LOCATION

Eastern Europe, north-east of Romania 

GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES

45°28’ - 48°28’ N (350 km), 26°40’ - 30°06’ E (150 km) 

AREA

• total: 33843 km2, 139th
• land: 33371 km2
• water: 472 km2 (main rivers: Danube, Nistru, Prut, Raut; main lakes: Beleu, Bic, Dracele)

LAND BOUNDARIES

• total: 1389 km
• border countries: Romania — 450 km, Ukraine — 939 km
• coastline: 200 m at the south extreme point (Giurgiulesti) with the delta of the Danube river

LAND USE

• arable land: 53%
• permanent crops: 14%
• permanent pastures: 13%
• forests and woodland: 9%
• others: 11% 

EXTREME POINTS

• lowest point: Nistru River, -2 m
• highest point: Dealul Balanesti, +430 m
• north point: Naslavcea
• south point: Giurgiulesti
• west point: Criva
• east point: Palanca 

CLIMATE

moderate winters (in January -4 -7 C°), warm summers (in July +25 +28 C°) 

TERRAIN

Hilly steppes in the north & center (Codru), plain in the south (Bugeac Plain) 

NATURAL RESOURCES

lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land 

POPULATION

• total: 3,55 million [2017, National Bureau of Statistics]
• density: 121,9/km2 

MAIN CITIES

• Chisinau, 745 thousand inhabitants [2017, National Bureau of Statistics]
• Tiraspol, 159 163
• Balti, 146 thousand inhabitants [2017, National Bureau of Statistics]
• Tighina, 97 027 [2004]
• Ribnita, 53 648 [2004]
• Cahul, 39 thousand inhabitants [2017, National Bureau of Statistics] 

RELIGION [POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS, 2014]

• Eastern Orthodox Christians — 2,5 million
• Undeclared — 193 thousand
• Evangelical Christians — 25 thousand
• Jehovah’s Witnesses – 17 thousand
• Pentecostals – 10 thousand

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

Romanian language

Other spoken languages: Gagauz, Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Hebrew, etc. 

CURRENCY

Moldovan leu (MDL) = 100 bani 

TIME ZONE

EET (UTC+2)

summer — EEST (UTC+3) 

INTERNET TLD

.md 

CALLING CODE 

+373