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UKRAINE

Ukraine is a sovereign state with its own territory and its bodies of state power and government. It also has national emblem: state flag and anthem. Ukraine proclaimed its inde­pendence on August 24, 1991, and confirmed this status on December 1st of the same year.

The country is situated in the south-eastern part of Cen­tral Europe. It covers the area of 604,000 square kilometres. The territory of Ukraine consists of the Autonomy Republic of Crimea and 24 regions. Ukraine is inhabited by people belonging to more than 110 ethnic groups. The population of Ukraine is nearly 50 million people. It borders on Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in the west and on Romania and Mold­ova in the southwest. Its northern neighbour is Byelarus and the eastern one is Russia.

The territory of Ukraine is mostly flat and mountains make up only 5% of its territory (there are the Carpathian mountains in the west and the Crimean mountains in the south). The climate of Ukraine is moderate.

The main rivers of Ukraine are the Dnipro, the Dnister, the Buh and Donets and others. The Dnipro is the main river in the country. It’s one of the longest rivers in the world. Ukraine is washed by the Black Sea and the sea of Azov and has such important ports as Odesa, Mariupol, Mykojaiv, Kherson.

The geographical position of Ukraine is favourable, be­cause the country lies on the crossroad of the ways from Asia to Europe. Like any other country in the world Ukraine has big cities; among them are Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine; Kharkiv, which used to be the capital of Ukraine and now it’s an important industrial and cultural centre; Donetsk is a coal-mining and chemical centre; Odesa is a big sea-port; Lviv is a large scientific and cultural centre and a lot of others. Due to favourable climatic conditions, Ukraine is tra­ditionally an agricultural country. Wheat and corns, all kinds of fruit are grown here.

The country is rich in national resources, such as iron ore, coal, gas. It produces planes and ships, lorries and buses, TV and radio-sets and other goods.

Ukraine is a country with the rich past. It is rich for historical monuments and different places of interest. Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is one of the oldest cities in the Eastern Europe. That’s why it is not surprising that a lot of intere­sting monuments are situated there. For example, the well-known to all Slavonic world St. Sophia’s Cathedral and Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra.

But Ukraine is not only Kyiv. There is also Western Ukraine with the Carpathians with their legends and with their unique nature and culture. One may visit the famous symbol of the Crimea — the castle “Swallow’s nest” or the residence of Russian tsars in Livadia.

It is also possible to visit the last house of Chekhov, now the museum in Jalta. There Chekhov lived and wrote his last works. It is possible to go through Gogol places in Poltava region, see Dickanka, Sorochintsy.

One may also go to Zaporizhzhia, to the island of Khortytsya. There the Ukrainian cossack’s organization was born. One can go to Odesa and walk along the boulevards, where Pushkin walked a long time ago and touch the trees, which Pushkin touched. Near the small town of the Kaniv the mo­nument to the Ukrainian national genius Taras Shevchenko is situated. The museum, where the books, drawing and manu­scripts of Shevchenko are kept, is situated in the village not far from Kaniv. Even the house, where he was born, is pre­served. It is very interesting to look at it.

One may come to Poltava, visit the museum of the famous Poltava battle, the field where Petro the Great defeated the Swedes.

There is a lot to see in Ukraine and to be proud of. And I am glad to live in such a country, with all these beautiful monuments.

LONDON

London is one of the largest and most interesting cities in the world. Greater London covers an area of about 600 square miles and has the population of nearly 9 million people.

In London today, there still stand numerous landmarks reminding us of the town, as it was five or six centuries ago. The old town that stood until the Great Fire of 1666 was surrounded by a wall. Inside the wall there were streets lined with wooden one-story houses. Almost the whole of the town was contained in what is still known as the City.

Nowadays the City is London's commercial and business centre. The City is only one square mild in area and only a few thousand people live there. During the day it's full of energy and life, but towards the end of the day it grows almost desolate. It contains the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the head offices of numerous companies and corporations. Thanks to them, the City is often referred to as "the money" of London. But the City is also a Mecca for a museum - goes. Here is situated the Tower of London that comes first among the historic buildings of the British capital. Founded by Julius Caesar and rebuilt by William the Conqueror, it was used as a fortress, a royal residence and prison. Now it is a museum of armour and the place where the Crown Jewels are kept. A twenty minutes' walk from the Tower will take you to St. Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. In one of its towers hangs one of the largest bells of the world, Great Paul.

Another important part of' London, where most of the government buildings are located, is Westminster. Tourists are invariably taken to see Westminster abbey, where many English sovereigns, outstanding statesmen, poets and artists are buried; Westminster, the seat of the British Parliament, with its famous Big Ben that strikes every quarter of an hour.

Visitors with plenty of money to spend come chiefly to the West End of London, its shopping and entertainment centre. The theatre land is stretched around Piccadilly Circus. Not far from it one can see the British Museum and the Covent Garden Opera House. Expensive shopping promenades-Regent Street, Oxford Street and Bond Street - would lead you to Regent Park and Hyde Park.

The last - but not the last - of London's functional zones is the East End. It is the district inhabited by workers and the poor. Industry is chiefly found in that part of the capital, grey with soot and smoke. London is the main centre of Britain's printing and the manufacture of clothing, food and drink, precision instruments and aircrafts, cars and ships. London's port is the third biggest port in the world.