Moldova

Geography

The Republic of Moldova is a small landlocked country in eastern Europe. It is located between Romania and the Ukraine.

Historically it was part of the Romanian Principality of Moldavia. It became part of the Russian Empire in 1812 and reunited with  Romania in 1918. After changing hands again during World War II it became part of  the Soviet Union once more. It was known as the Moldavian SSR between 1945 and 1991.  Moldova declared its independence on 27 August 1991.

Population

In land area, it is roughly half the size of the Republic of Ireland but with a smaller population (approx 4 million). Research shows that up to 20% of the population have emigrated to find work abroad, but some say this would be a conservative estimate. 

The capital city is Chisinau which has a population of over 800,000.  78% of the population is Moldovan and Romanian with Ukrainians and Russians making up most of the remaining balance. There are a few ethnic minorities but together they account for less than 6% of the population.  Although the state language is Moldovan (Romanian in origin) over 40% of the population speak Russian as their first language of choice. This is largely due to their recent turbulent history. Commerce, banking, tourism and trade are almost entirely carried out in the Russian Language.