Romania vs. Moldova
Geography
| Romania | Moldova | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine | Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania |
| Geographic coordinates | 46 00 N, 25 00 E | 47 00 N, 29 00 E |
| Map references | Europe | Europe |
| Area | total: 238,391 sq km land: 229,891 sq km water: 8,500 sq km | total: 33,851 sq km land: 32,891 sq km water: 960 sq km |
| Area - comparative | twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon | slightly larger than Maryland |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,844 km border countries (5): Bulgaria 605 km, Hungary 424 km, Moldova 683 km, Serbia 531 km, Ukraine 601 km | total: 1,885 km border countries (2): Romania 683 km, Ukraine 1202 km |
| Coastline | 225 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms | moderate winters, warm summers |
| Terrain | central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Moldavian Plateau on the east by the Eastern Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps | rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m lowest point: Black Sea 0 m mean elevation: 414 m | highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m lowest point: Dniester (Nistru) 2 m mean elevation: 139 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower | lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, limestone, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 60.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 39.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 19.7% (2018 est.) forest: 28.7% (2018 est.) other: 10.6% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 74.9% (2018 est.) arable land: 55.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.) forest: 11.9% (2018 est.) other: 13.2% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 31,490 sq km (2012) | 2,283 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides | landslides |
| Environment - current issues | soil erosion, degradation, and desertification; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands | heavy use of agricultural chemicals, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion and declining soil fertility from poor farming methods |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol |
| Geography - note | controls the most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine; the Carpathian Mountains dominate the center of the country, while the Danube River forms much of the southern boundary with Serbia and Bulgaria | landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone |
| Total renewable water resources | 212.01 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 12.27 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | urbanization is not particularly high, and a fairly even population distribution can be found throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations; Hungarians, the country's largest minority, have a particularly strong presence in eastern Transylvania | pockets of agglomeration exist throughout the country, the largest being in the center of the country around the capital of Chisinau, followed by Tiraspol and Balti |
Source: CIA Factbook
