A Quizland Tour of Ukraine

Answer: Common nightingale

All these birds can be found in Ukraine, but the common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is the country's national animal. The nightingale is a migratory bird that winters in sub-Saharan Africa and returns to northern Europe to breed in the spring.

It is an important element in Ukrainian folklore as a herald of spring that cheers us with its powerful and beautiful song. A Ukrainian legend would have the nightingale as coming from India and hearing the Ukrainian people sing sad songs. According to this legend, the nightingale sang to cheer them up and the Ukrainians responded by singing happy songs, so now the nightingale returns every year to hear the happy Ukrainian songs.

Answer: Serbia

Ukraine is the largest country lying entirely within Europe with an area of approximately 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 square miles). It has land borders with Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia, and has coastlines on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Most of the country has a temperate climate, but the southern coast of Crimea is described as subtropical.

Answer: 1991

The dissolution of the Soviet Union took place between 1988 and 1991, with Ukraine being one of the last countries to declare independence. The forerunner to this was President Gorbachev's decision to loosen Soviet control over the countries of Eastern Europe as part of a far-reaching reform package.

This liberalisation created an independent democratic momentum that led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and then the overthrow of Communist rule throughout Eastern Europe. However, President Putin would invade Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022.

Answer: knavery

Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine, and the word 'knavery' can be formed using only the letters in 'Kiev, Ukraine'. It denotes a roguish or mischievous act and is derived from the noun 'knave', which Shakespeare used as an insult to describe a foolish and terrible person who is up to no good.

Answer: Boxing

Wladimir Klitschko is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time and was known for his exceptional knockout power. He ended his professional career with 64 wins from 69 fights, 53 of these by knockout. His elder brother Vitali was also a successful professional boxer who won multiple world heavyweight championships before entering a career in politics and becoming Mayor of Kyiv.

Answer: Christianity

Ukraine has the world's second-largest Eastern Orthodox population after Russia. As of 2019, 82% of Ukrainians declared themselves to be Christian, of whom 72.7% were Orthodox. Judaism, Islam and Hinduism each accounted for just 0.2%.

Answer: Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis, born Milena Markovna Kunis, was born in Ukraine in 1983. When she was 7, she fled with her Jewish family to the USA. She first established herself playing Jackie Burkhart on the television series 'That '70s Show' and later voiced Meg Griffin on the animated series 'Family Guy'.

Her breakout film role came in the romantic comedy 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall', and she gained further critical acclaim for her performance in the psychological thriller 'Black Swan', for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Bela Lugosi was born in Hungary, Franz Kafka in Prague which was then in Bohemia, and Marc Chagall in Belarus.

Answer: Hryvnia

The basic unit of currency in Ukraine is the hryvnia, which is subdivided into 100 kopiyok. The ruble is used in Russia and some other states of Eastern Europe, e.g. Belarus. The leu is used in Moldova and Romania.

Answer: Blue and yellow

Ukraine's flag is made up of two equal-sized horizontal bands of blue (upper) and yellow (lower). The blue symbolizes the sky and the yellow Ukraine's wheat fields. Ukraine is one of the world's top agricultural producers and exporters, for which it gets its sobriquet "the breadbasket of Europe".

Answer: Actor

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was born to Jewish parents in 1978. His father was a professor of computer science and his mother an engineer. He himself obtained a law degree but never practised as a lawyer. Instead, he became a successful comedic actor and in 2015, played the part of Ukrainian president in the television series 'Servant of the People'. He became president of his country in 2019.