Relief

Ukraine occupies the southwestern portion of theRussian Plain (East European Plain). The country consists almost entirely of level plains at an average elevation of 574 feet (175 metres) abovesea level. Mountainous areas such as the Ukrainian Carpathians and Crimean Mountains occur only on the country’s borders and account for barely 5 percent of its area. The Ukrainian landscape nevertheless has some diversity: its plains are broken by highlands—running in acontinuous belt from northwest to southeast—as well as by lowlands.

The rolling plain of theDnieper Upland, which lies between the middle reaches of theDnieper (Dnipro) andSouthern Buh (Pivdennyy Buh, or the Boh) rivers in west-central Ukraine, is the largest highland area; it is dissected by many river valleys, ravines, and gorges, some more than 1,000 feet (300 metres) deep. On the west the Dnieper Upland is abutted by the ruggedVolyn-Podilsk Upland, which rises to 1,545 feet (471 metres) at its highest point,Mount Kamula. West of the Volyn-Podilsk Upland, in extreme western Ukraine, the parallel ranges of theCarpathian Mountains—one of the mostpicturesque areas in the country—extend for more than 150 miles (240 km). The mountains range in height from about 2,000 feet (600 metres) to about 6,500 feet (2,000 metres), rising to 6,762 feet (2,061 metres) atMount Hoverla, the highest point in the country. The northeastern and southeastern portions of Ukraine are occupied by low uplands rarely reaching an elevation of 1,000 feet (300 metres).

Britannica Quiz

The Country Quiz

Among the country’s lowlands are thePripet Marshes (Polissya), which lie in the northern part of Ukraine and are crossed by numerous river valleys. In east-central Ukraine is theDnieper Lowland, which is flat in the west and gently rolling in the east. To the south, another lowland extends along the shores of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov; its level surface, broken only by low rises and shallow depressions, slopes gradually toward the Black Sea. The shores of theBlack Sea and theSea of Azov arecharacterized by narrow, sandy spits of land that jut out into the water; one of these, theArabat Spit, is about 70 miles (113 km) long but averages less than 5 miles (8 km) in width.

The southern lowland continues in theCrimean Peninsula as the North Crimean Lowland. The peninsula—a large protrusion into the Black Sea—is connected to the mainland by the Perekop Isthmus. TheCrimean Mountains form the southern coast of the peninsula.Mount Roman-Kosh, at 5,069 feet (1,545 metres), is the mountains’ highest point.

50% Off Black Friday Savings!

All Britannica annual subscriptions are now 50% off!

Subscribe

Drainage

Almost all the major rivers in Ukraine flow northwest to southeast through the plains to empty into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. TheDnieper River, with itshydroelectricdams, huge reservoirs, and many tributaries, dominates the entire central part of Ukraine. Of the total course of the Dnieper, 609 miles (980 km) are in Ukraine, making it by far the longest river in the country, of which it drains more than half. Like the Dnieper, theSouthern Buh, with its major tributary, the Inhul, flows into the Black Sea. To the west and southwest, partly draining Ukrainian territory, theDniester (Dnistro) also flows into the Black Sea; among its numerous tributaries, the largest in Ukraine are theStryy and the Zbruch. The middle course of theDonets River, a tributary of theDon, flows through southeastern Ukraine and is an important source of water for theDonets Basin (Donbas). TheDanube River flows along the southwestern frontier of Ukraine. Marshland, covering almost 3 percent of Ukraine, is found primarily in the northern river valleys and in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Danube, and other rivers.

The rivers are most important as awater supply, and for this purpose a series of canals has been built, such as the Donets–DonetsBasin, the Dnieper–Kryvyy Rih, and the North Crimea. Several of the larger rivers are navigable, including the Dnieper, Danube, Dniester,Pripet (Pryp’yat), Donets, and Southern Buh (in its lower course). Dams and hydroelectric plants are situated on all the larger rivers.

Ukraine has a few natural lakes, all of them small and most of them scattered over the river floodplains. One of the largest isLake Svityaz, 11 square miles (28 square km) in area, in the northwest. Small saltwater lakes occur in theBlack Sea Lowland and inCrimea. Larger saline lakes occur along the coast. Known aslimans, these bodies of water form at the mouths of rivers orephemeral streams and are blocked off by sandbars from the sea. Some artificial lakes have been formed, the largest of which are reservoirs at hydroelectric dams—e.g., the reservoir on the Dnieper upstream fromKremenchuk. The Kakhovka, Dnieper,Dniprodzerzhynsk, Kaniv, and Kyiv reservoirs make up the rest of the Dnieper cascade. Smaller reservoirs are located on the Dniester and Southern Buh rivers and on tributaries of the Donets River. Small reservoirs for water supply also are found nearKryvyy Rih,Kharkiv, and other industrial cities. Three large artesian basins—the Volyn-Podilsk, the Dnieper, and the Black Sea—are exceptionally important for municipal needs and agriculture as well.