| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova
local long form: Republica Moldova
local short form: none
former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic |
| Capital: |
Chisinau |
| Location: |
Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
47 00 N, 29 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 33,843 sq km
land: 33,371 sq km
water: 472 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly larger than Maryland |
| 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Dniester River 2 m
highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)
: counties: 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 |
| 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 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
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 Vasile IOVV (since 29 January 2002)
cabinet: selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held NA 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 |
| Legislative
Branch: |
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 NA 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 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Democratic Modova Bloc [Serafim URECHEANU] includes: Democratic Party [Dumitru DIACOV], Our Moldova Alliance [Dumitru BRAGHIS, Serafim URECHEANU], Social Liberal Party [Oleg SEREBRIAN]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; Popular Christian Democratic Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
4,455,421 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 459,452/female 442,725)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 1,489,813/female 1,606,202)
65 years and over: 10.3% (male 169,038/female 288,191) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 32.22 years
male: 30.14 years
female: 34.27 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan |
| Ethnic groups: |
Moldovan/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, Gagauz and other 5.2% (1989 est.)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region |
| Religions: |
Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000) |
| Languages: |
Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
706,900 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
338,200 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some effort to modernize 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 |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 3 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995) |
| Internet country
code: |
.md |
| Internet hosts: |
11,984 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
150,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 1,138 km
broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 12,719 km
paved: 10,977 km
unpaved: 1,742 km (2002) |
| Waterways: |
424 km (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
gas 606 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
none |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,636 GRT/1,088 DWT
by type: cargo 2 (2005) |
| Airports: |
23 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
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 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 17
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
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