The young state in southeastern 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 actually not controlled by the government as a result of the civil war. A significant part of the population is in labor migration.
general review
The state, formed as a result of separation from the Soviet Union, received the official name Republic of Moldova. The country is a unitary parliamentary republic; the government is controlled by 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. Virtually no minerals. A favorable climate contributes to the development of agriculture, which is the country's main economic sector. Light industry is well developed, separate engineering enterprises work.
According to the constitution, the official language of the country is Moldavian, and in accordance with the declaration of independence, it is Romanian. The language of international communication is Russian. In the autonomous entity of Gagauzia, three official languages are Moldavian, Gagauz and Russian.
Population
In 1991, when Moldova gained independence, the country's population was more than 4.3 million people. In accordance with the data provided by state statistics agencies, in 2017, as of January 1, 3.6 million people lived in the country, excluding the population of the Transnistrian 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 lower fertility and external migration. A significant part of the population is on earnings. In 2015, 561 thousand Moldovan citizens were simultaneously in Russia.
Approximately 93.3% of the population consider themselves Orthodox Christians. Most of the population is Moldovans (about 75.8%), Ukrainians, the second largest national group (about 8.4%), Russians are third with a share of 5.9%, Gagauzians make up 4.4%, Romanians - 2.2 % Every fifth resident of the country lives in Chisinau; in general, the rural population (61.4%) slightly prevails over the urban population (57.9%).
Geographical position
Moldova occupies a significant part of the territory between the Dniester and Prut rivers, and a narrow strip on the left 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% of the water area is 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 per capita GDP of $ 1805.89. The agricultural sector is most developed, significant areas in Moldova are occupied by crops of sunflower, wheat, grapes and other vegetables and fruits.
The country's export volume 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. Import volume is $ 2.43 billion, the main imported goods are oil products, medicines and cars. Most of the goods are purchased in Romania, China and Ukraine.
Administrative device
The administrative territorial division of Moldova is enshrined in the constitution and certain laws. The country has a difficult division: into 32 districts; autonomous territorial entity - Gagauzia; non-controlled territories are allocated, in the so-called administrative-territorial units of the left bank of the Dniester; there are 13 more municipalities.
A municipality is actually an urban agglomeration with a special status; in Moldova, this is the name of urban settlements with important industrial, cultural and social potential for the country. For example, the Chisinau municipality includes 5 sectors, 6 cities and 27 villages, and the Ungen municipality includes only the city of the same name with a population of just over 30 thousand people. This is one of the smallest territorial entities 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. Occupied area 123 sq. Km. Here are concentrated the main cultural institutions, universities and sports facilities of the country. From the Soviet era, mainly the food industry remained, including confectionery, dairy enterprises.
The first mention of the city dates back to 1436 in a letter from the Moldovan governor to the office of the ruler, to clarify the boundaries of the lands granted to him. 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 the city in 1818, when it entered the Russian Empire as part of the Bessarabian province. From 1918 to 1940 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. The status of the municipality was received in 1995, now the population of the agglomeration is 1.164 million people. This is the largest territorial unit by area in Moldova occupies 635 sq. Km. The mayor is the highest official of the capital, in 2018 he became Andrei Nastase.
Head of state
In accordance with the constitution, the head of the country is the president of Moldova, who represents the state. Elected by popular vote for a term of four years and may not hold office for more than two terms. The term may be extended in a natural way in the event of a disaster or war.
The President of Moldova must be over forty years old, reside in the country for at least 10 years and be proficient in the Moldovan language. 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, he is actually controlled by the Minister of Defense, who can be appointed without his participation. The president nominates the prime minister, but is required to submit a candidacy from the parliamentary coalition. In these and many cases, the president actually has only formal functions - confirming 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 association membership agreement with the European Union, which is the country's largest foreign trade partner. In 2018, the visa regime for Moldovan citizens was canceled.
The Russian military contingent in Transnistria, introduced there by agreement with Moldova, is the guarantor of the non-resumption of the civil war. As a result of the introduction of restrictions by Russia, the supply of Moldovan goods in the Russian markets decreased significantly. President Dodon’s efforts to improve relations between the countries are almost completely blocked by the government and parliament of Moldova.
The border of Moldova with Ukraine has a length of 985 km, traditionally countries maintain broad economic relations. In 2017, the country began to purchase electricity from its neighbor, refusing supplies from Transnistria. Prime Minister Pavel Filip declared full support for Ukraine’s actions in its eastern regions.