Ukraine located in Eastern Europe borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania, Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian market economy has been experiencing a stable increase, with real GDP growth averaging seven percent annually. At 603,700 kilometres² (233,074 sq mi) and with a coastline of 2,782 kilometres (1,729 mi), Ukraine is the world's 44th-largest country after the Central African Republic and before Madagascar. It is the second largest country in Europe after the European part of Russia, before metropolitan France.
The country imports most energy supplies, especially oil and natural gas, and to a large extent depends on Russia as its energy supplier. While 25 percent of the natural gas in Ukraine comes from internal sources, about 35 percent comes from Russia and the remaining 40 percent from Central Asia through transit routes that Russia controls. At the same time, 85 percent of the Russian gas is delivered to Western Europe through Ukraine.
