Moldova (2007) | Norfolk Island (2007) | |
Administrative divisions | 32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)
raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului |
none (territory of Australia) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 16.5% (male 365,733/female 347,305)
15-64 years: 72.6% (male 1,520,094/female 1,616,014) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 175,113/female 296,231) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry |
Airports | 10 (2007) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
- |
Area | total: 33,843 sq km
land: 33,371 sq km water: 472 sq km |
total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Maryland | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001. | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. |
Birth rate | 10.88 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA |
Budget | revenues: $1.359 billion
expenditures: $1.368 billion (2006 est.) |
revenues: $4.6 million
expenditures: $4.8 million (FY99/00) |
Capital | name: Chisinau (Kishinev)
geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
name: Kingston
geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11.5 (16.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | moderate winters, warm summers | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 32 km |
Constitution | new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979 | Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova local long form: Republica Moldova local short form: Moldova former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
Death rate | 10.85 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA |
Debt - external | $2.482 billion (2006 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Transport and Regional Services |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Michael D. KIRBY
embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [373] (22) 40-8300 FAX: [373] (22) 23-3044 |
none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA
chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204 |
none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region, which remains under OSCE supervision | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $191.8 million (2005) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies. Moldova's dependence on Russian energy was underscored at the end of 2005, when a Russian-owned electrical station in Moldova's separatist Transnistria region cut off power to Moldova and Russia's Gazprom cut off natural gas to Moldova in disputes over pricing. The economy achieved 6% or more GDP growth every year from 2000-05, though this was based largely on consumption fueled by remittances received from Moldovans working abroad. Russia's decision to ban Moldovan wine and agricultural products, coupled with its decision to double the price Moldova paid for Russian natural gas, slowed GDP growth in 2006 and greatly exacerbated Moldova's economic troubles. Economic reforms have been slow because of corruption and strong political forces backing government controls; nevertheless, the government's primary goal of EU integration has resulted in some market-oriented progress. The economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors. Also, the presence of an illegal separatist regime in Moldova's Transnistria region continues to be a drag on the Moldovan economy. | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. |
Electricity - consumption | 5.551 billion kWh (2005) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 220 million kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 3.361 billion kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - production | 3.881 billion kWh (2005) | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Dniester River 2 m
highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
Environment - current issues | heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | Moldovan/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region |
descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesian |
Exchange rates | lei per US dollar - 13.131 (2006), 12.6 (2005), 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003), 13.571 (2002) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida GRECIANII (since 10 October 2005) cabinet: Cabinet selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held in 2009); note - prime minister designated by the president upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated 15 April 2001; cabinet received a vote of confidence 19 April 2001 election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president; parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Vasile TARLEV designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence - 75 of 101 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92) |
Exports - commodities | foodstuffs, textiles, machinery | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados |
Exports - partners | Russia 22.8%, Germany 12.2%, Italy 11.1%, Romania 9.7%, Ukraine 9.6%, Belarus 5.7% (2006) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 21.5%
industry: 22% services: 56.5% (2006 est.) |
- |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2006 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 47 00 N, 29 00 E | 29 02 S, 167 57 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone | most of the 32 km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 26.4% (2003) |
- |
Illicit drugs | limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity | - |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) |
Imports - commodities | mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles | NA |
Imports - partners | Russia 20.8%, Ukraine 16.9%, Romania 13.4%, Germany 8.7%, Italy 6.1%, Poland 4.4% (2006) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006) |
Independence | 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) | none (territory of Australia) |
Industrial production growth rate | 6.9% (2006 est.) | - |
Industries | sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles | tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete |
Infant mortality rate | total: 13.88 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 12.7% (2006 est.) | - |
International organization participation | ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | UPU |
Irrigated land | 3,000 sq km (2003) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature) | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions |
Labor force | 1.339 million (2006 est.) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 40.7%
industry: 12.1% services: 47.2% (2005) |
agriculture: 10%
industry and services: 90% |
Land boundaries | total: 1,389 km
border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 54.52%
permanent crops: 8.81% other: 36.67% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect) | English (official), Norfolk - a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian |
Legal system | based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic Moldova Bloc 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party - PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc 34, PPCD 11 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 70.2 years
male: 66.51 years female: 74.11 years (2007 est.) |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.1% male: 99.7% female: 98.6% (2005 est.) |
NA |
Location | Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
Map references | Europe | Oceania |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,668 GRT/17,585 DWT
by type: cargo 8 foreign-owned: 3 (Ukraine 3) (2007) |
- |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
Military branches | National Army: Ground Forces, Rapid Reaction Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.4% (2005 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 27 August (1991) | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) |
Nationality | noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan |
noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
Natural hazards | landslides (57 cases in 1998) | typhoons (especially May to July) |
Natural resources | lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone | fish |
Net migration rate | -1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA |
Pipelines | gas 606 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN]; Democratic Party or PD [Dumitru DIACOV]; National Liberal Party or NLP [Vitalia PAVLICENKO]; Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim URECHEAN]; Party for Social Democracy or PSD [Dumitru BRAGHIS]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 4,320,490 (July 2007 est.) | 2,114 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 29.5% (2005) | - |
Population growth rate | -0.11% (2007 est.) | 0.006% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 29, shortwave NA (2006) | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Railways | total: 1,138 km
broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2006) |
- |
Religions | Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000) | Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.2%, none 18.1% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.053 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.941 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.591 male(s)/female total population: 0.912 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way
domestic: depending on location, new subscribers may face long wait for service; 2 private operators of GSM mobile cellular telephone service are operating; GPRS system is being introduced; license for 1 CDMA mobile telephone network currently being tendered international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik (2006) |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.018 million (2006) | 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1.358 million (2006) | 0; note - proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 40 (2006) | 1 (local programming station plus 2 repeaters that air Australian programs by satellite) (2005) |
Terrain | rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains |
Total fertility rate | 1.25 children born/woman (2007 est.) | NA |
Unemployment rate | 7.3%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2005 est.) | - |
Waterways | 424 km (on Dniester and Prut rivers) (2007) | - |