n.
Pronunciation: yü- ' kr ā n, ' yü- ˌ , also yü- ' kr ī n
Variant: or chiefly formerly the Ukraine
Function: geographical name
country E Europe on N coast of Black Sea; a constituent republic of the U.S.S.R. 1923-91 capital Kiev area 233,089 sq mi (603,701 sq km ), pop 52,344,000
usage In the past Ukraine was frequently referred to as the Ukraine; however, since Ukraine declared independence in 1991, most newspapers and magazines have adopted the style of referring to Ukraine without the the, and this has become the more common styling.