Kiev (spelled Kiyiv in Ukrainian) is Ukraine’s largest and richest city.
Ukraine’s capital city is showcased in a Guinness World Record for the longest singing marathon. The concert lasted almost five straight days (110 hours) and featured over 350 bands and more than 1,800 singers.
Historian Paul R. Magocsi writes that roughly two-thirds of Ukraine’s land area consists of black soil rich in humus called chornozem, making Ukraine one of the world’s most fertile regions. On the politically dirty side, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 ranks Ukraine among the world’s 50 most corrupt nations with a score of 29 (highly corrupt) out of 100 (very clean).
Ukraine exported US$36.8 billion worth of goods in 2016 according to estimates from the International Trade Centre. Ukraine’s highest-value exports are corn, sunflower-seed or safflower oil, wheat, iron ore, vehicle ignition systems and soya beans.
Capital Facts for Kiev, Ukraine: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Saint Sophia Cathedral, Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), Fountain of Samson (Felitsiyal), Golden Gate and Landscape Alley
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Kiev, Ukraine:
- Milla Jovovich, actress & supermodel (born Dec. 17, 1975)
- Juicy M, DJ & producer (born May 24, 1991)
- Vadim Perelman, film director (born Sep. 8, 1963)
- Alexander Rodnyansky, writer, director & producer (born Jul. 2, 1961)
- Viktor Khryapa, NBA basketball player (born Aug. 3, 1982)
- Anna Bessonova, rhythmic gymnast medalist (born Jul. 29, 1984)
- Nastya Kamenskykh, pop singer (born May 4, 1987)
- Vladimir Kozlov, professional wrestler (born Apr. 27, 1979)
- Golda Meir, former Israel prime minister (born May 3, 1898)
- Vladimir Horowitz, classical pianist (born Oct. 1, 1903)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Kiev resident: Kievan
Population: 2,887,974 (Kiev city)
Density: 19,228 people per square mile (7,424 per square kilometer)
Population: 3,375,000 (Kiev metropolitan area)
Density: 10,417 people per square mile (4,022 per square kilometer)
Population: 44,209,733 (Ukraine)
Density: 198 people per square mile (76 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$349.8 billion as of October 2016 (for Ukraine, per WorldsRichestCountries.com)
GDP per person: $7,912
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Kiev were unavailable.
Official currency used in Kiev: Ukrainian hryvnia (or hryvnya)
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data). Accessed on November 30, 2016
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Europe: Ukraine. Accessed on February 7, 2017
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas. Accessed on November 30, 2016
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition. Accessed on November 30, 2016
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition. Accessed on November 30, 2016
Guinness World Records, Longest singing marathon record attempt hits the right note in Kiev. Accessed on February 7, 2017
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 7, 2017
Magocsi, Paul R. A history of Ukraine: The land and its peoples (University of Toronto Press, 2010). Accessed on February 7, 2017
Official Government Website, Kyiv City State Administration Site. Accessed on November 30, 2016
Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2016. Accessed on February 7, 2017
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags. Accessed on November 30, 2016
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Kiev. Accessed on November 30, 2016
Wikipedia, Kiev metropolitan area. Accessed on November 30, 2016
Wikipedia, Legal status and local government of Kiev. Accessed on November 30, 2016
Wikipedia, Ukraine. Accessed on February 7, 2017
From a political perspective, Kiev City State Administration has special status as an administrative subdivision of Ukraine. The city answers directly to national government, rather than regional authorities like other Ukrainian subdivisions. Kiev city limits border an area measuring 150 square miles (389 square kilometers), within which about 2.9 million people live.
The Kiev metropolitan area encompasses 324 square miles (839 square kilometers), serving as home to 3.4 million inhabitants.
At the country level, Ukraine’s land area covers 223,680 square miles (579,330 square kilometers). The national population count was 44.2 million inhabitants as of July 2016.
Population density is higher within the city limits of Ukraine’s capital based on its average 19,200 Kievans per square mile (7,400 per square kilometer).
Density in Kiev’s metropolitan urban agglomeration diminishes to an average 10,400 people per square mile (4,000 per square kilometer).
For Ukraine overall, population density drops to an average 200 inhabitants per square mile (75 per square kilometer).
Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. Ukrainians celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each August 24.