Filed under Europe and more precisely Eastern Europe, Moldova is a sovereign state. Treaties and official documents call it Republic of Moldova. Its seat of government is Chișinău.
It covers 33,846 km², which ranks it 141st of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Guinea-Bissau and just ahead of Belgium. For scale, it is a little larger than Belgium.
It is home to roughly 2.4 million people, placing it 145th of 250 by population — between Botswana above it and Albania below. Within Eastern Europe alone it is the 4th largest of 4 and the 4th most populous.
The lie of the land
The coordinates the dataset gives are 47.0° N, 29.0° E, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 5,232 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Saint Pierre and Miquelon sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.
2 countries share a land border with it: Romania and Ukraine. The largest of them by area is Ukraine, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 56.9 million people.
This is one of the world's landlocked countries. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, which reliably raises the cost of trade, because port access depends on a transit agreement with a neighbour. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How crowded Moldova is, and what is spoken there
Population divided by land area gives roughly 71 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.
Moldavian is the only official language. No other entry in this dataset lists Moldavian, so on this list it stands alone.
The demonym is Moldovan, so residents are Moldovans.
Against Europe as a whole it is the 30th most populous of 53 entries, and it accounts for 1.2% of everyone living in Eastern Europe.
Useful reference details
The currency is the Moldovan leu (L, MDL). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Moldova.
Chișinău is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
Its internet country code is .md. Calls from overseas start with +373. In ISO terms it is md in two letters and MDA in three.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Moldova shares borders with 2 countries:
Fun facts about Moldova
- People from Moldova are known as Moldovans.
- In land area it is a little larger than Belgium.
- It shares land borders with 2 countries: Romania and Ukraine.
- Population density works out at roughly 71 people per square kilometre.
- Its full official name is Republic of Moldova.
- The Moldovan leu is used here and nowhere else on this list.
- Within Eastern Europe it is the 4th largest of 4.
- Ranked by land area, Moldova is 141st out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
Moldova — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Moldova?
- The capital of Moldova is Chișinău.
- How big is Moldova?
- Moldova covers 33,846 km², ranking 141st of 250 by land area. That makes it a little larger than Belgium.
- Which countries border Moldova?
- Moldova borders 2 countries: Romania and Ukraine. Ukraine is the largest of them by area.
- What currency does Moldova use?
- Moldova uses the Moldovan leu, written L (currency code MDL). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is Moldova a country?
- Yes. Moldova is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- Is Moldova landlocked?
- Yes. Moldova has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- Where is Moldova located?
- Moldova is in Eastern Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 47.0° north and 29.0° east, roughly 5,232 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
- What language is spoken in Moldova?
- The official language of Moldova is Moldavian. No other entry on this list gives it official status.
- What is the population of Moldova?
- Moldova has a population of about 2.4 million, which makes it the 145th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Botswana sits just above it and Albania just below.
