Why is Ukraine referred to often as "The Ukraine" as if it were merely a region?

Lets look at other places and countries with similar naming styles:

The Donbass

The Gambia

The Amazon

The Outback

The Midwest

What do these have in common?

Besides maybe Gambia, these refer to a particular region, not an actual country. But even Gambia, small as it is, is not wothout internal division.

Is Ukraine just a paper country?

The more you know....