Capital

Republik Moldau

name: Chisinau in Romanian (Kishinev in Russian)

geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 51 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: origin unclear but may derive from the archaic Romanian word chisla ("spring" or "water source") and noua ("new") because the original settlement was built at the site of a small spring

note: pronounced KEE-shee-now (KIH-shi-nyov)

Gabun

name: Libreville

geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: original site settled by freed slaves and the name means "free town" in French; named in imitation of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone

Citizenship

Republik Moldau

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Moldova

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Gabun

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Gabon

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Legal system

Republik Moldau

civil law system with Germanic law influences; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

Gabun

mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

Suffrage

Republik Moldau

18 years of age; universal

Gabun

18 years of age; universal

Area

Republik Moldau

total: 33,851 sq km

land: 32,891 sq km

water: 960 sq km

Gabun

total: 267,667 sq km

land: 257,667 sq km

water: 10,000 sq km

Land use

Republik Moldau

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.)

Gabun

agricultural land: 19% (2018 est.)

arable land: 1.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 17.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 81% (2018 est.)

other: 0% (2018 est.)

Location

Republik Moldau

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

Gabun

Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Age structure

Republik Moldau

0-14 years: 18.01% (male 301,432/female 284,034)

15-64 years: 66.37% (male 1,087,397/female 1,069,902)

65 years and over: 15.62% (2023 est.) (male 203,889/female 303,878)

Gabun

0-14 years: 35.04% (male 424,741/female 415,342)

15-64 years: 60.76% (male 765,729/female 690,931)

65 years and over: 4.2% (2023 est.) (male 50,920/female 49,705)

Birth rate

Republik Moldau

8.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Gabun

25.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Republik Moldau

14.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Gabun

5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Republik Moldau

Moldovan/Romanian 80.2% (official) (56.7% identify their mother tongue as Moldovan, which is virtually the same as Romanian; 23.5% identify Romanian as their mother tongue), Russian 9.7%, Gagauz 4.2% (a Turkish language), Ukrainian 3.9%, Bulgarian 1.5%, Romani 0.3%, other 0.2% (2014 est.); note - data represent mother tongue; as of March 2023, Romanian replaced Moldovan as the name of Moldova's official language

major-language sample(s):
Cartea informativa a lumii, sursa indispensabila pentru informatii de baza. (Moldovan/Romanian)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Gabun

French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Life expectancy at birth

Republik Moldau

total population: 69.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 65.8 years

female: 73.9 years

Gabun

total population: 70 years (2023 est.)

male: 68.3 years

female: 71.8 years

Major urban areas - population

Republik Moldau

488,000 CHISINAU (capital) (2023)

Gabun

870,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2023)

Median age

Republik Moldau

total: 39.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 38.1 years

female: 40.8 years

Gabun

total: 21.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 22.2 years

female: 21.3 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Republik Moldau

25.2 years (2019 est.)

Gabun

19.6 years (2012 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

Net migration rate

Republik Moldau

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Gabun

3.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Republik Moldau

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

Gabun

the relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest as shown in this population distribution map

Population growth rate

Republik Moldau

-0.58% (2023 est.)

Gabun

2.39% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Republik Moldau

1.25 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gabun

3.26 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Republik Moldau

urban population: 43.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Gabun

urban population: 91% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Republik Moldau

6.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Gabun

3.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Republik Moldau

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2021)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Republik Moldau

-0.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Gabun

-1.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Republik Moldau

-0.67% (2021 est.)

Gabun

3.2% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Republik Moldau

810,000 (2021 est.)

Gabun

718,400 (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Republik Moldau

7.3% (2018 est.)

Gabun

33.4% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Republik Moldau

3.96% (2021 est.)

3.82% (2020 est.)

5.1% (2019 est.)

Gabun

22.26% (2021 est.)

21.97% (2020 est.)

20.74% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Republik Moldau

33.01% of GDP (2020 est.)

24.95% of GDP (2019 est.)

27.02% of GDP (2018 est.)

Gabun

62.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

64.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Republik Moldau

5.11% (2021 est.)

3.77% (2020 est.)

4.84% (2019 est.)

Gabun

1.18% (2020 est.)

2.46% (2019 est.)

4.75% (2018 est.)

Exports

Republik Moldau

$4.197 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.222 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.662 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Gabun

$10.8 billion (2019 est.)

$9.533 billion (2018 est.)

$9.145 billion (2017 est.)

Exports - partners

Republik Moldau

Romania 27%, Russia 9%, Italy 9%, Germany 9%, Turkey 6%, Poland 5% (2019)

Gabun

China 63%, Singapore 5% (2019)

Imports

Republik Moldau

$7.915 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$5.918 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$6.608 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Gabun

$5.02 billion (2019 est.)

$4.722 billion (2018 est.)

$4.749 billion (2017 est.)

Imports - partners

Republik Moldau

Romania 20%, Russia 10%, Ukraine 9%, Germany 8%, China 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 6% (2019)

Gabun

France 22%, China 17%, Belgium 6%, United States 6%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)

Airports

Republik Moldau

7 (2021)

Gabun

44 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Republik Moldau

total: 719,001 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2020 est.)

Gabun

total: 44,607 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Republik Moldau

total: 1.891 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 61% (2021 est.)

Gabun

total: 1.656 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 72% (2021 est.)

Railways

Republik Moldau

total: 1,171 km (2014)

standard gauge: 14 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

broad gauge: 1,157 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge

Gabun

total: 649 km (2014)

standard gauge: 649 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

Roadways

Republik Moldau

total: 9,352 km (2012)

paved: 8,835 km (2012)

unpaved: 517 km (2012)

Gabun

total: 14,300 km (2001)

paved: 900 km (2001)

unpaved: 13,400 km (2001)

Telephones - fixed lines

Republik Moldau

total subscriptions: 1,000,228 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2021 est.)

Gabun

total subscriptions: 31,708 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Republik Moldau

total subscriptions: 3,900,179 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2021 est.)

Gabun

total subscriptions: 3,144,609 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 134 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Republik Moldau

558 km (2011) (in public use on Danube, Dniester and Prut Rivers)

Gabun

1,600 km (2010) (310 km on Ogooue River)

Disputes - international

Republik Moldau

Moldova-Romania: none identified

Moldova-Ukraine: Ukraine and Moldova signed an agreement officially delimiting their border in 1999, but the border has not been demarcated due to Moldova's difficulties with the break-away region of Transnistria; Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region, which remains under the auspices of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-mandated peacekeeping mission comprised of Moldovan, Transnistrian, Russian, and Ukrainian troops

Gabun

dispute with Equatorial Guinea over Mbane Island and lesser islands in the Corisco Bay submitted to ICJ in 2016