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The relief of the country is one of the most important natural resources of Ukraine. Relief made an impact on the formation and distribution of minerals, the use of certain areas for agricultural and industrial purposes, transport, urban construction , environ policies, etc.

Typical of Ukraine is flat terrain with small hills. Such terrain accounts for almost 90 % of the country`s territory with depressions constituting 70 %. The average hills of the flat part of the country are relatively small and reach about 170 ?. Only some Carpathian peaks are 1,700—2000 m and Crimean 1,500 m above sea level.

The north-westernmost part of Ukraine, mostly the northern part of the Dnieper right bank area, is occupied by the Ukrainian Polissya region. It is the southern part of the great Polissya depression. The Belarus Polissya area is its northern constituent part. The biggest part of Ukraine`s drained land is concentrated on this flat territory with wide river valleys, which used to be waterlogged and is now drained for the most part.

Ukrainian Polissya is a large geomorphologic region consisting of three subregions: the Volyn, Rivne and Kyiv Polissya areas. The degree of saturation of ground with water, the amount of precipitation and air humidity decrease from west to east. Conversely, the continental quality of climate increases from west to east. In the south, Ukrainian Polissya borders Volyn and Dnieper hills and stands out in bold relief. Its boundary stretches from the city of Volodymyr Volynsky in the west, runs north of Lutsk and Rivne and, farther in the east, coincides with the conventional line of Korosten – Vyshgorod.

The Polissya terrain is mostly flat with frequent elevations and hillocks genetically connected with glacial activity. Ukrainian Polissya is characterized by small hills (150—200 m). The biggest of them is part of the Ovruch chain of hills (316 m). The medium hills here are 50—60 meters high.

Ukrainian Polissya has the wide (30—40 km) valley of the Prypyat, the largest right tributary of the Dnieper. A large area in this valley is occupied by a creek whose width varies between 2 and 20 km. The creek has many creases, small lakes, and swells. The latter consist of sands, shingle, boulders. Prevalent in Ukrainian Polissya are different forms of aquatic and glacial relief.

More typical of the Polissya, particularly, Prypyat depression are aeolian forms of relief. They rise above the surface in the form of dunes and consist mostly of quartz sand. Dunes, hillocks and swells are widespread here. The sands are consolidated in most part by plants.

In Volyn Polissya, where cretaceous rock lies close to the surface, karst formations are frequent. Well-known are lacustrine gullies of karst origin. The area has several dozen karst lakes. They are located mostly in the north-western part of the Volyn region. The largest of these lakes is Svityaz. It is part of the famous Shatsk chain of lakes, an important and promising health resort area of Ukraine.

In the north-east of Ukraine is the Dnieper depression. It is in fact a continuation of the Ukrainian Polissya region in the north-eastern direction. In the west and south-west the depression`s boundary runs along the Dnieper and in the north-east, across the Middle Russia hills. In the south, the depression`s boundary is at the latitude of Dnipropetrovsk and then turns north and reaches the boundary of the Middle Russian hills (the south-east of the city of Kharkiv). The north-eastern boundary of the Dnieper depression coincides with Ukraine`s national border.

The Dnieper geomorphologic region includes: in the north — the Middle Dnieper - Desna, in the center — the Dnieper proper and in the south — Poltava-Oriol geomorphologic subregions. Each of these subregions has its distinctive territorial, morphologic and genetic features.

On the whole, the Dnieper geomorphologic region is a stratum-like depression occupying the major part of the northern and central left bank area of the Dnieper. The hills of this depression are somewhat higher than in the Polissya area. On valley sides, especially on the vaults of the right bank of the Dnieper, there is a well-developed network of ravines and gullies. The network of ravines covers this area irregularly. This network is more intensive within the Middle Dnieper – Desna subregion. Juts of cretaceous rock are preserved well here.The steep and not very long sides of cretaceous juts contributed to the development of deep albeit short ravines.

The central and southern part of the Dnieper area has a well-developed system of ravines connected with the sides of the valleys of the left tributaries of the Dnieper. Landslides and soil washouts often occur here. Glacial and water-glacial formations are characteristic of the southern part of the region.

In the southernmost part of Ukraine is the large Black Sea depression. In the south, it ends with low steep terraces facing the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. In the Crimean peninsula, this depression adjoins the Crimean depression which is its constituent part. The Crimean depression borders the Tarkhankut hills in the west and the Kerch hills in the east. In the south, it comes directly to the cuesta lowland. The continental western boundary of the Black Sea depression runs across the Prut river valley.

