Ukraine, formerly a member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), has a land area of 603,700 square kilometers (233,090 square miles) and is the second largest country in Europe, similar in size to France or Texas. It is situated between Belarus to the north and the Black Sea to the south, with Russia to the northeast and east. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Romania border its west and southwest. Most of Ukraine is made up of steppes and plateaus, with higher elevations in the Carpathian Mountains to the west. The Dnieper River runs through the center of Ukraine. The land is fertile and contains many minerals, characteristics that have earned Ukraine the nickname "the breadbasket of Europe."

According to the 2003 CIA World Factbook, Ukraine's estimated 48 million residents were 78 percent ethnic Ukrainians. The largest minority group was ethnic Russians, representing less than 20 percent of the population. Other

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