Despite quite moderate crime rates in Ukraine, foreigners frequently become the victims of pickpocketers, thieves, robbers and other offenders. Other dangers are connected with AIDS prevalence and high radiation level as a result of the Chernobyl Accident in 1986 (Edwards, 2001).
Ukraine and Poland to host 2012 UEFA European Football Championship
On Wednesday, April 18, the decision was announced by UEFA President Michel Platini at City Hall in the Welsh city of Cardiff, that the finals of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship will be held in Ukraine and Poland after beating off bids from Italy and Croatia/Hungary. The UEFA Executive Committee of 12 members reached its verdict at the UEFA executive committee meeting in Cardiff after examining the three bids on the final short list to stage the tournament between Poland and Ukraine, Croatia and Hungary and Italy. Both Poland and Ukraine will stage matches in four venues each. The four Ukrainian venues are Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev and Lviv while Gdansk, Krakow, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Chorzow have been earmarked for games in Poland.
Notes:
on (date) the decision was made that poland and ukraine are to host the UEFA EURO games in 2012
Poland is in the European Union. Ukraine is not. Poland has better economic relations with Ukraine than any country in The EU.
Poland has a long history of being a gateway between Western and Easter Europe. Although... war... France... Napoleon , Germany...
About UEFA
UEFA (the administrative and controlling body for European football and one of the biggest of six continental confederations of FIFA) represents the national football associations of Europe, runs Europe-wide national and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those competitions. The acronym "UEFA" stands for "Union of European Football Associations" in English and "Union EuropŽenne de Football Association" in French. UEFA was founded on June 15, 1954 in Basel, Switzerland. The organization's headquarters have been located Bern since 1959 before being move from it's original base in Paris.
National Football Associations of European the UEFA include Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, FYR Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales. Rather than belonging to the Asian Football Confederation, several geographically asian national football associations, including Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Israel, Cyprus, Russia and Azerbaijan, belong to UEFA.
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