Kaniv is a city in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper. It is an urban hromada of Ukraine. Population: 23,172. Kaniv is a historical town that was founded in the 11th century by Kievan prince Yaroslav the Wise. The city is known today mostly for the burial site of Taras Shevchenko, the great Ukrainian poet and artist.