Part 561

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

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: moderate winters, warm summers

Terrain: rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

Elevation extremes: lowest point : Nistru River 2 m highest point: Mount Balaneshty 430 m

Natural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum

Land use: arable land: 53% permanent crops: 14% permanent pastures: 13% forests and woodland: 13% other : 7% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,110 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

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

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: landlocked

@Moldova:People

Population: 4,457,206 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 26% (male 580,839; female 560,784) 15-64 years: 65% (male 1,384,380; female 1,503,831) 65 years and over: 9% (male 158,886; female 268,486) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.02% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 14.32 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 12.33 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 43.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.25 years male : 59.46 years female: 69.29 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Moldovan(s) adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic groups: Moldavian/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Gagauz 3.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, other 1.7% (1989 figures) note : internal disputes with ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in the Nistru region and Gagauz Turks in the south

Religions: Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist (only about 1,000 members) (1991) note: the large majority of churchgoers are ethnic Moldavian

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