ia

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States - European States

Area:
total area: 33,700 sq km
land area: 33,700 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Hawaii

Land boundaries: total 1,389 km, Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

International disputes: certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine -
including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by
Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was
incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940

Climate: moderate winters, warm summers

Terrain: rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

Natural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum

Land use:
arable land: 50%
permanent crops: 13%
meadows and pastures: 9%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 28%

Irrigated land: 2,920 sq km (1990)

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
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
Climate Change

Note: landlocked

@Moldova:People

Population: 4,489,657 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (female 588,155; male 609,372)
15-64 years: 64% (female 1,487,170; male 1,386,293)
65 years and over: 9% (female 258,958; male 159,709) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.36% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 15.93 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 10.05 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.22 years
male: 64.81 years
female: 71.8 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.16 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic divisions: 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
Dniester 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 Mo