Ukraine

country in eastern Europe on the northern coast of the Black Sea; capital Kiev area 222,664 square miles (576,700 square kilometers), population 45,500,000 ◆Ukraine was a constituent republic of the U.S.S.R. from 1923 to 1991. In the past Ukraine was frequently referred to as the Ukraine; however, since Ukraine declared independence in 1991, most newspapers and magazines have adopted the style of referring to Ukraine without a preceding the, and this has become the more common styling.