Moldova

Republic of MoldovaRepublica Moldova

republicIndependence 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Moldova as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 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
Area33,700 sq km
LocationEastern Europe, northeast of Romania
1997

Every edition of Moldova

Populationas each edition published it
4.46 million July 1997 est. · 4.46m in 1992
Population growth% a year
-0.02% 1997 est. · 0.4% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 32 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
64.25 years 1997 est. · 67.92 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.89 children per woman 1997 est. · 2.6 in 1992
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
43.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 35 in 1992
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$2,400 1996 est. · $3,650 in 1994
GDP real growth% a year
1.5% 1996 est. · -26% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

18 fields
Area
33,700sq km
land : 33,700 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmslightly more than twice the size of Hawaii
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.)

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

People

15 fields
Population
4,457,206
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: -0.02% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
14.32Death
12.33Net migration
-2.15

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
Literacy
96%
definition : age 15 and over can read and writemale: 99%female: 94% (1989 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.)

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

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)

Government

Republic; Prime Minister Ion CIUBUC (since 15 January 1997)

21 fields

Parliament, 104 seatsone dot, one seat

PDAM 56Socialist/Yedinstvo Bloc 28Peasants and Intellectuals Bloc 11FPCDM 9

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

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

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

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

22 fields
Real growth rate
1.5%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 3% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate
1.4%
(includes only officially registered unemployed; large numbers of underemployed workers) (January 1996)
Labor force
2.03million
(January 1994)by occupation: agriculture 39.5%, industry 12.0%, other 48.5% (1994)

GDP - composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 48%industry 28%services 24% (1994)

Budget

Revenues
$570 millionExpenditures
$645 million (1997 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

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 - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,400 (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - capacity

3.222 million kW (1995)

Electricity - production

1.4 billion kWh (1996)

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

6 fields
Fixed lines
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)

Television broadcast stations

2 (one national and one private) (1995)

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
12,259Railways
1,328Waterways
424 (1994)
Highways: paved: 10,690 km · unpaved: 1,569 km (1995 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:
12,259 km
paved:
10,690 km
unpaved:
1,569 km (1995 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: 1,134,619 (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

Transnational Issues

2 fields

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 MONACO

Central Intelligence Agency. “Moldova.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/moldova/1997.

How to cite ← 1996 edition 1998 edition →