Q. Consider the following countries :

1. Bulgaria
2. Czech Republic
3. Hungary
4. Latvia
5. Lithuania
6. Romania

How many of the above-mentioned countries share a land border with Ukraine? (UPSC Prelims 2023)
Answer: Only two
Notes: The correct answer is [A] Only two. Among the countries listed, only Hungary and Romania share a direct land border with Ukraine.

• Hungary (Correct): Shares a land border with Ukraine to the west/southwest.
• Romania (Correct): Shares a land border with Ukraine to the south and southwest.
• Bulgaria (Incorrect): Located south of Romania; it does not share a border with Ukraine and is separated by Romania and the Black Sea.
• Czech Republic (Incorrect): Landlocked in Central Europe, it is separated from Ukraine by Slovakia and Poland.
• Latvia (Incorrect): A Baltic state located north of Ukraine; it borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania.
• Lithuania (Incorrect): A Baltic state that borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, but not Ukraine.

Ukraine shares land borders with a total of seven countries: Belarus (north), Russia (east/northeast), Poland (west), Slovakia (west), Hungary (west), Romania (southwest), and Moldova (southwest). Following the Russian invasion in 2022, the geography of Ukraine's neighbors has become a frequent focus for international relations and mapping questions in competitive exams.