An Introduction to Moldova
Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova is the second smallest of the former Soviet republics and the most densely populated; and is the poorest country in Europe. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Europe (Other)
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GOVERNMENT: parliamentary republic
AREA: 33,846 sq km
POPULATION: 3,559,500 (2012 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official languages: Moldovan, Romanian; Recognised regional languages: Gagauz, Russian, Ukrainian
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Trade and Industry in Moldova
Of Moldova's vineyard area of 148,000 ha, c.108,000 ha are use' for commercial production, mostly for export - Russia is by far the biggest importer, or was, before a 2006 diplomatic spat led to a ban. Today the annual crop of grapes is about 400-500 tons, and not all of it goes abroad - according to a 2011 report, Moldova consumes the highest amount of alcohol per capita in the world.
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Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova is the second smallest of the former Soviet republics and the most densely populated; and is the poorest country in Europe.
The area was the centre of a large Neolithic culture with settlements of up to 15,000 people, between the 6th and 3rd Millennia BC. The Principality of Moldavia, which included parts of its two modern neighbours, lasted two centuries until the mid-16th when it was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire - half of it was later ceded to the Russians.Moldova declared itself independent in 1990. Like many other post-Soviet states, it suffered economic slump in the 1990s after the transition to a market economy, and has since recovered substantially with rapid growth between 2001 and 2008. The country's communist party is strong and is currently in opposition to the ruling coalition despite getting more than 49% of the vote, to the next largest party's 13.1%.
GDP: $12.0bn (2011 est.); per capita $3,373
Religions Orthodox Christian 93.3%; protestant 1.9% (2004 census)
Currency: Moldovan Leu; 12.3 MDL = $US 1
Telephone Code: +373
Since the Soviet break-up the economy of Moldova has followed a similar pattern to many other republics. The 90s saw a serious economic crisis, leaving most of the population below the poverty line, but from 2001 to 2008 the economy recovered strongly with annual growth of between 5% and 10%.
Many Moldovans have sought work abroad - most illegally according to Wikipedia - and remittances from these overseas workers make up almost 38% of Moldova's GDP, the second-highest percentage in the world.
Exports were $2.2bn in 2011 and consist mainly of foodstuffs (especially wine - see above), textiles and machinery. Russia (23.8% in 2009), Italy (14.1%) and Romania (12.7%) are the biggest partners. Imports (total $5.2bn in 2011) consist largely of machinery, minerals and fuel, chemicals and textiles. In 2008, more than half of imports came from three countries, Ukraine (20.2%), Russia (19.7%) and Romania (14.3%).
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