Moldova

Moldova Republica Moldova
Coat of arms of Moldova
Anthem: Limba noastră Our Language
Capital and largest city		Chişinău 47°0′N 28°55′E
Official languages		Romanian
Recognised regional languages		Belarusian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, German, Hebrew, Polish, Romani, Russian and Ukrainian
Ethnic groups		80.6 % Moldovan and Romanian, 10.5% Ukrainian and Russian, 4.5% Gagauz, 1.9% Bulgarian, 0.3% Gypsy, 0.5% others, 1.7% not stated
Demonym		Moldovan, Moldavian
Government		Parliamentary republic
-	President of Moldova	Maia Sandu
-	Prime Minister of Moldova	Dorin Recean
-	President of the Moldovan Parliament	Igor Grosu
History of Moldova
-	Independence of Moldova	June 23, 1990
-	Declaration of Independence (from the Soviet Union)	August 27, 19912
Area
-	Total	33,846 km2 (139th) 13,067 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.4
Population
-	January 2023 estimate	2,512,758 (does not include territories under Transnistrian control) (129th3)
-	2014 census	2,804,8014
-	Density	121,9/km2 (87th) 316/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2023 estimate
-	Total	$42.217 billion
-	Per capita	$16,915
GDP (nominal)		2023 estimate
-	Total	$16.000 billion
-	Per capita	$6,410
Gini (2007)		37.1 medium
Currency		Moldovan leu (MDL)
Time zone		EET (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Drives on the		right
Calling code		373
Internet TLD		.md
1.	"Moldovan" used as formal official name; in fact Romanian.
2.	Proclaimed. Finalized along with the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991.
3.	Ranking based on 2009 UN figure
4.	2014 census data from the National Bureau of Statistics. Figure does not include Transnistria and Bender, Moldova.

File:RepublicOfMoldova.png

Republic of Moldova

The Republic of Moldova (Republica Moldova) is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south. Historically part of the Principality of Moldavia, it was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812. At the dissolution of the Russian Empire in 1918, it united with Romania. After being occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, and changing hands in 1941 and 1944 during World War II, it was known as the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic until 1991. The Republic of Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August, 1991 at a time when other Soviet Socialist Republics were also separating, such as Ukraine. Although Moldova has been independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester river despite signing international obligations to withdraw.

Republic of Moldova is a parliamentary democracy with a President as its head of state and a Prime Minister as its head of government. The country is a member state of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, OSCE, GUAM, CIS, BSEC and other international organizations. The Republic of Moldova has officially been a neutral country since its independence, and an early member of the NATO Partnership for Peace. Republic of Moldova currently aspires to join the European Union and is implementing its first three-year Action Plan within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) of the EU.

Geography

Moldova lies between latitudes 45° and 49° N, and mostly between meridians 26° and 30° E (a small area lies east of 30°).

The largest part of the country lies between two rivers, the Dniester and the Prut rivers. The western border of Moldova is formed by the Prut, which joins the Danube before flowing into the Black Sea. Moldova has access to the Danube for only about 480 m, and Giurgiuleşti is the only Moldovan port on the Danube. In the east, the Dniester is the main river, flowing through the country from north to south, receiving the waters of Răut, Bâc, Ichel, Botna. The Ialpug flows into one of the Danube limans, while the Cogâlnic flows into the Black Sea chain of limans.

The country is landlocked, even though it is very close to the Black Sea. While most of the country is hilly, elevations never exceed 430 m — the highest point being the Bălăneşti Hill. Moldova's hills are part of the Moldavian Plateau, which geologically originate from the Carpathian Mountains. Its subdivisions in Moldova include the Dniester Hills (Northern Moldavian Hills and Dniester Ridge), Moldavian Plain (Middle Prut Valley, and Bălţi Steppe), and Central Moldavian Plateau (Ciuluc-Soloneţ Hills, Corneşti Hills (Codri Massive; "Codri" meaning "forests"), Lower Dniester Hills, Lower Prut Valley, and Tigheci Hills). In the south, the country has a small flatland, the Bugeac Plain. The territory of Moldova east of the river Dniester is split between parts of the Podolian Plateau, and parts of the Eurasian Steppe.

The country's main cities are the capital, Chişinău, in the center of the country, Tiraspol (in the eastern region of Transnistria), Bălţi (in the north) and Bender (in the south-east). Comrat is the administrative center of Gagauzia.

Administrative divisions

Moldova is divided into thirty-two districts (raioane, singular raion), three municipalities and two autonomous regions (Gagauzia and Transnistria). The status of Transnistria is disputed, as the central government does not control that territory. The cities of Comrat and Tiraspol, the administrative seats of the two autonomous territories also have municipality status.

Moldova has 65 towns, including the five with municipality status, and 917 communes. Some other 699 villages are too small to have a separate administration, and are administratively part of either cities (40 of them) or communes (659). This makes for a total of 1,681 localities of Moldova, all but two of which are inhabited.

Government and politics

Moldova is a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic. The 1994 Constitution of Moldova sets the framework for the government of the country. A parliamentary majority of at least two thirds is required to amend the Constitution, which cannot be revised in time of war or national emergency. Amendments to the Constitution affecting the state's sovereignty, independence, or unity can only be made after a majority of voters support the proposal in a referendum. Furthermore, no revision can be made to limit the fundamental rights of people enumerated in the Constitution.

The country's central legislative body is the Moldovan Parliament, which has 101 seats, and whose members are elected by popular vote on proportional representation party lists every four years.

The head of state is the President of Moldova, who is elected by the Moldovan Parliament, requiring the support of three fifths of the deputies (at least 61 votes). The president of Moldova has been elected by the parliament since 2001, a change designed to decrease executive authority in favor of the legislature. The president appoints a Prime Minister who functions as the head of government, and who in turn assembles a Cabinet, both subject to parliamentary approval.

The 1994 constitution also establishes an independent Constitutional Court, composed of six judges (two appointed by the President, two by Parliament, and two by the Supreme Council of Magistrature), serving six-year terms, during which they are irremovable and not subordinate to any power. The Court is invested with the power of judicial review over all acts of the parliament, over presidential decrees, and over international treaties, signed by the country.

References

Part of this article consists of modified text from Wikipedia, and the article is therefore licensed under GFDL.