Area comparison map:

almost four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,618 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (7): Belarus 1111 km, Hungary 128 km, Moldova 1202 km, Poland 535 km, Romania 601 km, Russia 1944 km, Slovakia 97 km

Coastline:
2,782 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200 m or to the depth of exploitation
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; warm summers across the greater part of the country, hot in the south
More Climate Details

Terrain:
mostly fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, with mountains found only in the west (the Carpathians) or in the extreme south of the Crimean Peninsula

Elevation:
mean elevation: 175 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 71.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 56.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 1.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 13.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 16.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 12% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
21,670 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
densest settlement in the eastern (Donbas) and western regions; noteable concentrations in and around major urban areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donets'k, Dnipropetrovs'k, and Odesa

Natural hazards:
occasional floods; occasional droughts

Environment - current issues:
air and water pollution; land degradation; solid waste management; biodiversity loss; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Geography - note:
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe after Russia