Moldova

Moldova, Republic in Eastern Europe, between Romania in the south and the Ukraine in the north. The capital is Chisinau.

Land and cliniate

Moldova lies between the Prut River and the Dnestr River. Almost everywhere in Moldova, the soil consists of fertile black soil. The climate is continental, in the south it is slightly more moderate. In the deciduous forests wolves can still be found.

People

Moldavians constitute 65% of the population; Ukranians and Russians are important minorities. The official language is Moldavian. The most important churches are the Romanian-orthodox Church and the Russian-orthodox Church.

Economy

Agriculture is important to the country's economy. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the viniculture and the defense industry broke down. After 1994 the economy improved.

History

Moldavia was a region in eastern Romania, divided by the Prut River form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR), part of the Soviet Union. Modavia belonged to Romania from 1918 to 1940, when a portion of ist was annexed by the Soviets as the MSSR, with Kishinev as its capital. After the collapse of communism in the USSR in 1991, the MSSR became an independent republic, named Moldova.

See also: Romania; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.