Vylkove
Vylkove (; ; ) is a small city located in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta, at utmost southwest of Ukraine, on the border with Romania. Administratively it is part of Izmail Raion (district) of Odessa Oblast (region). Population: Geography. Vylkove is located inside the Danube Delta marshlands, which makes grain growing almost impossible, thus making fishery in the Danube, delta lakes and in the Black Sea the main occupation of the local people. In addition, the city is famous for its viticulture and cultivation of strawberries on the islands in the river delta. The administration of the Ukrainian Danube Biosphere  Reserve is based in Vylkove. The territory of the Reserve includes the islands upstream and downstream the Danube, reedbeds to north from Danube, delta water bodies and adjacent area of the sea ( from the coast). History. Vylkove was founded in 1746 and was assigned the status of "town" in 1762. It is the last settlement on bank of the Danube before the Black Sea. This town is also known as "The Ukrainian Venice" thanks to a number of channels excavated inside its territory – the reason why boating is a more common method of transport than an automobile. Demographics. The population  is about 9,300, according to the Ukrainian Census conducted in 2001. About 70% of the population consists of Lipovans, about 25% are Ukrainians, and the remainder are Romanians, Gagauz (Turkic speaking followers of the Russian Orthodox Church), and Bulgarians. The main confession is Christian Old Believers (Lipovans) (about 70%, mainly Russians), the rest are the members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. There are three churches in Vilkovo: two belong to Old Believers and one to Ukrainian Orthodox Church.