Donetsk Travel Guide, Ukraine

The city of Donetsk happens to be one of the huge cities which are part of Ukraine. It is the administrative center for the province of Donetsk (which is locally known as Donetsk Oblast). On the other hand it is also considered to be the unofficial capital and the largest city for the Donets Basin which is also famous by the name of Donbass or Donbas. This city is located on the steppe landscape of this country and is surrounded by different woodlands and hills, lakes or rivers. The northern section of the city is nowadays being used for various agricultural purposes.

The famous Azov Sea is situated around 95 kilometers from the heart of the city and the Kalmius River is situated in its proximity. The land around these water bodies has become a famous picnic hot spot for the locals of Donetsk. Also, a very wide section of the city border is surrounded by farmlands.

The climate is continental but moderate too. In January the average temperature is around – 5 degree Celsius and it touches the heights of 18 degree Celsius in June. The annual average rainfall is around 555 mm and the city experiences around 160 days of rainfall while the other remaining days are literally dry.

As per 2007 census the population of Donetsk was around 988,000 inhabitants. The population for the metropolitan area of Donetsk was around 1,570,000 inhabitants as per 2004 census. The huge population of Donetsk makes it the 5th most populated city in Ukraine, although it has experienced a downfall in population by around 1 percent from 1998 to 2006. Around 48 percent of the total population is Russian while only 47 percent are actual Ukrainians.

The major means of local transport for Donetsk are minibuses (famous by the name of marshrutkas), buses, electric trolley busses, and trams. Donetsk has around 115 bus lines, 17 trolley bus lines, and around 12 tram lines. This huge system of local transport is enough to connect various sections of the city with each other.