Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001.

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

47 00 N, 29 00 E

total: 33,843 sq km
land: 33,371 sq km
water: 472 sq km

slightly larger than Maryland

total: 1,389 km
border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

moderate winters, warm summers

rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

lowest point: Dniester River 2 m
highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m

lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone

arable land: 54.52%
permanent crops: 8.81%
other: 36.67% (2005)

3,000 sq km (2003)

landslides (57 cases in 1998)

heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone

4,466,706 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 20% (male 455,673/female 438,934)
15-64 years: 69.7% (male 1,498,078/female 1,613,489)
65 years and over: 10.3% (male 170,456/female 290,076) (2006 est.)

total: 32.3 years
male: 30.3 years
female: 34.3 years (2006 est.)

0.28% (2006 est.)

15.7 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

12.64 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

-0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 38.38 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 41.44 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 35.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 65.65 years
male: 61.61 years
female: 69.88 years (2006 est.)

1.85 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.2% (2001 est.)

5,500 (2001 est.)

less than 300 (2001 est.)

noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan

Moldovan/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region

Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)

Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.1%
male: 99.6%
female: 98.7% (2003 est.)

conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova
local long form: Republica Moldova
local short form: Moldova
former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic

republic

name: Chisinau (Kishinev)
geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 50 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)
raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni
municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau
autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia
territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului

27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Independence Day, 27 August (1991)

new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979

based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida GRECIANII (since 10 October 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held in 2009); note - prime minister designated by the president, upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated 15 April 2001, cabinet received a vote of confidence 19 April 2001
election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president; parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Vasile TARLEV designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence - 75 of 101

unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic Moldova Bloc 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party - PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc 34, PPCD 11

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature)

Braghis Faction [Dumitru BRAGHIS]; Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; Democratic Moldova Bloc (comprised of the AMN, Democratic Party, and PSL); Democratic Party [Dumitru DIACOV]; Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim URECHEANU]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN]

NA

ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA
chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130
FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204

chief of mission: Ambasador Michael D. KIRBY
embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [373] (22) 40-8300
FAX: [373] (22) 23-3044

same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow

Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies. Energy shortages contributed to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991. As part of an ambitious reform effort after independence, Moldova introduced a convertible currency, freed prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises, backed steady land privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. The government entered into agreements with the World Bank and the IMF to promote growth and reduce poverty. The economy returned to positive growth in 2000, and has remained at or above 6% every year since. Further reforms will come slowly because of strong political forces backing government controls. The economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors.

$8.41 billion (2005 est.)

$2.416 billion (2005 est.)

7.1% (2005 est.)

$1,900 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 21.3%
industry: 23.3%
services: 55.5% (2005 est.)

1.34 million (2005 est.)

agriculture: 40%
industry: 14%
services: 46% (1998)

8%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2002 est.)

80% (2001 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 30.7% (1997)

36.2 (2001)

11.9% (2005 est.)

24.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $1.069 billion
expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

79.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk

sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles

17% (2003 est.)

2.942 billion kWh (2003)

3.036 billion kWh (2003)

300 million kWh (2003)

600 million kWh (2003)

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

37,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

NA bbl/day

NA bbl/day

0 cu m (2003 est.)

2.38 billion cu m (2003 est.)

0 cu m (2001 est.)

2.05 billion cu m (2001 est.)

$-285 million (2005 est.)

$1.04 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

foodstuffs, textiles, machinery

Russia 32.9%, Italy 12.7%, Romania 10.6%, Ukraine 9.5%, Belarus 6.7%, Germany 4.5% (2005)

$2.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles (2000)

Ukraine 20.9%, Russia 11.7%, Romania 11.2%, Germany 8.3%, Italy 6.6%, Turkey 4.1% (2005)

$597.5 million (2005 est.)

$1.986 billion (2005 est.)

$100 million (2000)

Moldovan leu (MDL)

lei per US dollar - 12.6 (2005), 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003), 13.571 (2002), 12.865 (2001)

calendar year

929,400 (2005)

1.09 million (2005)

general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way
domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile cellular telephone service being introduced
international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik

AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 3 (1998)

1 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995)

.md

58,886 (2006)

406,000 (2005)

12 (2006)

total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

total: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2006)

gas 606 km (2006)

total: 1,138 km
broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)

total: 12,730 km
paved: 10,973 km
unpaved: 1,757 km (2003)

424 km (on Dniester River) (2005)

total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 13,831 GRT/15,003 DWT
by type: cargo 7
foreign-owned: 3 (Ukraine 3) (2006)

National Army: Ground Forces, Rapid Reaction Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006)

18 years of age for compulsory military service; national service obligation - 12 months (2004)

males age 18-49: 1,066,459
females age 18-49: 1,117,070 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49: 693,913
females age 18-49: 911,568 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49: 43,729
females age 18-49: 42,354 (2005 est.)

0.4% (FY02)

Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region which remains under OSCE supervision

IDPs: 1,000 (internal secessionist uprising in Transnistrian region in 1991) (2005)

limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity