e, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography-note: landlocked

@Moldova:People

Population: 4,457,729 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25% (male 568,609; female 548,837)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,394,604; female 1,514,749)
65 years and over: 10% (male 159,972; female 270,958) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.04% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 14.35 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 12.42 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 43.72 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.32 years
male: 59.61 years
female: 69.27 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.88 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic groups: Moldavian/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%,
Gagauz 3.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, other 1.7% (1989 figures)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in the
Nistru region and Gagauz Turks in the south

Religions: Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist (only about
1,000 members) (1991)
note: the large majority of churchgoers are ethnic Moldavian

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: 96%
male: 99%
female: 94% (1989 est.)

@Moldova:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova
local long form: Republica Moldova
local short form: none
former: Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova; Moldavia

Data code: MD

Government type: republic

National capital: Chisinau

Administrative divisions: previously divided into 40 rayons; new
districts possible under new constitution of 1994

Independence: 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 August 1991

Constitution: new constitution adopted 28 July 1994; replaces old
Soviet constitution of 1979

Legal system: based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews
legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution;
it is uncl