Moldova

Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001.

total:

2.31 cu km/yr (10%/58%/33%)

per capita:

549 cu m/yr (2000)

• heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater;
• extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods

party to:

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.59 male(s)/female

total population:

0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

noun:

Moldovan(s)

adjective:

Moldovan

conventional long form:

Republic of Moldova

conventional short form:

Moldova

local long form:

Republica Moldova

local short form:

Moldova

former:

Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic

name:

Chisinau (Kishinev)

note: pronounced kee-shee-now

geographic coordinates:

47 00 N, 28 51 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• based on civil law system;
• Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution;
• accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001)

head of government:

Prime Minister Zinaida GRECEANII (since 31 March 2008); First Deputy Prime Minister Igor DODON (since 31 March 2008)

cabinet:

Cabinet selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament

elections:

• president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held in 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 21 March 2008;
• cabinet received a vote of confidence 31 March 2008

election results:

• Vladimir VORONIN reelected president;
• parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1;
• Zinaida GRECEANII designated prime minister;
• parliamentary votes of confidence - 56 of 101

• Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA];
• Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN];
• Democratic Party or PD [Dumitru DIACOV];
• Liberal Democratic Party or PLDM [Vladmir FILAT];
• National Liberal Party or PNL [Vitalia PAVLICENKO];
• Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim URECHEAN];
• Party for Social Democracy or PDSM [Dumitru BRAGHIS];
• Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA

chancery:

2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 667-1130

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-1204

chief of mission:

Ambassador Asif CHAUDHRY

embassy:

103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[373] (22) 40-8300

FAX:

[373] (22) 23-3044

• 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;
• same color scheme as Romania

agriculture:

40.7%

industry:

12.1%

services:

47.2% (2005)

lowest 10%:

3.2%

highest 10%:

26.4% (2003)

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

general assessment:

inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way

domestic:

• depending on location, new subscribers may face long wait for service;
• multiple private operators of GSM mobile-cellular telephone service are operating;
• GPRS system is being introduced;
• a CDMA mobile telephone network began operations in 2007;
• combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 70 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 373;
• service through Romania and Russia via landline;
• satellite earth stations - at least 3 (Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik) (2007)

total:

1,138 km

broad gauge:

1,124 km 1.520-m gauge

standard gauge:

14 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

total:

12,666 km

paved:

12,117 km

unpaved:

549 km (2007)

total:

39

by type:

bulk carrier 2, cargo 32, chemical tanker 2, combination ore/oil 2, petroleum tanker 1

foreign-owned:

17 (Egypt 1, Romania 3, Russia 3, Syria 1, Turkey 3, Ukraine 5, Yemen 1) (2008)

males age 16-49:

1,161,924

females age 16-49:

1,187,771 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

877,070

females age 16-49:

994,091 (2008 est.)

male:

33,053

female:

31,712 (2008 est.)

current situation:

• Moldova is a major source and, to a lesser extent, a transit country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation;
• Moldovan women are trafficked to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe;
• girls and young women are trafficked within the country from rural areas to Chisinau;
• children are also trafficked to neighboring countries for forced labor and begging;
• labor trafficking of men to work in the construction, agriculture, and service sectors of Russia is increasingly a problem

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Moldova does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• the government failed to follow-up on allegations of officials complicit in trafficking cited in the 2007 Report, and it did not demonstrate proactive efforts to identify trafficking victims (2008)

• 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 US;
• widespread crime and underground economic activity