Moldova

agricultural land:

74.9%;

• arable land 55.1%;
• permanent crops 9.1%;
• permanent pasture 10.7%

forest:

11.9%

other:

13.2% (2011 est.)

total:

1.07 cu km/yr (14%/83%/4%)

per capita:

290 cu m/yr (2010)

• 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

noun:

Moldovan(s)

adjective:

Moldovan

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.84 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.62 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

total number:

72,364

percentage:

16% (2009 est.)

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 in Romanian (Kishinev in Russian)

note: pronounced KEE-shee-now (KIH-shi-nyov)

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

• previous 1978;
• latest adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994;
• amended 2003 (2011)

chief of state:

President Nicolae TIMOFTI (since 23 March 2012)

head of government:

Prime Minister Chiril GABURICI (since 18 February 2015)

cabinet:

Cabinet proposed by the prime minister-designate, nominated by the president, approved through a vote of confidence in Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by Parliament by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 16 March 2012 (next to be held in March 2016);
• 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 for his/her proposed work program from the Parliament;
• the prime minister and Cabinet received a vote of confidence on 30 May 2013

election results:

• Nicolae TIMOFTI (independent) elected president;
• Parliament vote - 62 of 101;
• Iurie LEANCA (Pro-European Coalition) designated prime minister;
• Parliament confidence vote - 58 of 101

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Justice (consists of a chief judges, 3 deputy-chief judges, 45 judges, and 7 assistant judges);
• Constitutional Court (consists of the court president and 6 judges);
• note - the Constitutional Court is autonomous to the other branches of government;
• the Court interprets the Constitution and reviews the constitutionality of parliamentary laws and decisions, decrees of the president, and acts of the government

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court of Justice judges appointed by Parliament upon the recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy;
• all judges serve 4-year renewable terms;
• Constitutional Court judges appointed 2 each by Parliament, the Moldovan president, and the Higher Council of Magistracy;
• court president elected by other court judges for a 3-year term;
• other judges appointed for 6-year terms

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• Court of Business Audit;
• municipal courts

• Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN]
• Democratic Party or PD [Marian LUPU]
• Liberal Democratic Party or PLDM [Vladimir FILAT]
• Liberal Party or PL [Mihai GHIMPU]
• Party of Socialists or PSRM [Igor DODON]
• Anti-Fascist Movement or Antifa [Grigore PETRENCO]
• Anti-Mafia Movement [Sergiu MOCANU]
• Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]
• Conservative Party or PC [Natalia NIRCA]
• Ecological Party of Moldova "Green Alliance" or PEMAVE [Vladimir BRAGA]
• European Action Movement or MAE [Veaceslav UNTILA]
• Humanist Party of Moldova or PUM [Valeriu PASAT]
• Labor Party or PM [Gheorghe SIMA]
• Liberal Reformers Party or PLR [Ion HADARCA]
• National Liberal Party or PNL [Vitalia PAVLICENKO]
• Our Party [Renato USATII]
• Patriots of Moldova Party or PPM [Mihail GARBUZ]
• Popular Republican Party or PPR [Nicolae ANDRONIC]
• Republican Party of Moldova or PRM [Andrei STRATAN]
• Roma Social Political Movement of the Republic of Moldova or MRRM [Ion BUCUR]
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Victor SELIN]
• Social Political Movement "Equality" or MR [Valeriy KLIMENCO]
• United Moldova Party or PMUEM [Vladimir TURCAN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Igor MUNTEANU (since 7 September 2010)

chancery:

2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 667-1130

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-1204

chief of mission:

Ambassador James D. PETTIT (since 29 January 2015)

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 aurochs head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow;
• based on the color scheme of the flag of Romania - with which Moldova shares a history and culture - but Moldova's blue band is lighter;
• the reverse of the flag does not display any coat of arms

note: one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Paraguay and Saudi Arabia

name:

"Limba noastra" (Our Language)

lyrics/music:

Alexei MATEEVICI/Alexandru CRISTEA

note: adopted 1994

• vegetables, fruits, grapes, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, tobacco;
• beef, milk;
• wine

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

agriculture:

26.4%

industry:

13.2%

services:

60.4% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.3%

highest 10%:

26% (2010 est.)

general assessment:

poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way

domestic:

• 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 100 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 373;
• service through Romania and Russia via landline;
• satellite earth stations - at least 3 (Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik) (2011)

• state-owned national radio-TV broadcaster operates 2 TV and 2 radio stations;
• a total of nearly 40 terrestrial TV channels and some 50 radio stations are in operation;
• Russian and Romanian channels also are available (2007)

total:

1,171 km

broad gauge:

1,157 km 1.520-m gauge

standard gauge:

14 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 86

total:

9,352 km

paved:

8,835 km

unpaved:

517 km (2012)

country comparison to the world: 137

• 18 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service;
• male registration required at age 16;
• 1-year service obligation (2012)

males age 16-49:

1,143,440

females age 16-49:

1,156,958 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

875,224

females age 16-49:

969,903 (2010 est.)

male:

28,213

female:

26,614 (2010 est.)

refugees (country of origin):

6,779 applicants for forms of legal stay other than asylum (Ukraine) (2015)

stateless persons:

2,036 (2014)

• 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