Ukrainian mosaic: five unique ethnic groups
The Lemko: Lemko ancestors were the ancient tribes of White Croats who lived on the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains. Today, Lemkos are scattered between Western Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia.
The Boykos: Currently, the community inhabits the High Beskyd, the Gorgany Mountains, and most villages can be found in the Middle Carpathian Depression. In general, Boykos differ from area to area in dialect, dress, folk architecture, and customs.
The Hutsul: Hutsuls are called the Ukrainian mountaineers. Most Hutsuls live in Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions of Ukraine; They are hospitable, but do not welcome strangers openly into their family.
The Bukovynians: Bukovyna was established as a province by the Austrian Empire. it is currently divided into two parts, the north belongs to Ukraine and the south to Romania.
The Podolians: Podillya is a region located in the west-central and south-western parts of Ukraine. Podolians began settling here in the 4th–3rd century BC. Podillya is derived from Old Slavic “po”, meaning “by/next to/along”, and “dol” – “valley”.
Ukraine is a multi-ethnic, multi-language and multi-culture country. It is home to many nationalities; twenty-two percent of Ukraine’s population is composed of ethnic minorities. Russians are the largest among them, about 17 percent of Ukraine’s population, who historically lived in the southern and eastern part of the country. Other significantly represented nationalities include Romanians, Belorusians, Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Poles, Jews, Greeks and Armenians. Source: euromaidampress