| Moldova | |
| Flag | |
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| location | |
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| Information | |
| Capital city | Chisinau |
| System | republic |
| Currency | Moldavian Leu (MDL) |
| Time zone | UTC 2 - winter UTC 3 - summer |
| Surface | 33,843 km² |
| Population | 2 550 900 |
| Official language | Romanian |
| Dominant religion | Orthodoxy |
| Telephone code | 373 |
| Car code | MD |
| Internet domain | .md |
Moldova - country European located in the area of historical Bessarabia. It borders with Ukraine, Transnistria and Romania. It also includes the autonomous republic of Gagauzia, where the official languages, apart from Romanian, are Gagauz and Russian, although the Russians themselves constitute a small part of the population of this area. The indigenous people of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) (over 80%) are Gagauz - Turkish-speaking Orthodox Christians. 78 Moldova 5.94 Democracy defective Parliamentary republic
Characteristic
Geography
Moldova is situated between the Dniester and Prut (Bessarabia). Transnistria is situated on the left bank, de facto controlling its territory. Plain surface, cut by deep river valleys and ravines. There is a karst. The average height of the area is 147 m. Over 75% of the area is below 200 m.
Most of the country is occupied by the Bessarabska Upland, which includes, among others The Transnistrian Upland (the highest point is 349 m above sea level), the Central Moldavian Upland (430 m above sea level) and the Tyhecka Upland (301 m above sea level). The Black Sea Plain extends to the southern borders of the country.
Climate
The climate is temperate continental, dry in the south, with relatively mild winters and long hot summers. Average temperature in January from –5 ° C in the north to –3 ° C in the south, in July 19 ° C and 22 ° C respectively (in Chisinau absolute minimum -30 ° C, maximum 39 ° C). Annual rainfall 400 mm in the south to 560 mm in the north. Rainfall mainly in spring and summer. Snow cover is determined only during the coldest winters. Northwest winds prevail. In winter, frequent thaws.
fauna and Flora
The animal world is typical of European mixed forests. The forests are home to deer, wild boars, and smaller species of mammals include foxes, badgers, squirrels and martens. Birds are mainly blackbirds, magpies and nightingales. Small game, represented by numerous rodents, occurs in non-forested areas. Steppe birds include larks, quails and partridges.
In the south of the country there is the Kodry Reserve (over 5,000 ha) established in 1971 to protect a complex of deciduous forests and to protect animal species such as maral and deer.
Moldova's plant cover differs from the typical plant formation in central and western Europe. The dominant plant formation of Moldova are steppes and forest steps. Currently, however, almost the entire area of the former flower and Stipa steppes is occupied by arable fields and meadows, which cover a large part of the country's area. Moldova is a very sparsely forested country, with only 9% of the total area of forests combined. The areas do not appear in the form of complexes, as is the case in Poland, Germany or other countries of Western or Northern Europe. Forest areas occur with steppes and as riparian forests growing along rivers. Forest areas are concentrated mainly in the Kodrów range in the south of the country. There are only deciduous forests dominated by beech, oak, hornbeam and other species such as ash and linden. Poplars and willows grow in riparian forests.
Culture and art
Society
An administrative division
The area of Moldova is divided into 32 regions and 5 separate cities. In addition, it includes the autonomous territory - Gagauzia and Transnistria - an area that declared secession after the war in the 1990s and where the constitutional power of Chisinau is not exercised.
- Anenia Noi
- Basarabeasca
- Briceni
- Cahul
- Cantemir
- Călărași
- Căușeni
- Cimişlia
- Criuleni
- Dondușeni
- Drochia
- Edineţ
- Falești
- Florești
- Hungry
- Hîncești
- Ialoveni
- Leova
- Nisporeni
- Ocniţa
- Orhei
- Rezina
- Rîșcani
- Sîngerei
- Soroca
- Strășeni
- Șoldănești
- Ștefan Vodă
- Taraclia
- Telenești
- Ungheni
Cities
According to official data from 2012, Moldova had over 50 cities (including 8 cities in Transnistria, which is not internationally recognized, but in practice independent) with a population exceeding 5,000. residents. The capital of the country, Chisinau, was the only city with over half a million inhabitants; 2 cities with a population of 100,000 ÷ 500,000; 1 city with a population of 50,000 ÷ 100,000, 7 cities with a population of 25,000 ÷ 50,000 and the rest of the cities below 25,000 residents.
Other interesting places
Drive
By plane
In Moldova, there is the international airport of Chisinau and several smaller ones in the country. You can get from Poland from Warsaw with LOT Polish Airlines.
By train
There is a direct connection from Poland, Warsaw and Przemyśl, but the journey takes a very long time and it is more advantageous in terms of time to use combined connections.
By car
The very poor condition of the roads in Moldova (in the south) makes traveling difficult. You should be especially careful when entering smaller towns and villages, where holes in the roads can be huge and dangerous. It is common to find the lack of road markings on roadways, which especially slows down traveling at night. The roadways are rather wide, which slightly improves the traveling conditions and gives space to avoid obstacles and holes. The condition of roads in Moldova is also slightly improving year by year. In the northern part of the country, the roads are similar to the Polish roads.
In larger cities, you should be very careful when car traffic is high, as the rules of the road are not always respected by other drivers and pedestrians. The traffic lights are placed at intersections a bit differently than in our country (traffic lights are located on the other side of the intersection, opposite our position), there are frequent traffic lights.
