Ukraine's main historical geographic areas can be simplified into two regions: right-bank and left-bank. These areas are on opposite sides of the Dnieper River, which runs in a north to south line pretty much directly down the middle of Ukraine. However when looking at Ukraine on a map, the regions of right-bank and left-bank are "opposite" of what we expect. The right-bank is on the west side of the Dnieper, and the left-bank is on the east. Why is this so?
[Map to help explain what I'm talking about.] (https://i.imgur.com/czrzgF8.png)
It's not uncommon in riparian areas to orient around the local river and not the compass. The Dnieper flows south and empties into the Black Sea. If you were on a boat floating in the river being carried along the current to the Black Sea the east bank would be to your left and the west bank to your right.
Another example of this would be the Nile in Egpyt. Upper Egypt is in the south, and Lower Egypt is in the north. The Nile flows from south to north and "Upper" refers not to latitude, but to the river and its source, while "Lower" refers to the end of the river and the Nile Delta area where it empties to the Mediterranean Sea.
