Background: 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 a Transnistrian separatist region with a Slavic majority population of mostly Ukrainians and Russians. 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. Four Moldovan opposition parties formed a new coalition the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) which has acted as Moldova's governing coalition since. Moldova experienced significant political uncertainty between 2009 and early 2012 holding three general elections and numerous presidential ballots in parliament all of which failed to secure a president. Following November 2010 parliamentary elections a reconstituted AEI-coalition consisting of three of the four original AEI parties formed a government and in March 2012 were finally able to elect

Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N 29 00 E

Area
Rank: 140
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: moderate winters warm summers

Terrain: rolling steppe gradual slope south to Black Sea

Natural resources: lignite phosphorites gypsum arable land: limestone

Irrigated land: 2,283 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 11.7 km³ (1997)

Natural hazards: landslides

Geography
Note: landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand gravel gypsum and limestone

Population: 3,656,843 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 130
Growth rate: -1.014% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 230
Below poverty line: 21.9% (2010 est.)

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

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

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

Population growth rate: -1.014% (2012 est.)
Rank: 230

Birth rate: 12.5 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 157

Death rate: 12.62 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 25

Net migration rate: -10.02 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 209

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

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 125

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 150

Total fertility rate: 1.55 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 183

Physicians density: 2.668 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 6.12 beds/1000 population (2007)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 78
People living with hivaids: 12,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 93
Deaths: fewer than 1000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 74

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.2% (2005)
Rank: 104

Education expenditures: 9.6% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 7

Government type: republic

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

Independence: 27 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 27 August (1991)

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

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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

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

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

Flag description: 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

National symbols: aurochs (a type of wild cattle)

Economy overview: 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. Previous Russian decisions to ban Moldovan wine and agricultural products coupled with its decision to double the price Moldova paid for Russian natural gas have hurt economic growth in the past. 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 dropped to -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 about 7% per year and inflation to more than 7%. 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 should 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 growing by 6.4% in 2011 and 3% in 2012 but remains vulnerable to political uncertainty weak administrative capacity vested bureaucratic interests higher fuel prices and the concerns of foreign investors as well as the presence of an illegal separatist regime in Moldova's Transnistria region.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 148

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 106

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 167

Agriculture products: vegetables fruits grapes grain sugar beets sunflower seed tobacco; beef milk; wine

Industrial production growth rate: 7.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 39

Labor force: 1.247 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 138

Unemployment rate: 6.7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 76

Population below poverty line: 21.9% (2010 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 33.2 (2003)
Rank: 71

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -2.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 101

Taxes and other revenues: 35.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 69

Public debt: 18.6% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 131

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 124

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 14.44% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 53

Stock of narrow money: $1.475 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 136

Stock of broad money: $3.049 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 139

Stock of domestic credit: $2.755 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 132

Market value of publicly traded shares: $22 million (2010)

Current account balance: -$806.6 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 107

Exports: $2.277 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 137
Commodities: foodstuffs textiles machinery
Partners: Russia 20.5% Romania 14.9% Italy 13.9% Turkey 10.8% Germany 6.1% Ukraine 4.8% (2011)

Imports: $5.147 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 124
Commodities: mineral products and fuel machinery and equipment chemicals textiles
Partners: Romania 17.9% Ukraine 15.3% Germany 10.5% Russia 9.1% Italy 6.5% Belarus 5.5% Turkey 4.8% Poland 4.3% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.966 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 119

Debt external: $4.956 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 115

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $2.649 billion (1 January 2010 est.)
Rank: 90

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $62.44 million (1 January 2010)
Rank: 85

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 3.386 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 128
Consumption: 3.416 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 128
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Exports rank: 95
Imports: 1.464 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 53
Installed generating capacity: 551,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 134
Generation sources fossil fuels: 88.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 79
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 132
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 11.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 113
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 154

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 161
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 148
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 90
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 160

Refined petroleum
Products production: 210 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 117
Products consumption: 18,060 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 136
Products exports: 110.4 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 120
Products imports: 15,800 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 115

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 160
Consumption: 2.17 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 80
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 110
Imports: 2.17 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 48
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 164

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 7.38 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 110

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.18 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 71
Mobile cellular: 3.715 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 118

Broadcast media: 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)

Internet
Country code: .md
Hosts: 711,564 (2012)
Hosts rank: 51
Users: 1.333 million (2009)
Users rank: 89

Military expenditures: 0.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 164

Military service age and obligation: 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)

Airports: 10 (2012)
Rank: 157

Pipelines: gas 1906 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 86

Roadways
Rank: 137

Waterways: 558 km (in public use on Danube Dniester and Prut rivers) (2011)
Rank: 83

Merchant marine
Rank: 45

Disputes international: 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 the auspices of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-mandated peacekeeping mission comprised of Moldovan Transnistrian Russian and Ukrainian troops

Illicit drugs: 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