Editing Moldova (section)

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Moldova}}
[[File:Malul abrupt al Nistrului Naslavcea-Verejeni Ocnita (11).jpg|thumb|Scenery in Moldova, with [[Nistru River]] (''Dniester'')]]
Moldova is a landlocked country situated in Eastern Europe, on the northeastern corner of the [[Balkans]] in the [[Black Sea Basin]], between latitudes [[45th parallel north|45°]] and [[49th parallel north|49° N]], and mostly between meridians [[26th meridian east|26°]] and [[30th meridian east|30° E]] (a small area lies east of 30°). The country lies to the east of the [[Carpathian Mountains]] and is bordered by [[Romania]] to its west and by [[Ukraine]] to its north, east, and south. The total length of the national boundaries is 1,389&nbsp;km, including 939&nbsp;km with Ukraine and 450&nbsp;km with Romania. The country is separated from Romania on the west by the [[Prut]] river and on the east from Ukraine by the [[Dniester]] river. The total land area is {{convert|33,843.5|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|960|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} is water. The largest part of the country (around 88% of the area) lies in the [[Bessarabia]] region, while a narrow strip in the east is located in the [[List of states with limited recognition|unrecognised breakaway state]] of [[Transnistria]] on the eastern bank of the Dniester.
[[File:Peisaj din raionul Ungheni-2.jpg|thumb|Moldovan landscape in the [[Ungheni District]].]]
Although the country is technically landlocked, in 1999 Moldova acquired from Ukraine (in exchange for ceding a stretch of contested road in the east of the country) a 0.45 kilometer river frontage to the Danube, on the confluence of the [[Danube]] and Prut rivers. This has transformed the old village of [[Giurgiulești]] (in the extreme south-west of the country) into a [[Port of Giurgiulești|river port]],  providing Moldova access to [[international waters]] via the Danube and the [[Black Sea]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/03/world/europe/village-in-moldova-thrives-after-a-lifeline-leads-to-a-port-on-the-danube.html NY Times report]</ref> The Dniester river, which rises in Ukraine near the city of [[Drohobych]], passes through Moldova, separating the main territory from its unrecognised breakaway region Transnistria, and empties into the Black Sea in Ukraine. At its closest point, Moldova is separated from the [[Dniester Liman]], an estuary of the Black Sea, by only 3&nbsp;km of Ukrainian territory.
[[File:Rezervatia „LaCastel Gordinesti” Edinet (10).jpg|thumb|La Castel landscape reserve near [[Gordinești, Edineț|Gordinești]], [[Edineț District]]]]
[[File:Moldova Competitiveness Project, USAID Moldova (48121769796).jpg|thumb|Nistru (''Dniester'') River in south of Moldova.]]
While most of the country is hilly, elevations never exceed {{convert|430|m|ft|abbr=on}}, the highest point being the [[Dealul Bălănești|Bălănești Hill]]. Moldova's hills are part of the [[Moldavian Plateau]], which geologically originate from the Carpathian Mountains. Its subdivisions in Moldova include the Dniester Hills (Northern Moldavian Hills and Dniester Ridge), the Moldavian Plain (Middle Prut Valley and [[Bălți Steppe]]), and the Central Moldavian Plateau (Ciuluc-Soloneț Hills, Cornești Hills—[[Codri]] Massive, "Codri" meaning "forests"—Lower Dniester Hills, Lower Prut Valley, and Tigheci Hills). In the south, the country has a small flatland, the [[Bugeac Plain]]. The territory of Moldova east of the river Dniester is split between parts of the [[Podolian Plateau]], and parts of the [[Eurasian Steppe]]. Moldova's exceptionally rich [[Chernozem]] soil covers around three-quarters of the country's land area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 August 2016 |title=Geography – Republic of Moldova |url=https://moldova.md/en/content/geography |access-date=3 August 2023 |website=[[Republic of Moldova]] |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828051957/https://moldova.md/en/content/geography |url-status=live }}</ref>

Moldova's capital and largest city is [[Chișinău]], with approximately a third of the country's population residing in its metro area. Chișinău is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the country, on the river [[Bîc]], a tributary of the [[Dniester]]. Moldova's second-largest city is [[Tiraspol]], which lies on the eastern bank of the Dniester and is the capital of the [[List of states with limited recognition|unrecognised breakaway region]] of [[Transnistria]]. The country's third-largest city is [[Bălți]], often referred to as the 'northern capital'. It is situated {{convert|127|km|mi|abbr=off}} north of the capital Chișinău, and is located on the river [[Răut River|Răut]], a tributary of the Dniester, on a hilly landscape in the Bălți steppe. [[Comrat]] is the administrative centre of the [[autonomous region]] of [[Gagauzia]].

