The young state in the southeastern part of Europe is one of the poorest countries in the world. The area of Moldova is also quite small. In addition, now one of the regions is not actually controlled by the government as a result of the civil war. A significant part of the population is in labor migration.
Overview
The state formed as a result of secession from the Soviet Union received the official name of the Republic of Moldova. The country is a unitary parliamentary republic, the government is controlled by the parliament, not the president. The population of Moldova is about 3.6 million people. According to some estimates, up to 25% of the population works abroad.
The country is classified as agro-industrial. There are practically no minerals. The favorable climate promotes the development of agriculture, which is the main economic sector of the country. The light industry is quite developed, some machine-building enterprises are operating.
The state language of the country in accordance with the constitution is Moldovan, in accordance with the declaration of independence - Romanian. The language of interethnic communication is Russian. There are three official languages in the autonomous entity of Gagauzia - Moldovan, Gagauz and Russian.
Population
In 1991, when Moldova gained independence, the country's population was over 4.3 million people. In accordance with the data provided by the state statistical bodies, in 2017, as of January 1, 3.6 million people lived in the country, excluding the population of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Even if we add the inhabitants of the unrecognized territory (470 thousand), the number of inhabitants of the country has significantly decreased. The rate of decline was approximately 0.5% per year, due to a decrease in the birth rate and external migration. A significant part of the population is on earnings. In 2015, 561,000 Moldovan citizens were in Russia at the same time.
Approximately 93.3% of the population identify themselves as Orthodox Christians. Most of the population is Moldovans (approximately 75.8%), Ukrainians, the second largest national group (about 8.4%), Russian thirds with a share of 5.9%, Gagauz make up 4.4%, Romanians - 2.2 %. Every fifth inhabitant of the country lives in Chisinau, in general, the rural population (61.4%) slightly outnumbers the urban population (57.9%).
Geographic location
Moldova occupies a significant part of the territory between the Dniester and Prut rivers, and a narrow strip onleft bank of the Dniester in the southwestern part of the East European Plain. The country is landlocked, the main shipping artery is the Danube.
The country occupies 33.48 thousand square kilometers, of which 1.4% is water area, 135th in the world in this indicator. At the same time, 12.3% of the area of Moldova is not controlled by the central government.
Economy
GDP in 2017 amounted to $6.41 billion, according to this indicator, the country is in 143rd place. Moldova is the poorest country in Europe with a GDP per capita of $1805.89. The most developed agricultural sector, significant areas in Moldova are occupied by crops of sunflower, wheat, grapes and other vegetables and fruits.
The country's exports amounted to $2.43 billion, of which the main positions are insulated wire ($232 million), sunflower seeds ($184 million), wheat ($140 million) and wine ($107 million). The best export destinations are Romania, Russia and Italy. The volume of imports is $2.43 billion, the main imported goods are oil products, medicines and cars. Most goods are purchased in Romania, China and Ukraine.
Administrative unit
The administrative territorial division of Moldova is enshrined in the constitution and separate laws. The country has a complex division: into 32 districts; autonomous territorial formation - Gagauzia; the territories not under control are separated into the so-called administrative-territorial units of the left bank of the Dniester; there are 13 more municipalities.
The municipality is actuallyan urban agglomeration with a special status, in Moldova this is the name given to urban settlements with an important industrial, cultural and social potential for the country. For example, the municipality of Chisinau includes 5 sectors, 6 cities and 27 villages, while the municipality of Ungheni includes only the city of the same name with a population of just over 30 thousand people. This is one of the smallest territorial formations of Moldova with an area of 16.4 sq. km.
Main City
Chisinau is the capital of the Republic of Moldova and the largest city in the country with a population of 820 thousand people. The occupied area is 123 sq. km. The main cultural institutions, higher educational institutions and sports facilities of the country are concentrated here. The food industry, including confectionery and dairy enterprises, mainly remained from Soviet times.
The first mention of the city dates back to 1436 in the letter of the Moldavian governors to the office of the ruler, on clarifying the boundaries of the lands granted to them. The generally accepted etymology of the name is from the old Romanian Chişla nouă (Kishla noue), which translates as a new farm. Chisinau received the status of a city in 1818, when it became part of the Russian Empire as part of the Bessarabian province. From 1918 to 1940 it was part of the Kingdom of Romania. Then until 1991 in the Soviet Union, at that time many industrial enterprises were built in the city. It received the status of a municipality in 1995, now the population of the agglomeration is 1.164 million people. It is the largest territorial unit in Moldova in terms of area and occupies 635 sq. km. The highest official of the capitalis the mayor, in 2018 Andrei Năstase became the mayor.
Head of State
In accordance with the constitution, the head of the country is the president of Moldova, who represents the state. He is elected by popular vote for a term of four years and cannot serve for more than two terms. The deadline can be extended naturally in the event of a disaster or war.
The President of Moldova must be over forty years of age, have lived in the country for at least 10 years and speak Moldovan. Since the country is parliamentary, the powers of the head of state are severely limited. For example, although he is the supreme commander in chief, the minister of defense actually controls the army, who can be appointed without his participation. The president nominates the prime minister, but is required to nominate a candidate from the parliamentary coalition. In these and many cases, the president actually has only formal functions - confirmation of the decisions of the parliament. In 2016, Igor Dodon was elected president of the country, who has repeatedly stated his intention to improve relations with Russia.
Foreign policy
In 2005, an action plan was adopted to integrate the country into the EU. In 2013, Moldova signed an associate membership agreement with the European Union, which is the country's largest foreign trade partner. In 2018, the visa regime for Moldovan citizens was abolished.
The Russian military contingent in Transnistria, introduced there in agreement with Moldova, is a guarantor of the non-resumption of the civil war. ATAs a result of the introduction of restrictions by Russia, the supply of Moldovan goods on Russian markets has significantly decreased. President Dodon's efforts to improve relations between countries are almost completely blocked by the Moldovan government and parliament.
Moldova's border with Ukraine is 985 km long, traditionally the countries maintain extensive economic relations. In 2017, the country began to buy electricity from its neighbor, refusing supplies from Transnistria. Prime Minister Pavel Filip expressed full support for Ukraine's actions in its eastern regions.
