Part of Romania during the interwar period, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although the country has been 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, Vladimir VORONIN, as its president in 2001. VORONIN served as Moldova's president until he resigned in September 2009, following the opposition's gain of a narrow majority in July parliamentary elections and the Communist Party's (PCRM) subsequent inability to attract the three-fifths of parliamentary votes required to elect a president. Moldova's four opposition parties formed a new coalition, the Alliance for European Integration (AIE), which acted as Moldova's governing coalition until December 2010. Moldova experienced significant political uncertainty in 2009 and 2010, holding three general elections (in April 2009, July 2009, and November 2010) and four presidential ballots in parliament, all of which failed to secure a president. Following the November 2010 parliamentary elections, a reconstituted AIE-coalition of three parties formed a government, but remains two votes short of the three-fifths majority required to elect a president.

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

slightly larger than Maryland

moderate winters, warm summers

rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone

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

landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone

4,314,377 (July 2011 est.)

11.16 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

10.74 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

CHISINAU (capital) 650,000 (2009)

1.29 children born/woman (2011 est.)

fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.)

urban: 96% of population

rural: 85% of population

total: 90% of population

urban: 4% of population

rural: 15% of population

total: 10% of population (2008)

urban: 85% of population

rural: 74% of population

total: 79% of population

urban: 15% of population

rural: 26% of population

total: 21% of population (2008)

Moldovan/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census)

Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)

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

32 raions (raioane, singular - raion), 3 municipalities (municipii, singular - municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)

27 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Independence Day, 27 August (1991)

adopted 29 July 1994; effective 27 August 1994; note - replaced 1979 Soviet Constitution

civil law system with Germanic law influences; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; members elected on an at-large basis by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature)

BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It 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 almost all of its energy supplies. Moldova's dependence on Russian energy was underscored at the end of 2005, when a Russian-owned electrical station in Moldova's separatist Transnistria region cut off power to Moldova and Russia's Gazprom cut off natural gas in disputes over pricing. In January 2009, gas supplies were cut during a dispute between Russia and Ukraine. Russia's decision to ban Moldovan wine and agricultural products, coupled with its decision to double the price Moldova paid for Russian natural gas, have hurt growth. The onset of the global financial crisis and poor economic conditions in Moldova's main foreign markets caused GDP to fall 6% in 2009. Unemployment almost doubled and inflation disappeared - at -0.1%, a record low. Moldova's IMF agreement expired in May 2009. In fall 2009, the IMF allocated $186 million to Moldova to cover its immediate budgetary needs, and the government signed a new agreement with the IMF in January 2010 for a program worth $574 million. In 2010, an upturn in the world economy boosted GDP growth to 6.5% and inflation to 7.3%. Economic reforms have been slow because of corruption and strong political forces backing government controls. Nevertheless, the government's primary goal of EU integration has resulted in some market-oriented progress. The granting of EU trade preferences and increased exports to Russia will encourage higher growth rates, but the agreements are unlikely to serve as a panacea, given the extent to which export success depends on higher quality standards and other factors. The economy has made a modest recovery, but remains vulnerable to political uncertainty, weak administrative capacity, vested bureaucratic interests, higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors as well as the presence of an illegal separatist regime in Moldova's Transnistria region.

$10.99 billion (2010 est.)

$10.28 billion (2009 est.)

$10.93 billion (2008 est.)

$5.81 billion (2010 est.)

1.203 million (2010 est.)

6.5% (3rd quarter, 2010 est.)

21.7% of GDP (2010 est.)

25% of GDP (2010 est.)

20.54% (31 December 2009 est.)

21.06% (31 December 2008 est.)

$1.293 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.073 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.038 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.702 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.097 billion (31 December 2010)

$1.823 billion (31 December 2009)

$573.9 million (2004)

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

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

3.617 billion kWh (2007 est.)

4.37 billion kWh (2007 est.)

240 million kWh (2007 est.)

2.931 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

19,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

36.49 bbl/day (2007 est.)

14,230 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

60,000 cu m (2010 est.)

3.176 billion cu m (2010 est.)

3.176 billion cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$-565 million (2010 est.)

$-439.3 million (2009)

$1.45 billion (2010 est.)

$1.297 billion (2009)

foodstuffs, textiles, machinery

Russia 23.77%, Italy 14.11%, Romania 12.74%, Germany 6.92%, Turkey 6.08%, Belarus 5.38% (2009)

$3.66 billion (2010 est.)

$3.278 billion (2009 est.)

mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles

Ukraine 19.9%, Romania 15.1%, Russia 14.52%, Germany 8.69%, Italy 5.7%, Belarus 4.38% (2009)

$1.71 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.48 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.618 billion (30 September 2010 est.)

$4.364 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.649 billion (1 January 2010 est.)

$1.813 billion (2008)

$62.44 million (1 January 2010)

Moldovan lei (MDL) per US dollar -

1.139 million (2009)

2.785 million (2009)

state-owned national radio-TV broadcaster operates 2 television 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)

1.333 million (2009)

558 km (in public use on Danube, Dniester and Prut rivers) (2008)

National Army: Land Forces Command (includes special forces), Air Forces Command (includes air defense unit), Logistics Command (2010)

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary service; male registration required at age 16; 12-month service obligation (2009)

0.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region, which remains under OSCE supervision

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