===Climate===
[[File:Orhei Vechi, Moldova - Flickr - Dave Proffer (13).jpg|thumb|Cave churches at [[Old Orhei]], part of the [[Protected areas of Moldova|only national park]] in the country]]
Moldova has a climate which is moderately continental; its proximity to the [[Black Sea]] leads to the climate being mildly cold in the autumn and winter and relatively cool in the spring and summer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/Moldova.htm |title=Moldova's Climate |publisher=Weatheronline.co.uk |access-date=9 October 2013 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014031249/http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/Moldova.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The summers are warm and long, with temperatures averaging about {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}} and the winters are relatively mild and dry, with January temperatures averaging {{convert|-4|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Annual rainfall, which ranges from around {{convert|600|mm|0|abbr=on}} in the north to {{convert|400|mm|0|abbr=on}} in the south, can vary greatly; long dry spells are not unusual. The heaviest rainfall occurs in early summer and again in October; heavy showers and thunderstorms are common. Because of the irregular terrain, heavy summer rains often cause erosion and river silting.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Moldova was {{convert|41.5|°C|1|abbr=on}} on 21 July 2007 in [[Camenca]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Stînga Nistrului |url=http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Camenca |title=Camenca temperature |publisher=Weather-forecast.com |access-date=9 October 2013 |archive-date=5 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605051834/http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Camenca |url-status=live }}</ref> The lowest temperature ever recorded was {{convert|-35.5|°C|1|abbr=on}} on 20 January 1963 in Brătușeni, Edineț county.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Bratuseni-weather/Gagauzia/MD.aspx |title=Bratuseni temperature |publisher=Worldweatheronline.com |access-date=9 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020211429/http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Bratuseni-weather/Gagauzia/MD.aspx |archive-date=20 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the three largest cities in Moldova<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=MD&name=Moldova|title=Moldova climate information|publisher=Weatherbase|access-date=3 February 2016|archive-date=2 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102231617/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=MD&name=Moldova|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!Location
!July (°C)
!July (°F)
!January (°C)
!January (°F)
|-
|[[Chișinău]] || 27/17 || 81/63 || 1/−4 || 33/24
|-
|[[Tiraspol]] || 27/15 || 81/60 || 1/−6 || 33/21
|-
|[[Bălți]] || 26/14 || 79/58 || −0/−7 || 31/18
|}

