In 1359, Prince Dragoș established the Principality of Moldavia along the Moldova River. This medieval state became a vassal to the Ottoman Empire in 1538 and remained so for centuries. The eastern half of this territory, known as Bessarabia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812 following a series of wars with Turkey. In 1856, southern Bessarabia returned to Moldavian control before uniting with Wallachia to form Romania three years later. Russian rule resumed over the entire region after 1878. During the 1917 Russian Revolution, Bessarabia briefly declared independence as the Moldavian Democratic Republic. It then voted to unite with Romania in February 1918, though Soviet Russia disputed this decision. By 1940, the Molotov, Ribbentrop Pact forced Romania to cede Bessarabia to the Soviet Union. This led to the creation of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. On the 27th of August 1991, the Moldavian SSR declared independence and adopted the name Moldova. A strip of land on the east bank of the Dniester river has been under de facto control by the breakaway government of Transnistria since 1990.
Landscapes And Climate
Moldova sits between latitudes 45° and 49° N, mostly between meridians 26° and 30° E. The country lies to the east of the Carpathian Mountains and is bordered by Romania to its west and Ukraine to its north, east, and south. Its total land area covers approximately 33,846 square kilometers. Most of the territory consists of hilly terrain that never exceeds 430 meters above sea level. The highest point is the Bălănești Hill. Forests currently cover only 11% of the country's land area. Chernozem soil covers around three-quarters of the nation's surface. This exceptionally rich black earth makes the region one of the most arable in Europe. Summers are warm and long with temperatures averaging about 22°C. Winters are relatively mild and dry with January temperatures averaging -4°C. Annual rainfall ranges from 300 millimeters in the south to 600 millimeters in the north. Heavy summer rains often cause erosion and river silting due to irregular terrain. The highest temperature ever recorded was on the 21st of July 2007 in Camenca. The lowest temperature ever recorded was on the 20th of January 1963 in Brătușeni.