Moldova

Republic of MoldovaRepublica Moldova

republicIndependence 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Moldova as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 106 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalChisinau
Position47 00 N, 29 00 E
Area33,843 sq km
LocationEastern Europe, northeast of Romania
1999

Every edition of Moldova

Populationas each edition published it
4.46 million July 1999 est. · 4.46m in 1992
Population growth% a year
0.1% 1999 est. · 0.4% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 32 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
64.39 years 1999 est. · 67.92 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.86 children per woman 1999 est. · 2.6 in 1992
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
43.52 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 35 in 1992
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$2,200 1998 est. · $3,650 in 1994
GDP real growth% a year
-8.6% 1998 est. · -26% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

18 fields
Area
33,843sq km
land: 33,371 sq kmwater: 472 sq kmslightly larger than Maryland
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
430m
Mount Balaneshtylowest point: Nistru River 2 m
Land boundaries
1,389km
border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km

Location

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

Geographic coordinates

47 00 N, 29 00 E

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States

Climate

moderate winters, warm summers

Terrain

rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

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

landslides (57 cases in 1998)

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, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography--note

landlocked

People

15 fields
Population
4,460,838
(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth
14.43Death
12.5Net migration
-0.92

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)64.39
59.76 · 69.24
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1989 est.)96%
99% · 94%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(1989 est.)

Moldavian/Romanian 64.5%Ukrainian 13.8%Russian 13%Gagauz 3.5%Jewish 1.5%Bulgarian 2%other 1.7% (1989 est.)note: internal disputes with ethnic Russians in the Transdniester region

Age structure

0-14 years:
24% (male 555,096; female 535,625)
15-64 years:
66% (male 1,408,334; female 1,529,542)
65 years and over:
10% (male 160,317; female 271,924) (1999 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 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

43.52 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.86 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Moldovan(s)
adjective:
Moldovan

Religions

Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist (only about 1,000 members) (1991) note: the large majority of churchgoers are ethnic Moldovans

Languages

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

Government

Republic; President Petru LUCINSCHI (since 15 January 1997); Prime Minister Ion CIUBUC (since 15 January 1997) and four deputy prime ministers

19 fields

Legislature, 101 seats, elected 22 March 1998one dot, one seat

-PCM 40CDM 26PMDP 24PFD 11

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

Capital

Chisinau

Administrative divisions

40 raions (singular--raion) and 4 municipalities*; Anenii Noi, Balti*, Basarabeasca, Bender*, Briceni, Cahul, Cainari, Calarasi, Camenca, Cantemir, Causeni, Ceadir-Lunga, Chisinau*, Cimislia, Comrat, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Grigoriopol, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Ribnita, Riscani, Singerei, Slobozia, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Tiraspol*, Ungheni, Vulcanesti

note: in accordance with the Law on Territorial Administrative Reform, the 40 raions have been reorganized into 9 counties (judets), one municipality*, and 2 territorial units**: Baltsi, Cahul, Chisinau, Chisinau*, Dubossary district (Transnistria)**, Edinets, Gagauzia**, Lapushna, Orhei, Soroca, Tighina, Ungheni; the status of the Dubossary district is still under negotiation

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

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) and four deputy prime ministers
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;
  • names of deputy prime ministers are submitted by the prime minister for acceptance by the president
election results:
  • Petru LUCINSCHI ran against Mircea SNEGUR and was elected president;
  • percent of vote--LUCINSCHI 54%, SNEGUR 46%;
  • Prime Minister Ion CIUBUC 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 or Parlamentul (101 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held spring 2002)
election results:
percent of vote by party--PCM 30%, CDM 19%, PMDP 18%, PFD 9%; seats by party--PCM 40, CDM 26, PMDP 24, PFD 11

note: the comparative breakdown of seats by faction is approximate

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

  • Communist Party or PCM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman];
  • The Democratic Convention or CDM (includes the Christian Democratic Popular Front or FPCD and the Party of chairman];
  • Bloc for a Democratic and Prosperous Moldova or PMDP

Political pressure groups and leaders

The Ecology Movement of president]; Liberal Convention of Moldova (now the Liberal Party);

International organization participation

ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Ceslav CIOBANU
chancery:
2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Rudolf Villem PERINA
embassy:
Strada Alexei Mateevicie, #103, Chisinau 2009
mailing address:
use embassy street address; pouch address--American Embassy Chisinau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7080

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

Moldova enjoys a favorable climate and good | farmland but has no major mineral deposits.

