World  > Europe  > Moldova, Republic
For a breakdown of information on Moldova, Republic - Europe, select from the following list(s):
Travel Information >>> Useful addresses General information Passport & visa Money Duty Free Public holidays Health Getting there Getting around Accommodation Social profile Business profile Climate History & government Maps	Regions and Cities >>> Resorts & Excursions - Overview Sport & Activities
General Information Area: 33,800 sq km (13,050 sq miles). Population: 4,380,000 (official estimate 1999). Population Density: 129.6 per sq km. Capital: Chisinau (Kishinev). Population: 667,100 (1992). GEOGRAPHY: Moldova is a small landlocked state in southeastern Europe – one of the most highly populated republics of the former USSR. To the north, east and south Moldova, is bound by Ukraine; to the west by Romania. The River Prut constitutes the border with Romania. The country has rich pastures and wooded slopes, ideal for wine-growing. Government: Republic since 1991. Gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Head of State: President Vladimir Voronin since 2001. Head of Government: Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev since 2001. Language: The Constitution of 1994 described the official language as ‘Moldovan’ although it is considered to be virtually identical to Romanian. In 1940, after Soviet annexation, the Cyrillic script was introduced and was referred to as Moldavian up until 1989 when the Latin alphabet was reintroduced. Russian is still the most widely spoken language. The ethnic and linguistic make-up of Moldova is as follows: Moldovans 64.5 per cent, Ukrainians 13.8 per cent, Russians 13.0 per cent, Gagauz 3.5 per cent, Bulgarians 1.5 per cent, others 3.7 per cent. Religion: Mostly Eastern Orthodox Christian and other Christian denominations. A small amount of the population are Jewish. There are more than 850 churches, 11 Christian Orthodox monasteries, two Armenian churches and more than 60 churches of the Seventh Day Adventists. There is one synagogue (in Chisinau). Time: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October). Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Telephone IDD is available to major towns. Country code: 373. For outgoing international calls: dial 8, wait for tone, then dial 10 and the country code. There are two types of payphone: Soviet ones (taking tokens) and modern ones (taking cards). Mobile telephone GSM 900 networks in use. Roaming agreements in operation. Coverage extends over the central area of the country. Network operators include Voxtel (website: www.voxtel.md) and Moldcell (website: www.moldcell.md). Internet ISPs include Relsoft (website: www.mldnet.com) and Moldovan ISP Alliance (website: www.ournet.md). Post All mail to and from Moldova is subject to long delays, sometimes up to six weeks. Letters should be sent recorded delivery to avoid loss. The postal and telecommunication systems are being modernised. The main post office is at 73 Stefan cel Mare, 277012 Chisinau. Post office hours: Mon-Sun 0900-2000. There are express mail services in Chisinau. Press The press is generally uncensored. There are more than a dozen daily newspapers in Moldova, the most popular being Moldova Suveraná published in Romanian. Other main papers include Nezavisimaia Moldova (published in Russian), Viat Satului (weekly), Tara, Dnestrovskaya Prada and Turdovoi Tiraspol. English-language publications can sometimes be found at major hotels in Chisinau. Western press deliveries are erratic. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 17.64 12.10 9.410 6.195 Services in Romanian, Russian and English are also available on 68.48MHz (0600-0800 and 1800-2200 local time). Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 15.21 11.82 9.760 1.197 From www.columbusguides.com, Copyright © 2004 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Terms and Conditions apply.