===Biodiversity===
{{see also|Protected areas in Moldova}}
[[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], Moldova is split between the [[East European Plain]] and the [[Pontic–Caspian steppe]] of the [[Circumboreal Region]] within the [[Boreal Kingdom]]. It is home to three terrestrial ecoregions: [[Central European mixed forests]], [[East European forest steppe]], and [[Pontic steppe]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C. |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E.M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=Davi |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de&nbsp;Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |display-authors=6 |year=2017 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |pages=534–545 |issn=0006-3568 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |doi-access=free |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287 |s2cid=13136188}}</ref> Forests currently cover only 11% of Moldova, though the state is making efforts to increase their range. It had a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 2.2/10, ranking it 158th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H.S. |last2=Duncan|first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T.D. |last4=Jones |first4=K.R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H.L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray|first8=J.C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J.G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H.M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P.R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |last16=Franco|first16=P. |last17=Goldman|first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W.F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N.J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C.|last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J.E.M. |display-authors=6 |year=2020 |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity |type=Supplementary material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=5978 |issn=2041-1723 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |doi-access=free |pmid=33293507 |pmc=7723057 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |s2cid=228082162}}</ref> Game animals, such as [[red deer]], [[roe deer]] and [[wild boar]] can be found in these wooded areas.<ref name="Environmental issues in Moldova">{{cite web |title=Environmental issues in Moldova |url=https://naturvernforbundet.no/international/environmental-issues-in-moldova/category940.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409044105/http://naturvernforbundet.no/international/environmental-issues-in-moldova/category940.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 April 2015 |website=Naturvernforbundet |date=7 October 2009 |access-date=30 May 2020 }}</ref>[[File:Saiga antelope at the Stepnoi Sanctuary.jpg|thumb|Noted for its vivid portrayal of the lower [[Nistru river]] (''Dniester''), [[Henryk Sienkiewicz]]'s novel ''[[With Fire and Sword]]'' opens with a description of [[Saiga antelope|saigas]] as a way to highlight the story's exotic setting.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sienkiewicz |first=Henryk |trans-title=With Fire and Sword |title=Ogniem i Mieczem |volume=1 |url=https://wolnelektury.pl/katalog/lektura/ogniem-i-mieczem-tom-pierwszy.html |access-date=7 May 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604162834/https://wolnelektury.pl/katalog/lektura/ogniem-i-mieczem-tom-pierwszy.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=O suhaku, który z suchych stepów przybył |trans-title=On the Suhaku of the arid steppes |date=6 October 2017 |website=Menażeria Etymologiczna |language=pl |via=wordpress.com |url=https://etymologicznamenazeria.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/o-suhaku-ktory-z-suchych-stepow-przybyl/ |access-date=7 May 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604162835/https://etymologicznamenazeria.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/o-suhaku-ktory-z-suchych-stepow-przybyl/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Saigas are a [[Near-threatened species|near-threatened]] species that is now extinct in Moldova.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
! colspan="4" |[[Protected areas of Moldova#Scientific nature reserves|Scientific reserves in Moldova]]
|-
!Name
!Location
!Established
!Area
|-
|[[Codru Reserve]]
|[[Strășeni District|Strășeni]]
|1971
|{{convert|5177|ha|km2|0}}
|-
|[[Iagorlîc Reserve|Iagorlîc]]
|[[Dubăsari District|Dubăsari]]
|1988
|{{convert|836|ha|km2|0}}
|-
|[[Lower Prut]]
|[[Cahul District|Cahul]]
|1991
|{{convert|1691|ha|km2|0}}
|-
|[[Plaiul Fagului]]
|[[Ungheni District|Ungheni]]
|1992
|{{convert|5642|ha|km2|0}}
|-
|[[Pădurea Domnească]]
|[[Glodeni District|Glodeni]]
|1993
|{{convert|6032|ha|km2|0}}
|}
The environment of Moldova suffered extreme degradation during the Soviet period, when industrial and agricultural development proceeded without regard for environmental protection.<ref name="Environmental issues in Moldova"/> Excessive use of pesticides resulted in heavily polluted topsoil, and industries lacked emission controls.<ref name="Environmental issues in Moldova"/> Founded in 1990, the [[Ecological Movement of Moldova]], a national, non-governmental, nonprofit organisation which is a member of the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] has been working to restore Moldova's damaged natural environment.<ref name="Environmental issues in Moldova"/> The movement is national representative of the Centre "Naturopa" of the [[Council of Europe]] and [[United Nations Environment Programme]] of the United Nations.<ref>{{cite conference
|title=Moldova participants & European participants |conference=European Partnership Fair for Civil Society Organizations in Moldova |date=15–16 June 2010 |place=Republican Palace, Chisinau, Moldova |page=25 |publisher=[[European Partnership for Democracy]] |url=http://www.epd.eu/uploads/7a30d35a4a1fb6420184b7cdb9871f5a.pdf |access-date=24 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720161119/http://www.epd.eu/uploads/7a30d35a4a1fb6420184b7cdb9871f5a.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref>

Once possessing a range from the [[British Isles]] through Central Asia over the [[Bering Strait]] into [[Alaska]] and Canada's [[Yukon]] as well as the [[Northwest Territories]], [[Saiga antelope|saigas]] survived in Moldova and Romania into the late 18th century. Deforestation, demographic pressure, as well as excessive hunting eradicated the native saiga herds. They were considered a characteristic animal of [[Scythia]] in antiquity. Historian [[Strabo]] referred to the saigas as the ''kolos'', describing it as "between the deer and ram in size" which (understandably but wrongly) was believed to drink through its nose.<ref>{{cite book |last=Strabo |title=[[Geographica]] |trans-title=Geography |section=book&nbsp;VII, chapter&nbsp;4, paragraph&nbsp;8 |section-url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/7D*.html#4.7.9 |access-date=19 December 2012 }}{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Another animal which was extinct in Moldova since the 18th century until recently was the European Wood Bison or [[wisent]]. The species was reintroduced with the arrival of three European bison from [[Białowieża Forest]] in Poland several days before [[Independence Day of the Republic of Moldova|Moldova's Independence Day]] on 27 August 2005.<ref>{{cite news |author=Autor invitat |date=27 August 2005 |title=The bison come back to Moldova |language=en |url=https://www.moldova.org/en/the-bison-come-back-to-moldova-4123-eng/ |access-date=30 May 2020 |publisher=Moldova.org |archive-date=16 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616162621/https://www.moldova.org/en/the-bison-come-back-to-moldova-4123-eng/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Moldova is currently interested in expanding their wisent population, and began talks with Belarus in 2019 regarding a bison exchange programme between the two countries.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Belarus, Moldova discuss bison exchange program |date=17 February 2019 |publisher=Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Belarus |url=http://www.mlh.by/en/press-service/news/2584/ |access-date=30 May 2020 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728032233/http://www.mlh.by/en/press-service/news/2584/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>