Location: Eastern Europe, between Ukraine and Romania

Map references: Asia, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 33,700 sq km
land area: 33,700 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Hawaii

Land boundaries: total 1,389 km, Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

International disputes: no official territorial claims by either Moldova or Romania, but nationalists in Romania seek the merger of Moldova into Romania; potential future dispute by Moldova and Romania against Ukraine over former southern and northern Bessarabian areas and Northern Bukovina ceded to Ukraine upon Moldova's incorporation into USSR

Climate: moderate winters, warm summers

Terrain: rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

Natural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum

Land use:
arable land: 50%
permanent crops: 13%
meadows and pastures: 9%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 28%

Irrigated land: 2,920 sq km (1990)

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
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note: landlocked

NOTE: The information regarding Moldova on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Moldova Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Moldova Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.