31 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$2,200
purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)
Real growth rate
-8.6%
(1998 est.)industrial production growth: -5% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate
2%
(includes only officially registered unemployed; large numbers of underemployed workers) (September 1998)

GDP--composition by sector(1997)

agriculture 30%industry 29%services 41% (1997)

Budget

Revenues
$536 millionExpenditures
$594 million (1998 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 96.1%hydro 3.9%nuclear 0% · other 0%
Electricity production
8.325 billion (1996)Electricity consumption
6.825 billion (1996)Electricity exports
3.1 billion (1996)Electricity imports
1.6 billion (1996)

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. As part of its reform efforts, Moldova introduced a stable convertible currency, freed all prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises and backed steady land privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates.

In 1998, the economic troubles of Russia, with whom Moldova conducts 55% of its trade, was a major cause of the 8.6% drop in GDP. In 1999, the IMF resumed payment on Moldova's Extended Fund Facility, which had been suspended since 1997. The IMF intends to grant $135 million in 1999.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$10 billion (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
2.7%
highest 10%:
25.8% (1992)

Labor force

1.7 million (1998)

Labor force--by occupation

agriculture 40.2%, industry 14.3%, other 45.5% (1998)

Industries

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

Agriculture--products

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

Exports

$633 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities

foodstuffs, wine, tobacco, textiles and footwear, machinery

Exports--partners

Russia 58%, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Romania, US, Germany, Italy (1997)

Imports

$1.02 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities

oil, gas, coal, steel, machinery, chemical products, metals, metal products, foodstuffs, automobiles, other consumer durables

Imports--partners

Russia 26%, Ukraine 20%, Belarus, Romania, Germany, Italy (1997)

Debt--external

more than $1.2 billion (February 1999)

Economic aid--recipient

$100.8 million (1995); note?$547 million from the IMF and World Bank (1992-99)

Currency

the Moldovan leu (MLD) (plural lei) was introduced in late 1993

Exchange rates

  • lei (MLD) per US$1 (end of period)--8.3226 (December 1998), 8.3395 (1998), 4.6605 (1997), 4.6500 (1996), 4.4990 (1995), 4.2700 (1994);
  • period average--4.6758 (January 1998), 4.6236 (1997), 4.6045 (1996), 4.4958 (1995)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
600,000
(1998 est.)

Telephone system

the Ministry of Information, Computers, and Telecommunications controls telecommunications; the carrier is Modtelecom

domestic:
  • local--Chisinau has a fiber-optic loop and one cellular GSM provider;
  • the waiting list for telephones is long;
  • local service outside Chisinau is poor;
  • intercity--Moldova's two fiber-optic segments form a synchronous digital hierarchy ring through Romania's system;
  • an analog backbone system runs from south to north in Moldova
international:
  • two fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Romania;
  • worldwide service can be available to Moldova through this infrastructure;
  • additional analog lines are to Russia;
  • Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 8, shortwave NA (1999)

Television broadcast stations

1 national station, 3 private stations, 15 small local stations outside Chisinau (1998)

Televisions

93 televisions/100 people (1996)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
3
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m
8
total: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5

Networkskm

Highways
12,300Railways
1,328Waterways
424 (1994)
Highways: paved: 10,738 km · unpaved: 1,562 km (1996 est.) · Railways: broad gauge: 1,328 km 1.520-m gauge (1992)

Railways

total:
1,328 km
broad gauge:
1,328 km 1.520-m gauge (1992)

Highways

total:
12,300 km
paved:
10,738 km
unpaved:
1,562 km (1996 est.)

Pipelines

natural gas 310 km (1992)

Airports

26 (1994 est.)

Military

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, | Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)

7 fields

Military branches

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)

Military manpower--availability

males age 15-49: 1,151,674 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service

males age 15-49: 908,347 (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes--international

separatist Transdniester region, comprising the area between the Nistru (Dniester) River and Ukraine, has its own de facto government, dominated by Moldovan Slavs

Illicit drugs

  • 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 United States

Central Intelligence Agency. “Moldova.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/moldova/1999.

How to cite ← 1998 edition 2000 edition →