The Black Sea depression and the flat Crimea are a complex geomorphologic region formed by the Danube-Dniester, Dniester-Buh, Dnieper–Molocnna, Azov and Crimea geomorphologic subregions. The distinctive morphologic feature of the subregions is a slight incline of the surface southward, toward the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The Crimean plain, however, inclines northward. Characteristic of all subregions of the Black Sea depression is a mostly smooth terrain, gradual transition of low lands to the neighboring higher morphologic structures and a greater dissection of the surface in the northern part than in the southern one. In the Crimean plain, the picture is different: the dissection is greater in the south. What all these subregions have in common is the presence of water-erosive and water-accumulative suffosive formations of terrain.

At the same time, each subregion has certain distinctive geomorphologic features. The Danube-Dniester subregion, for instance, has the general sloping of the surface both southward and northward. Typical of the Azov subregion are great differences in heights from north (180 m) to south (0 m).

Ukraine also has large areas of high elevation. This is above all the Volyn-Podillya hills situated in Ukraine`s west. In the west, it is split into two parts by the so called Little Polissya area. The larger of the two - the Podillya hills - are in the south. The smaller one - the Volyn hills, in the north.

The Podillya hills are the topmost south-western part of the Russian plain. The latter borders the valley of the Dnieper and the Southern Buh in the south and the Moldova hills in the north-east. In the east the Podillya hills become part of the Dnieper hills. In the north-west, the Podillya area abruptly slips to the Little Polissya area.

The Podillya medium hills are mostly over 300 m or 400 m high. The Gologoro-Kremenets chain of rather high hills is located in the north of the Western Podillya area. This chain of hills has rather high (150>—180 m) elevations in the form of massifs with steep sides, a network of gullies, numerous karst formations.

The Tovtry hills are located in the western and central part of the Podillya area. These hills stretch from the north-west (from the town of Pidkamin in Lviv oblast), continue near Zborov, Ternopil, Grymailiv and end near Kamyanets Podilsky (Khmelnytsky oblast). The scenic central part of the Tovtry hills is called Medobory. In these parts, there are many endemic and relic species of plants and large prospected reserves of unique mineral waters (of Naftusya type). The national preserve Medobory was set up here in 1990 (10.7 thou. hectares).

The Opillya area occupies the westernmost part of Podillya. This rugged terrain features narrow river valleys, steep banks and scenic places. The left tributaries of the Dniester — the Gnyla Lypa, Zolota Lypa, the Strypa and other -- cut deeply into this part of Podillya. In the Opillya area, to the south-east of Lviv, is one of the highest summits of the Podilly hills — Mount Kamula (473 m). Opillya consits of a number of high steep-sided regions located along the said Dniester tributaries. The flat plateau-like hills, covered with forests and located between rivers, are the distinctive feature of Opillya.

In the west, Podillya (Opillya) gradually joins the Precarpathian hills. Their north-western part is the Sayany-Dniester plain. The latter in turn includes the Nadsyanska, Khirivsko-Gorodotska, Sambir and Vyshnyansko-Shchyretska plains. Their terrran was formed due to ancient icing.

Mount Berda (515 m) located within the Khotyn hills (Chernivtsi oblast), is the highest in the vast area between the Carpathians and the Urals.

Karst formations are widespread in the Podillya hills. These are mostly clefts, wells, cavities, etc. Well known are the numerous gypsum caves (several dozen kilometers long).

Next to the Podillya hills are (within the bounds of Lviv) the Roztochya hills which extend into Poland. These hills stretch north-westward and occupy a narrow strip of land whose relief has glacial forms. The area of Lviv and the adjacent areas are called Gryadove Pobuzhya.

The eastern part of Little Polissya transforms into the Prypyat depression. To the north of Gryadove Pobuzhya (to the south of Sokal and farther eastward, through Berestechko,Ostrog and Kryvyn) is the southern boundary of the Volyn hills whose terrace (40—60 m) stands out in bold relief. Within these hills are a number of local elevated areas — the Mizotsky range (max. height: 341 m), Pelchynske plateau (324 m). The plateau lies between Berestechko and Dubno. The northern boundary of the Volyn hills ends with a low terrace in the direction of Volyn and Rivne Polissya.

The vast area of the Dnieper-Azov hills stretches across central Ukraine along the Dnieper in the north-east (to the point where its current changes near the Dnieper rapids) and farther south-eastward (as far as the Azov depression) and south-eastward along the Southern Buh river (approximately to the latitude of Zaporizhya and farther eastward and south-eastward). These hills border the Polissya area in the north-west. Their eastern edge is bounded by the steep bank of the Dnieper. The hills are a complex geomorphologic formation. The latter includes the large area of the Dnieper hills and the smaller area of the Azov hills , as well as the Zaporizhya plain. These landscape zones are the subregions of the Dnieper-Azov hills.

The general inclination of the Dnieper area surface from the north-west (220—250 m) to the north-east (160—190 m) is 60 meters. The terrain is billowy with reasonably flat river valleys. A characteristic feature of the terrain is a developed network of ravines and gullies, specifically in the Dnieper right bank area. This is especially true of the stretch near Kaniv, where the steep Dnieper bank is as high as 255 m. Some ravines here are 85— 90 m deep. In the area of Stari Petrivtsi (to the north of Kyiv), near Kaniv and in other places, landslips occur. There are glacial and water-glacial formations in the northern area of the Dnieper hills.

The area of the Azov hills coincides with the south-eastern prominence of the Ukrainian crystalline bed and reaches an absolute height of 200—300 m. The northern side of this high land is narrow and steep. The southern one is much wider (by 5—8 times) and is 45—60 ??. It gradually goes into the narrow stretch of the small Azov depression. In the Azov hills, crystalline rock often comes to the surface. The highest peak of these hills is Mount Mogyla Belmak (324 m).

The Zaporizhya plain is also genetically connected with the Ukrainian crystalline bed. The highest hills here are 190—265 ?. The terrain is billowy and cut with ravines and gullies. Landslips are not an infrequent phenomenon here.

Spurs of the Middle Russia hills come into the north-eastern part of Ukraine.In the country`s territory, the spurs occupy a rather narrow strip (40—50 km) and stretch along the north-eastern border between Ukraine and Russia in Sumy, Kharkiv and Lugansk oblasts. Characteristic of this elevation are erosive formations. The surface here slopes southward and south-westward and heights vary from 20 to 50 m. In the territory of Ukraine the Middle Russia hills gradually go into the Dnieper depression. The area of these hills feature river valleys. There are many ravines here which are in most cases connected with the steep banks of rivers. Some ravines are several kilometers long. Karst formations, landslides, dispersion of sand deposits are frequent phenomena here.

In the south-east of Ukraine is the Donets hills. The length of this area, from the west-northern west to the east-southern east, is nearly 350 km with the maximum width being 150 km. In the north-west, the area borders the Dnieper depression, in the south-west - the Azov hills, in the south — the Azov hills, in the north and north-east — the Middle Russia hills. Within this area, there are two geomorphologic subregions; the Donets range( the south-eastern part) and the Bakhmut-Toretsk hills (the north-west).

The terrain of the Donets range is rugged. A ravine and gully network is developed well, and there are badlands here. Mount Mogyla Mechetna (367 m), Mound Mechetny (358 m) and some other are the highest places of the Donets range.The heights of the range gradually decrease from its central part to the periphery by 100-120 m.

The Bakhmut-Torets hills feature large watershed tracts which alternate with wide plains. The absolute heights of this area are smaller than in the Donets range and reach 180—270 m. The north-western part of this area is the lowest. The land is very dissected, but not as much as in the Donets range.

Characteristic of the Donets hills is a developed network of ravines and gullies.There are ridges, cuests, sliderocks, landslides,various karst formations, different large man-made formations ? (rock debris, waste banks,strip pits), etc.

Ukraine also has mountain landscapes proper. The mountains take up 6.,8 % of the country`s territory. The Ukrainian Carpathians are in the west (33.2 thou. sq. km., including the lowland zone — 3.3 thou. Sq. km.). The Crimean mountains are in the south (7.9 thou. Sq. km). The mountain massif of the Carpathian and Crimean geomorphologic regions play an important part in the country`s economy, tourist and recreation business and have a strong impact on the climate.

