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General Information about Moldova
Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania
Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 29 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area:
total: 33,700 sq km
land : 33,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Hawaii
Land boundaries:
total: 1,389 km
border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: moderate winters, warm summers
Terrain: rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Nistru River 2 m
highest point: Mount Balaneshty 430 m
Natural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum
Land use:
arable land: 53%
permanent crops: 14%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 13%
other : 7% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,110 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked
People
Population: 4,457,206 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 580,839; female 560,784)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,384,380; female 1,503,831)
65 years and over: 9% (male 158,886; female 268,486) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.02% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 14.32 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 12.33 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 43.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.25 years
male : 59.46 years
female: 69.29 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan
Ethnic groups: Moldavian/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Gagauz 3.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, other 1.7% (1989 figures)
note : internal disputes with ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in the Nistru region and Gagauz Turks in the south
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist (only about 1,000 members) (1991)
note: the large majority of churchgoers are ethnic Moldavian
Languages: Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Literacy:
definition : age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 99%
female: 94% (1989 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova
local long form: Republica Moldova
local short form : none
former: Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova; Moldavia
Data code: MD
Government type: republic
National capital: Chisinau
Administrative divisions: previously divided into 40 rayons; new districts possible under new constitution of 1994
Independence: 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 August 1991
Constitution: new constitution adopted 28 July 1994; replaces old Soviet constitution of 1979
Legal system: based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; it is unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction but accepts many UN and OSCE documents
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : President Petru LUCINSCHI (since 15 January 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Ion CIUBUC (since 15 January 1997); First Deputy Prime Minister Ion GUTU (since NA April 1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 1996; runoff election 1 December 1996 (next to be held NA November 2000); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament
election results: Petru LUCINSCHI ran against Mircea SNEGUR and was elected president; percent of vote - LUCINSCHI 54%, SNEGUR 46%; Prime Minister Ion CIUBU was appointed by the president 15 January 1997 and was elected by a parliamentary vote of 75-15 on 24 January 1997
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (104 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections : last held 27 February 1994 (next to be held NA February 1998)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDAM 56, Socialist/Yedinstvo Bloc 28, Peasants and Intellectuals Bloc 11, FPCDM 9; note - seats as of June-July 1995 were as follows: PDAM 45, PSM/UN 28, Peasants and Intellectuals Bloc 11, PRCM 11, FPCDM 9
note : the comparative breakdown of seats by faction is approximate
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Popular Front or FPCDM (formerly Moldovan Popular Front) [Iurie ROSCA, chairman]; Socialist Unity Faction or US of the Socialist Party of Moldova or PSM; Social Democratic Party of Moldova or PSDM [Anatol TARAN, chairman]; Agrarian Democratic Party of Moldova or PDAM [Dumitru MOTPAN, chairman]; Peasants and Intellectuals Bloc [Lidia ISTRATI, chairwoman]; Liberal Party of Modova or PLM [Mircea RUSU, chairman]; Socialist Party of Moldova or PSM [Valeriu SENIC and Victor MOREV, cochairmen]; Party of Rivival and Conciliation of Moldova or PRCM [Mircea SNEGUR, chairman]; Moldovan Party of Democratic Forces or PFDM [Valeriu MATEI, chairman]; Party for Social Progress or PPSM [Eugen SOBOR, chairman]; Communist Party or PCM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; Civic Unity [Vladimir SOLONARI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: The Ecology Movement of Moldova or EMM [Alecu RENITSA, chairman]; The Christian Democratic League of Women of Moldova or CDLWM [Lidia ISTRATI, chairwoman]; National Christian Party of Moldova or NCPM [V. NIKU, leader]; The Peoples Movement Gagauz Khalky or GKh [S. GULGAR, leader]; The Democratic Party of Gagauzia or DPG [G. SAVOSTIN, chairman]; The Alliance of Working People of Moldova or AWPM [G. POLOGOV, president]; Liberal Convention of Moldova (now the Liberal Party); Association of Victims of Repression [Alexander USATIUC]; Christian Democratic Youth Organization [Valeriu BARBA]; National Youth League [Valeriu STRELETS]; Union of Youth of Moldova [Petru GAVTON]
International organization participation: BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae TAU
chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130
FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John Todd STEWART
embassy : Strada Alexei Mateevicie #103, Chisinau 277014
mailing address: use embassy street address; pouch address - American Embassy Chisinau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7080
telephone: [373] (2) 23-37-72, RNX (plus extension)
FAX: [373] (2) 23-30-44
Flag description: 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
Economy
Economy - overview: Moldova 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 all of its supplies of oil, coal, and natural gas, largely from Russia. Energy shortages contributed to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Moldovan Government has recently been making progress on an ambitious economic reform agenda, and the IMF has called Moldova a model for the region. As part of its reform efforts, Moldova introduced a stable convertible currency, freed all prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises and backed their steady privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. With the election of President LUCINSCHI in December 1996, it is unclear how rapidly the reforms will be pushed.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.8 billion (1996 estimate extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,400 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 48%
industry: 28%
services: 24% (1994)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 15% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 2.03 million (January 1994)
by occupation: agriculture 39.5%, industry 12.0%, other 48.5% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 1.4% (includes only officially registered unemployed; large numbers of underemployed workers) (January 1996)
Budget:
revenues: $570 million
expenditures: $645 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: food processing, agricultural machinery, foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, hosiery, sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 3.222 million kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 1.4 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 324 kWh (1996 est.)
Agriculture - products: vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; meat, milk
Exports:
total value: $775 million (1996)
commodities: foodstuffs, wine, tobacco, textiles and footwear, machinery
partners : Russia, Kazakstan, Ukraine, Romania, Germany
Imports:
total value: $1.048 billion (1996)
commodities: oil, gas, coal, steel, machinery, foodstuffs, automobiles, and other consumer durables
partners: Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Romania, Germany
Debt - external: $950.7 million (of which $240 million to Russia) (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
note: commitments, $1,335 million ($500 million disbursements), 1992-95
Currency: the Moldovan leu (MLD) (plural lei) was introduced in late 1993
Exchange rates: lei (MLD) per US$1 (end of period) - 4.6870 (January 1997), 4.6743 (1996), 4.4990 (1995), 4.2700 (1994), 3.6400 (1993), 0.4145 (1992); period average - 4.6121 (August 1996), 4.4958 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 600,000 (1996 est.)
Telephone system: telecommunication system not well developed; 215,000 unsatisfied requests for telephone service (1991 est.); in early 1997, Chisinau was considering privatizing its state-owned telephone company
domestic: NA
international: international connections to other former Soviet republics by landline and microwave radio relay through Ukraine and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations - 1 Eutelsat and 1 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 5, shortwave NA (1994)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2 (one national and one private) (1995)
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,328 km
broad gauge: 1,328 km 1.520-m gauge (1992)
Highways:
total: 12,259 km
paved: 10,690 km
unpaved: 1,569 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 424 km (1994)
Pipelines: natural gas 310 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 26 (1994 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m : 3 (1994 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m : 5
under 914 m: 8 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,134,619 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 894,337 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 37,689 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: 203 million lei (1995); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine - including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe and Russia
Source: The CIA World Handbook, 1997
Return to SAPE's Guide to Moldova
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