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Moldavia is a region in north-eastern Romania, sharing a border with Moldova and Ukraine. It consists of the counties of Suceava, Iași, Vaslui, Galați, Vrancea, Botoșani, Neamț and Bacău. Map. Directions. Satellite.
- Moldavia Occidental
La actual República de Moldavia formaba parte de ella hasta...
- Neamț County
Neamț County is a county of Romania, in the historic region...
- Slănic Moldova
Location: Bacău County, Moldavia, Romania, Balkans, Europe;...
- Bicaz
Bicaz is a town in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania...
- Botoșani County
Botoșani County is a county of Romania, in Western Moldavia,...
- Moldova
Type: Country with 4,130,000 residents. Description: country...
- Moldavia Occidental
Moldavia, principality on the lower Danube River that joined Walachia to form the nation of Romania in 1859. Its name was taken from the Moldova River (now in Romania).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Coordinates: Moldova ( / mɒlˈdoʊvə / ⓘ mol-DOH-və, sometimes UK: / ˈmɒldəvə / MOL-də-və; [13] [14] [15] Romanian pronunciation: [molˈdova] ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( Romanian: Republica Moldova ), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, on the northeastern corner of the Balkans. [16] .
- Overview
- Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
Moldova, landlocked country lying in the northeastern corner of the Balkan region of Europe. Its capital city is Chișinău, located in the south-central part of the country.
Formerly known as Bessarabia, this region was an integral part of the Romanian principality of Moldavia until 1812, when it was ceded to Russia by its suzerain, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Bessarabia remained a province of the Russian Empire until after World War I, when it became a part of Greater Romania, and it reverted to Russian control in 1940–41 and again after World War II, when it was joined to a strip of formerly Ukrainian territory, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, on the left bank of the Dniester River (Moldovan: Nistru) to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in August 1991, this republic declared its independence and took the name Moldova. It became a member of the United Nations in 1992.
Moldova is bounded by Ukraine to the north, east, and south and by Romania to the west. The bulk of the republic lies between the great meandering Prut and Dniester rivers.
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Moldova lies to the east of the great arc of the Carpathian Mountains. It is underlain mostly by deep sedimentary rocks covering the southwestern portion of the ancient structural block known as the Russian, or East European, Plain. Harder crystalline rocks outcrop only in the north. Its surface is a hilly plain, with an average elevation of 482 feet (147 metres), cut by a deep network of river valleys, ravines, and gullies.
The uplands of the centre of the republic, the Codri Hills, lie at an average elevation of about 1,150 to 1,300 feet (350 to 400 metres), and the highest point, Mount Bălănești, in the west, reaches 1,407 feet (429 metres). These uplands are interlaced by deep, flat valleys, ravines, and landslide-scoured depressions separated by sharp ridges. Steep forested slopes account for much of the terrain. The Dniester uplands, their eastern slopes forming the high right bank of the Dniester River, border the central uplands on the east and northeast.
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The northern landscape of Moldova is characterized by the level plain of the Bălți steppe (500 to 650 feet [150 to 200 metres] in elevation) and also by uplands averaging twice this elevation, culminating in Vysokaya Hill (1,053 feet [321 metres]). The northern uplands include the strikingly eroded Medobory-Toltry limestone ridges, which border the Prut River.
In the south, the extensive Bugeac Plain is broken by numerous ravines and gullies, while, in the east, left-bank Moldova includes spurs of the Volyn-Podolsk Upland cut into by tributaries of the Dniester.
Moldova has a well-developed network of rivers and streams, all draining south to the Black Sea, but only about one-tenth of these exceed 6 miles (10 km) in length, and even fewer exceed 60 miles (100 km). In fact, many of these are small, shallow streams that dry up during the summer. The Dniester, the rapidly flowing main artery, is navigable alm...
The soils of Moldova are varied and highly fertile, with chernozem—rich black soils—covering three-fourths of the republic. The best-developed chernozem, fostering the growth of grain, tobacco, and sugar beets, is found in the north and in the low-lying parts of the central and Dniester uplands, as well as in the left-bank regions. Soil quality dim...
Moldova’s climate—warm and moderately continental—is characterized by a lengthy frost-free period, a comparatively mild winter, considerable temperature fluctuations, and, in the south, extended droughts. The average annual temperature is in the mid-40s F (about 8 °C) in the north and the low 50s F (about 10 °C) in the south, but the July averages ...
Northern and central Moldova is a forest zone, while a steppe belt crosses the south. There are more than 1,500 species of plants in the republic, with scenic expanses of forest, covering about 1,150 square miles (3,000 square km), of particular importance, especially in the central Codri Hills region. The most common trees are hornbeam and oak, followed by a rich variety including linden, maple, wild pear, and wild cherry. Beech forests are found at the sources of the Ichel and Bâcu rivers. At the beginning of the 19th century, forests covered about one-third of the country. However, a large increase in population severely reduced the forested areas. The extensive deforestation in the 19th century has also resulted in soil erosion, wind damage, a drop in the water table, flooding, desertification, and loss of fauna. Well aware of the raft of problems caused by the loss of so much of Moldova’s woodlands, authorities and scientists began lobbying for increased afforestation plans, and large-scale reforestation projects have been carried out in the republic since the early 1990s. The state’s plans initially met resistance from peasants who were fearful that their agricultural and grazing lands would be converted into less-profitable forests, but by the early 21st century increased crop and livestock yields had demonstrated the program’s success.
Moldova’s steppes originally were grass-covered, but most of them are now cultivated. Lush meadows and reed growths occur in the floodplains of the Dniester and portions of the Prut, while salt-marsh grasslands flourish in the saline valleys of the Cogâlnic, Ialpug, Botna, and lower Prut.
The animal life of Moldova is rich, despite the republic’s small size. Mammals include wild boar, wolves, badgers, wildcats, ermines, martins, and polecats. Roe deer, hare, foxes, and muskrat are of commercial importance. Siberian stags, fallow deer, and spotted deer also were successively introduced and are now prevalent.
There are many species of birds, both resident and migratory. The marshy lower reaches of Moldova’s rivers provide sanctuary for wild geese, migratory ducks, and herons, while white-tailed sea eagles are found in the floodplain forests. The wood lark, jay, song thrush, blackbird, hawk, and long-eared owl frequent the republic’s forests. Plentiful fish supplies include carp (raised in artificial reservoirs), perch, bream, ruff, and pike.
Dec 3, 2023 · Moldova on a World Map. Moldova is a landlocked Eastern European country close to the Black Sea. It borders just 2 European countries including Romania to the southwest and Ukraine to the northeast. The country also contains the narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border, Transnistria, which is internationally ...
Lowest point. 2 m ( Dniester River) Satellite image of Moldova in September 2003. Köppen–Geiger climate classification map for Moldova. Located in Eastern Europe, Moldova is bordered on the west and southwest by Romania and on the north, south, and east by Ukraine. Most of its territory lies in Bessarabia region, between the area's two main ...
