Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

The people of Ukraine are primarily of East Slavic descent and speak Ukrainian, an East Slavic language closely related to Russian and Belarusian. Historically, Ukraine has been a crossroads for various migrations and cultural influences, including those from Mediterranean powers, nomadic groups from Central Asia, and Slavic tribes.12

Today, over two-thirds of Ukraine's population lives in urban areas, with high population densities in industrialized regions and coastal areas. Major cities include Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. While ethnic Ukrainians form the majority, Russians are the largest minority, with smaller populations of Belarusians, Moldovans, Poles, and others. The Crimean Tatars are a significant minority group, particularly in Crimea.34

Culturally, Ukraine has been influenced by both Western Europe and Russia. This is reflected in its language, which shares roots with other East Slavic languages but has distinct characteristics. Despite historical periods of political subordination and suppression of its language and culture, Ukraine has a rich literary and artistic heritage. The predominant religion is Eastern Orthodoxy, with a significant portion of the population also identifying as not religious.5167

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.