Where Is the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Site Located?

The abandoned city of Pripyat and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant — site of the 1986 disaster — are located in northern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus, about 110 km (68 mi) north of Kyiv.

Key Details

• Exclusion Zone: 2,600 km² (1,000 sq mi) restricted area around the plant.
• Reactor 4: Exploded April 26, 1986; now enclosed in the New Safe Confinement (completed 2016).
• Access: Guided tours only (licensed operators from Kyiv); radiation screening required.
• Not "Chernobyl town": The plant is named after the nearby town of Chernobyl (Chornobyl), 15 km away — also abandoned.

The disaster remains the worst nuclear accident in history (INES Level 7).