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Kiev (Ukrainian: ???? - Kyiv, Russian: ???? - Kiev) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine with - officially - over 2.7 million inhabitants (unofficially claimed number is up to 4.0 million inhabitants). The city is in north central Ukraine on the Dnieper River (Ukrainian: ??i??? Russian: ?????). The common English name for the city ("Kiev") is historical. The transliteration of the city's name from Ukrainian is "Kyiv", and this variation is used in many English language materials in Ukraine.

Understand

Ukrainians are understandably very proud of their capital's role in establishing European civilisation in Eastern Europe.
Kiev is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, dating back to the 5th century, although settlements at this location existed much earlier. By the late 9th century, Kiev had become the de facto capital of an emerging Eastern Slavic state. Between the 10th and early 13th centuries, Kiev reached its golden age as the capital of the first Ukrainian state known today as Kievan Rus, (Kyivan Ruthenia, or Rus-Ukraine). This state created the religious and cultural foundations for modern Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
In the middle of the 13th century, Kievan Rus was overrun by the Mongols. Later that century, Kiev became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Then, it was absorbed into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569. In 1654, Kiev was liberated from that Commonwealth by Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, who then promptly signed the city over to Russia. This action continues to be a sore point for Ukrainian nationalists.
In 1775, Kiev was annexed by the Russian Empire. The city remained under Russian rule, with brief but uncertain periods of independence between 1918 and 1920. Over these two centuries, Kiev experienced growing Russification and Russian immigration. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kiev became the capital of independent Ukraine and is now discovering its place as a large European capital.
According to the last census (2001) Kiev has a population of 2,600,000, although it's generally acknowledged that the population is over 3,000,000 (2006 estimates). About 85% claim Ukrainian ethnicity and about 12% claim Russian. Since the census numbers are so incorrect, these percentages must be taken with a pinch of salt. There are many minorities in the city: Armenian, Azeri, Belarussian, Jewish, Georgian, Polish, Romanian and Tatar.
Literary Ukrainian is primarily spoken by immigrants from Western Ukraine or villages, while Kievans of all flavors usually speak Russian with a few Ukrainian words (called "Surzhik"). Officially, all signs have to be bilingual, but official means little in Kiev.
Since 2001, not only has the population of Kiev increased, but also the percentage of people claiming Ukrainian ethnicity. This is probably a result of the strong nationalist movement centered in Kiev during the Orange Revolution (October 2004 to January 2005).
According to the national census taken in 2001, about 93% of the population has a secondary education, and nearly 46% received higher education.
The average temperature is 24°C (75.2 ºF) in summer and -19°C (-2.2 ºF) in winter.
Many people on the streets in Kyiv are hospitable and will be eager to help you. However, if you are from Western Europe or North America, you may find service in restaurants and shops difficult.