From Wikitravel

Moldova [1] is a land-locked country in Eastern Europe that is surrounded by Romania to the southwest, across the Prut river, and Ukraine to the northeast. Moldova is a small country of 4.5 million people located between Romania and Ukraine.

The capital of Moldova is Chisinau. The local language is Romanian, based on the Latin alphabet, but Russian is widely used. Moldova is a multiethnic republic that has suffered from violent ethnic conflict. In 1994, this conflict led to the creation of the self-proclaimed Transdniestr Republic in eastern Moldova, which has its own government and currency but is not recognized by any other country. Economic links have been re-established between these two parts of Moldova despite failure in political negotiations. The major religion in Moldova is Orthodox Christian.

Moldova's population is occupied mainly in food production and processing. Once known as "the garden" of the Soviet Union, Moldova has now lost most of its traditional Russian markets for agricultural products and is exploring new international markets.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact

Regions

It is divided into 32 Rayons: 1. Anenii Noi 2. Basarabeasca 3. Briceni 4. Cahul 5. Cantemir 6. Călăraşi 7. Căuşeni 8. Cimişlia 9. Criuleni 10. Donduşeni 11. Drochia 12. Dubăsari 13. Edineţ 14. Faleşti 15. Floreşti 16. Glodeni 17. Hînceşti 18. Ialoveni 19. Leova 20. Nisporeni 21. Ocniţa 22. Orhei 23. Rezina 24. Rîşcani 25. Sîngerei 26. Soroca 27. Străşeni 28. Şoldăneşti 29. Ştefan Voda 30. Taraclia 31. Teleneşti 32. Ungheni

An autonomous territorial unit (unitate teritoriala autonoma):

• Gagausia (Gagauzia)

And a territorial unit (unitate teritoriala):

• Transnistria (Stinga Nistrului) - Break-away region east of the Dniester River, on the Ukrainian border, where Russian forces are supporting the Slavic minority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a unrecognized "Transnistria" republic.

Cities

• Chisinau - Capital - An administrative municipality (municipiul). A nice city to go and visit for some days, and to walk around in.

Other destinations

Understand

Climate

Moderate winters, warm summers.

Terrain

Landlocked. Rolling steppe, gradual slope south towards the Black Sea. Well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone. Natural hazards : Experiences landslides (57 cases in 1998) due to extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Dniester River 2 m
highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m

History

Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was forcefully incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II.

Independence 

27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 27 August (1991)

Constitution 

new constitution adopted 28 July 1994; replaces old Soviet constitution of 1979

Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic minority 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.

Get in

People from most nations need a visa for entering Moldova, obtainable at your local Moldovan embassy. It's quite expensive, and an invitation might be required except for citizens of the European Union and member candidate states. However, as of January 2007, citizens of US, EU, Canada, Switzerland and Japan will no longer need a visa to enter Moldova and can stay in the country for up to 90 days within a six month period without registration. Crossing the Ukrainian-Transdniestrian border is ill-advised. See the "get in" section on the Chişinău page.

By plane

Busiest air connections exist to Bucharest, Budapest, Istanbul, Moscow, Timisoara and Vienna. Prices are relatively high. The cheapest tickets can be bought to Bucharest, Istanbul, Kiev and Moscow. Moldova has three air companies.

By train

The cheapest way to get into the country is to take the overnight train from Bucharest. It is about US$28, and takes overnight. Since flights into Bucharest cost approx. US$200 less than those into Moldova, this is the best option if you have the time. At the border crossing the cars are lifted individually onto smaller gague wheels to fit Moldovan tracks.

By car

When coming by car one should be sure to use a frontier with a (non-stop) visa issuing office.

By bus

There are regular buses connecting Chisinau with Bucharest, Kiev and most major Romanian and Ukrainian cities. There are 5 to six buses per day to and from Bucharest. Due to a longer stay at the border the trip takes around 10 hours. You will also be able to travel to most European cities by bus with Moldovan bus companies. When coming by bus one should be sure to use a frontier with a (non-stop) visa issuing office.

By boat

Get around

The most reliable and extensive domestic transport is bus - you will get to most parts of the country.

Talk

Moldovans speak Romanian (sometimes refered to as Moldovan), outside of the semi-autonomous region of Gagausia and the breakaway region of Transnistria. Many people in the bigger cities also speak Russian, although be a little careful - learn enough Romanian to ask whether it is ok to speak Russian - there are still hard feelings about the Soviet Union in some places. In Chisinau you will find a lot people speaking english.

Languages 

Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian (unofficial), Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Buy

Eat

Drink

Moldova has a long local wines tradition. Especially the reds are popular throughout the country. Most Moldovan villagers grow their own grapes and press their own wine, and many agree the standard rural household will press 3-4,000 litres a year! When returning home, take a bottle with you!

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay safe

The break-away region Transnistria has proclaimed itself a republic but lacks diplomatic recognition. Consequently, travellers lack consular support in case of emergency. Stay away until further notice. Corrupt police men will make you trouble if you show up at the border without 'visa' for this mafia-run place. When travelling from Odessa to Chisinau, avoid Transnistria.

If you do visit Transnistria, as a foreign citizen you should register with the Militia upon arrival. It can become difficult trying to leave if you have not done this.

Stay healthy

The heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater. If you are concerned, water for drinking, cooking and oral hygiene should be taken from a known safe source, as ordinary water treatment, including boiling, does not remove such chemical contamination.

Respect

Contact

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