MOLDOVA, REPUBLIC OF

The Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in eastern Europe. Historically part of the Principality of Moldavia, it was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812 and reunited with other Romanian lands in Romania in 1918. After changing hands during World War II and being annexed by the Soviet Union, it was known as the Moldavian SSR between 1945 and 1991, and finally declared its independence on 27 August 1991.
Moldova is a parliamentary democracy with a President as its head of state and a Prime Minister as its head of government. The country is a member state of the United Nations, WMO, UNICEF, GUAM, CIS, BSEC and other international organizations.