The Ukrainian Carpathians are an integral part of the vast mountainous Carpathian area which is divided among Ukraine and other countries (Romania, Poland, Slovakia) the Ukrainian Carpathians are the central part of the Carpathian massif.

In Ukraine, the Carpathians stretch from the north-west to the north-east, occupying a relatively narrow (100—120 km) strip at a distance of nearly 290 km. The Ukrainian Carpathian geomorphologic region consists of three subregions: the Carpathian massif proper, the Precarpathian plain and the Transcarpathian depression.

The south-western and north-western boundaries of the Ukrainian Carpathians coincide with the national Ukrainian-Romanian, Ukrainian-Hungarian, Ukrainian-Slovak and the Ukrainian-Polish borders. Their north-eastern boundary runs approximately along the line Sudova Vyshnya-Mykolaiva-?vano-Frankivsk-Chernivtsi. The Precarpathian plain lies to the north-east of the Ukrainian Carpathians. This plain with absolute heights of 340—360 m, stretches parallel to the mountains. It is a transition zone between the south-western edge of the Russian hills and the Carpathians. The plain is strongly dissected by the left tributaries of the Dniester and the upper reaches of the Prut and Seret.

The Ukrainian Carpathian massif is not homogeneous orographically. It consists of a number of large parallel strips. The North-eastern (external) strip is made up of the Beskids, Gorgans and the Pokuttya-Bukovyna Carpathians. The highest summits here are: Syvulya (1,838 m), Grofa (1,748 m), Popadya (1,742 m), Stoy (1,677 m), Menchul (1,501 m), Magura (1,368 m) and some other.

Farther to the south-west, parallel to the North-Eastern subregion, stretch the relatively low (800—1,200 ) Vododilno-Verkhovyna Carpathians (they are nearly 30 km wide in the north-west and 10 km in the south-east). Running through the low parts of these mountains are famous Carpathian mountain passes with automobile roads, railroad, gas and oil pipelines, high voltage transmission lines. The passes are: Seredny Veretsky (839 m), Uzhotsky (889 m), Yablunetsky (931 m), Volovetsky (1,014 m). The Main Carpathian watershed is situated within this strip.

Farther south-westward lies the highest subregion of the Ukrainian Carpathians, the Polonyna Chornogora mountains. Chornogora, the highest massif of this subregion, is situated between the rivers Prut and Chorny Cheremosh, Bila and Chorna Tisa. Loomimg over the Alpine pastures are the cone-shaped summits the highest of which are: Goverla (2,061 m), Brebeneskul (2,035 m?), Pip Ivan (2,026 m), Petros (2,022 m), Gutyn Tomnatyk (2,017 m), Rebra (2,007 m) and other. In the Polonyna Chornogora mountains, there are several mountain massifs: Svydyvets, Chornogora, Grynyav mountains, Bukovyna Polonyna.

In the south of the Ukrainian Carpathians are the Rakhiv massif and the Chyvchyn mountains. They feature high peaks and steep valleys.

The Transcarpathian plain is the north-eastern part of the large Danube depression. Situated here is the Volcano ridge with low and cliffy summits, and the Solotvyn and Mukacheve-Chop depressions.

The Crimean mountains run, like a 150-km arc, through the Crimean peninsula from the north-east (near Feodosia) to the south-west (near Balaklava). The mountains consist of three parallel mountain ranges (cuests). Intrinsic in cuests are steep south-eastern and gently sloping and long north-western mountainsides. The height and size of the cuests increase from the south-east to the north-west. The highest is the Main range (1,200— 1,500 m), then come the Internal (nearly 500 m) and External (250—320 m) ranges. The average height of the Crimean mountains is 440 m. The highest summits are in the Main range. Among these, the highest are: Romen-Kosh (1,545m), Eklizi Burun and Chatyrdazi (1,527 m), Ai Petri (1,234 m). Mount Kubalach (738 m) near Bilogorsk is the highest summit of the Internal range.

The Crimean mountains play an important climatologic role. They protect from the impact of cold air masses the narrow coastal strip — the Southern Coast of the Crimea. The latter is Ukraine`s most important seaside health resort area with mild subtropical climate which is conducive to rest and medical treatment.

On the whole, Ukraine`s relief affords favorable conditions to develop productive forces and natural resources. The broader application of new methods to geological prospecting and exploration makes the process of finding and studying the necessary raw materials cost effective and helps reduce production costs.