Gasoline is generally of lower quality, there are stations with fuel dispensers with the standard octane number (95 and 98), but also sometimes with fuel dispensers with an octane number higher and lower than the standard values. LPG is also available at petrol stations in Moldova, but such stations are a bit less common and usually in larger / more important towns. The price of gasoline is relatively low, as is the difference between 95 and 98 fuel, hence, taking into account its poor quality, it is recommended to refuel with 98 octane gasoline. Gas stations in Moldova are mainly owned by two fuel producers - the Russian Lukoil and the Romanian Rompetrol. These stations are organized similarly to those in Poland and each year their number and equipment improves significantly. The only difference is the poor availability of toilets at gas stations.
Residents of EU countries, Switzerland, Of the United States, Canada and Japan do not need a visa to enter and stay up to 90 days on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. However, Poles must present a passport upon entry, the validity period of which is longer than the intended stay (however, the regulations do not specify the minimum validity period). For stays exceeding 3 months, a temporary residence permit must be obtained. There are no border inspection posts of the Republic of Moldova at some border crossing points on the eastern and southern borders. More information about the laws in Moldova can be found at a special website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
International policies of Polish insurance companies are honored if they cover Moldova. Personal insurance is not required, while motor third party liability insurance is mandatory. You can take out insurance in local companies. From experience, it is imperative to check whether the so-called We have Moldova entered our green card. In the case of a road check by the police, the green card is the first document we will be asked for.
By bus
There are buses of the international network running to Moldova once a week, from Warsaw and Wrocław.
Transport
The railway network is very poorly developed (1,455 km), and the trains run very slowly (the train from Warsaw takes the route from the northern border of the Republic of Moldova via Ungheni to Chisinau within 10 hours). The quality of roads in Moldova leaves much to be desired, the total length of motor roads is 15.5 thousand. km (of which 12.8 thous. km with a hard surface). You can also sail on the Dniester.
Communication
Moldovan language is a language from the group of East Romance languages, which is usually equated with Romanian or considered as its variant (dialect). However, there are no differences between the official Moldovan language and the official Romanian language. IN Romania The Moldovan dialect is generally considered to be one of the dialects of the Romanian language and has no official status. The number of people speaking the Moldovan dialect in Romania is estimated at 6-7 million. Any Polish-Romanian phrasebook is quite useful. You can find individual such editions in Polish bookstores, but not many of them. It is difficult to stock up on such phrasebooks on the spot, while in bookstores and kiosks you can easily find English-Romanian phrasebooks. The availability of dictionaries and other books useful for language learning looks similar - textbooks and dictionaries with Polish translation are rare or cannot be bought at all.
The second, unofficial, language of Moldova is Russian. More than 90% of citizens can boast of knowing it, for many people it is the only language, as over 30% of Moldovans do not know the official language (Moldovan / Romanian).
Shopping
The currency in Moldova is the Moldovan leu, which is divided into 100 bani. The current exchange rate of the Moldovan leu is 1 MDL = PLN 0.25829 (as of February 15, 2013).
Currency should be exchanged in exchange offices, which are relatively large. Most exchange offices, like banks, work from 10.00 to 18.00; some (in big cities) work non-stop. Before making an exchange, you should check the exchange rates at several exchange offices as they can vary considerably. Some exchange offices, which offer an at first glance exchange rate, charge a 2 percent commission to compensate for the difference. When choosing an exchange office, before changing the currency, it is also worth asking local, trusted people who is the best to choose. There is also no preference whether it is better to exchange dollars or euros, both currencies can be easily exchanged in virtually all exchange offices.
Entertainment and nightlife
Accommodation
The network of accommodation places is quite poorly developed, however, you can find a hotel in every city in Moldova. Prices from approx. MDL 120 (PLN 25) per person per night. There are also private accommodation in tourist resorts. However, it is difficult to find accommodation in most of the smaller towns. Standards vary greatly, so check the room early and ask for hot water. It happens that not all rooms have it as standard. Usually there is no problem with space and permission to set up a tent. Couchsurfing is not very popular due to not very easy living conditions in Moldova, but you can find accommodation this way.
Of course, the alternative is to sleep in the wild.
Science
work
Security
The threat of crime in Moldova is similar to that in other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In buses, trolleybuses and minibuses, be careful of pickpockets.
Health
Preventive vaccinations are not required, but there is a risk of cholera, diphtheria and hepatitis. It is forbidden to bathe in many water bodies, lakes and ponds, because they contain cholera germs. The water in the water supply system is not suitable for direct consumption. Medical care is paid. Private clinics of good standard are open in larger cities. The average cost of a medical visit is approximately MDL 40.
Cultural aspects
contact
- Telephone
The most popular mobile network operators are Orange and Moldcell. Rather, there is no problem with coverage and call prices are low.
- Internet
In larger towns, there is no problem with Internet access in public places.
Diplomatic representations
Diplomatic missions accredited in Moldova
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Chisinau
Grenoble, No. 126A
MD-2019 Chisinau
Phone: 373 22 28 59 50
Fax: 373 22 28 90 00
Web page: https://kiszyniow.msz.gov.pl/pl/
E-mail: [email protected]
Diplomatic representations accredited in Poland
Address: ul. Imielińska 1, 02-710 Warsaw
Phone: 48 22 646 20 99; 48 22 646 55 07
Fax: 48 22 646 20 99
e-mail: [email protected]