Compare Western Sahara (2006) - Moldova (2008)

Compare Western Sahara (2006) z Moldova (2008)

	Western Sahara (2006)	Moldova (2008)

Administrative divisions	none (under de facto control of Morocco)	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
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)	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.)
Agriculture - products	fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish	vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk
Airports	11 (2006)	10 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006)	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)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006)	total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 33,843 sq km land: 33,371 sq km water: 472 sq km
Area - comparative	about the size of Colorado	slightly larger than Maryland
Background	Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.	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. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001.
Birth rate	NA births/1,000 population	10.88 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA	revenues: $1.764 billion expenditures: $1.771 billion (2007 est.)
Capital	none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: Chisinau (Kishinev) note: pronounced kee-shee-now 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
Climate	hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew	moderate winters, warm summers
Coastline	1,110 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	-	new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara	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
Death rate	NA deaths/1,000 population	10.85 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$2.774 billion (30 June 2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US	none	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
Diplomatic representation in the US	none	chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204
Disputes - international	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals	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
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	$191.8 million (2005)
Economy - overview	Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.	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 in disputes over pricing. 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. However, in 2007 growth returned to the 6% level Moldova had achieved in 2000-05, boosted by Russia's partial removal of the bans, solid fixed capital investment, and strong domestic demand driven by remittances from abroad. 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 granting of EU trade preferences and increased exports to Russia will encourage higher growth rates in 2008, but the agreements are unlikely to serve as a panacea, given the extent to which export success depends on higher quality standards and other factors. 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.
Electricity - consumption	83.7 million kWh (2003)	5.551 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	220 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	3.361 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	85 million kWh (2003)	3.881 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m	lowest point: Dniester River 2 m highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m
Environment - current issues	sparse water and lack of arable land	heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods
Environment - international agreements	party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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	Arab, Berber	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
Exchange rates	Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001)	lei per US dollar - 12.177 (2007), 13.131 (2006), 12.6 (2005), 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003)
Executive branch	none	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
Exports	NA bbl/day	31.69 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	phosphates 62%	foodstuffs, textiles, machinery
Exports - partners	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)	Russia 22.8%, Germany 12.2%, Italy 11.1%, Romania 9.7%, Ukraine 9.6%, Belarus 5.7% (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
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
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40%	agriculture: 18.4% industry: 22.4% services: 59.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	NA%	6% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates	24 30 N, 13 00 W	47 00 N, 29 00 E
Geography - note	the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas	landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	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	14,200 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs	mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles
Imports - partners	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)	Russia 20.8%, Ukraine 16.9%, Romania 13.4%, Germany 8.7%, Italy 6.1%, Poland 4.4% (2006)
Independence	-	27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	6% (2007 est.)
Industries	phosphate mining, handicrafts	sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	NA%	12.5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation	none	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, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	3,000 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature)
Labor force	12,000	1.333 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50%	agriculture: 40.7% industry: 12.1% services: 47.2% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km	total: 1,389 km border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km
Land use	arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005)	arable land: 54.52% permanent crops: 8.81% other: 36.67% (2005)
Languages	Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic	Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
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
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
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years	total population: 70.2 years male: 66.51 years female: 74.11 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	NA	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.1% male: 99.7% female: 98.6% (2005 est.)
Location	Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco	Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania
Map references	Africa	Europe
Maritime claims	contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue	none (landlocked)
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 branches	-	National Army: Ground Forces, Rapid Reaction Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$992.2 million	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	0.4% (2005 est.)
National holiday	-	Independence Day, 27 August (1991)
Nationality	noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian	noun: Moldovan(s) adjective: Moldovan
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility	landslides (57 cases in 1998)
Natural resources	phosphates, iron ore	lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone
Net migration rate	-	-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 1,980 km (2007)
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]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLDM [Vladmir FILAT]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Vitalia PAVLICENKO]; Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim URECHEAN]; Party for Social Democracy or PDSM [Dumitru BRAGHIS]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	NA
Population	273,008 (July 2006 est.)	4,320,490 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	29.5% (2005)
Population growth rate	NA	-0.11% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 2, FM 29, shortwave NA (2006)
Railways	-	total: 1,138 km broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Religions	Muslim	Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)
Sex ratio	NA	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.)
Suffrage	none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco	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; multiple private operators of GSM mobile cellular telephone service are operating; GPRS system is being introduced; a CDMA mobile telephone network began operations in 2007 international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik (2006)
Telephones - main lines in use	about 2,000 (1999 est.)	1.018 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	0 (1999)	1.358 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations	NA	40 (2006)
Terrain	mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast	rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Total fertility rate	NA children born/woman	1.25 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	2.1%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2007 est.)
Waterways	-	424 km (on Dniester and Prut rivers) (2007)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.