Read this so you sound smart next time Moldova comes up in conversation

Location: Landlocked between Romania and Ukraine. Which makes me wonder whether I should trust the sushi restaurant my boss recommended….

Capital: Chisinau. (say KEESH-now)

Regarded as: Europe’s poorest country.

Contested region: Transdniestr, a rougue region of Moldova on the Ukrainian border. A self-proclaimed independent nation recognized by nobody but itself, it's known for suspected arms trade and general Soviet-ness.

Government: Parlimentary republic, headed by a president. The prez and parliamentary majority are currently both from the Moldovan Communist party.

Population: ~3.4 million – roughly half that of the little-known Chinese city of Dongguan where I taught English last summer.

Official language: “Moldovan,” although everyone here just calls it Romanian, as do linguists. And due to the country’s tumultuous history, everyone speaks Russian as well (or exclusively.) The choice of which to use can sometimes be a political statement.

Monetary unit: The leu (plural = lei), worth about 8 US cents. Although apartment rents are listed in euros/month, and cell phone plans are quoted in US dollars. Note again the bit of cultural confusion around here.

GDP: ~$3B USD, or ~$880/person. But the income disparity means that a significant portion of the population is much poorer than this, especially outside the cities.

Money sent home from Moldovans abroad: ~$1B – equivalent to a staggering one-third of GDP!

Major industries: Wine and textiles are main exports; 40% of the labor force works in agriculture but contributes only 14% to GDP.

History: You know how the “Six Flags” theme parks are named after the six different nations that have ruled Texas over the years? Well, Moldova’s sort of like that. Ruled by a variety of empires/nations over time, its most recent history saw it as part of Romania and then the Soviet Union before it declared independence in 1991.