ons:

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

Languages:

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

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.1%
male: 99.7%
female: 98.6% (2005 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

7.6% of GDP (2006)

Government
Moldova

Country name:

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

Government type:

republic

Capital:

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

Administrative divisions:

32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities
(municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala
autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)
raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir,
Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari,
Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova,
Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti,
Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni
municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau
autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia
territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului (Transnistria)

Independence:

27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 August (1991)

Constitution:

new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994;
replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979

Legal system:

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

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Zinaida GRECEANII (since 31 March
2008