 |
Travel to Moldova — Unbiased reviews and
great deals from TripAdvisorMoldova
| Republic of Moldova National
name: Republica Moldova President:
Vladimir Voronin (2001) Prime
Minister: Vasile Tarlev (2001)
Current government officials
Land area: 12,885 sq mi (33,371 sq km);
total area: 13,067 sq mi (33,843 sq km) Population (2008 est.): 4,324,450 (growth
rate: 0.0%); birth rate: 11.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 13.5/1000;
life expectancy: 70.5; density per sq km: 129
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Chisinau, 772,500 (metro. area), 709,900 (city
proper) Other large cities:
Tiraspol, 209,800; Beltsy, 175,400; Bendery (Tighina), 144,900 Monetary unit: Leu
Languages:
Moldovan (official; virtually the same as
Romanian), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Ethnicity/race:
Moldavian/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%,
Russian 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004)
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and
other 0.5% (2000)
National Holiday:
Independence Day, August 27 Literacy rate: 99% (2005 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.):
$9.821 billion; per capita $2,900. Real growth rate: 5%.
Inflation: 12.6%. Unemployment: 2.1% (roughly 25% of
working age Moldovans are employed abroad) (2007 est.). Arable
land: 55%. Agriculture: vegetables, fruits, wine, grain,
sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk. Labor force:
1.34 million; agriculture 41%, industry 12%, services 47% (2005).
Industries: sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural
machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing
machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles. Natural resources: lignite,
phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone. Exports: $1.43
billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): foodstuffs, textiles, machinery.
Imports: $3.59 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): mineral products and
fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles (2000). Major
trading partners: Russia, Italy, Romania, Poland, Germany,
Ukraine, Belarus (2006). Communications:
Telephones: main lines in use: 1.018 million (2006); mobile
cellular: 1.358 million (2006). Radio broadcast stations: AM 2,
FM 29, shortwave NA (2006). Radios: 3.22 million (1997).
Television broadcast stations: 40 (2006). Televisions:
1.26 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 112,026
(2007). Internet users: 727,700 (2006). Transportation: Railways: total: 1,138 km
(2006). Highways: total: 12,733 km; paved: 10,976 km; unpaved:
1,757 km (2004). Waterways: 424 km (2007). Ports and
harbors: none. Airports: 10 (2007). International disputes: difficulties with the
Transnistria region complicate border crossing and customs with
Ukraine, facilitating smuggling, arms transfers, and other illegal
activities.
Major sources and definitions
|
|
Geography
Moldova (formerly Moldavia) is a landlocked
republic of hilly plains lying east of the Carpathian Mountains between
the Prut and Dniester (Dnestr) rivers. The country is sandwiched between
Romania and Ukraine. The area is a very fertile region with rich black
soil (chernozem) covering three-quarters of the territory.
Government
Democratic republic.
History
Most of what is now Moldova was the independent
principality of Moldavia in the 14th century. In the 16th century it came
under Ottoman Turkish rule. Russia acquired Moldavian territory in 1791,
and more in 1812 when Turkey gave up the province of Bessarabia—the
area between the Prut and Dniester rivers—to Russia in the Treaty of
Bucharest. Turkey held the rest of Moldavia but it was passed to Romania
in 1918. Russia did not recognize the cession of this territory.
In 1924, the USSR established Moldavia as an
Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. As a result of the Nazi-Soviet
Nonaggression Pact of 1939, Romania was forced to cede all of Bessarabia
to the Soviet Union in 1940. The Soviets merged the Moldavia ASSR with the
Romanian-speaking districts of Bessarabia to form the Moldavian Soviet
Socialist Republic. During World War II, Romania joined Germany in the
attack on the Soviet Union and reconquered Bessarabia. But Soviet troops
retook the territory in 1944 and reestablished the Moldavian SSR.
For many years, Romania and the USSR disputed
each other's territorial claims over Bessarabia. Following the aborted
coup against Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, Moldavia proclaimed its
independence in Sept. 1991 and changed its name to the Romanian spelling,
Moldova.
Conflict between ethnic Romanians and the
Russian-Ukrainian majority in Trans-Dniester erupted upon independence.
Trans-Dniester separatists (primarily ethnic Russians and Ukrainians)
fought for independence from Moldova in 1992; about 1,500 died in the
conflict. Unrest continues in Trans-Dniester, which has become a lawless
haven for smuggling and other criminal activity. In the south, Gagauz,
which is composed mostly of Turkic Christians, has also attempted
secession.
The Russian financial crisis in fall 1998
severely affected Moldova, which relied on Russia for 60% of its foreign
trade. Economic disaster caused an exodus of an estimated 600,000
Moldovans. Moldova is considered the poorest country in Europe. In Feb.
2001, the Communist Party won an overwhelming victory in parliamentary
elections, and its leader, Vladimir Voronin, became prime minister.
Voronin has attempted to forge closer relations with Moscow, thus sparking
protests among those who advocate for closer cultural and ethnic ties to
Romania.
In parliamentary elections in March 2005, the
Communist Party—formerly aligned with Russia but recently becoming
more pro-Western—won 46% of the vote. In April, President Voronin
was reelected president, and he in turn reappointed Prime Minister Vasile
Tarlev.
On March 19, 2008, Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev
resigned unexpectedly, saying that he had achieved his goals and he felt
it was time for new blood in government. President Vladimir Voronin
nominated a new candidate for prime minister, Zinaida Greceanii.
See also Encyclopedia: Moldova.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Moldova
Department for Statistics and Sociology http://www.statistica.md/?lang=en .
Information Please® Database, © 2008 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
More on Moldova from Infoplease:
- Moldova - Moldova Moldova , officially Republic of Moldova, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,455,000), c.13,000 sq ...
- Moldova - Moldova Profile: People and History, Government and Political Conditions, Economy, Defense and Military Issues, Foreign Relations, U.S.-Moldovan Relations
- Moldova: meaning and definitions - Moldova: Definition and Pronunciation
- Moldova - Map of Moldova & articles on flags, geography, history, statistics, disasters current events, and international relations.
- Moldova: Government - Government Moldova is governed under the constitution of 1994. The president, who is the head of ...
|
|
