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MoldovaTopography and Drainage
Most of Moldova's approximately 33,700 square
kilometers of
territory (about the size of Maryland) cover a hilly plain
cut
deeply by many streams and rivers. Geologically, Moldova
lies
primarily on deep sedimentary rock that gives way to
harder
crystalline outcroppings only in the north, where higher
elevations are found on the margins of the foothills of
the
Carpathian Mountains.
The gently rolling Balti Plain (Stepa Balti, in
Romanian;
Bel'tskaya ravnina, in Russian) in northern Moldova (lying
at
ninety to 600 meters in elevation in the north) gives way
to
thick, deciduous forests in the Codri Hills (Podisul
Codrilor, in
Romanian; Kodry, in Russian), averaging 350 to 400 meters
in
elevation, where the most common trees are hornbeam, oak,
linden,
maple, wild pear, and wild cherry. The country's highest
point,
Mount Balanesti (Balaneshty, in Russian), is located in
the west
central portion of the country and reaches 430 meters.
The Bugeac Plain (Budzhak, in Russian) in the south has
numerous ravines and gullies. Transnistria has spurs of
the
Volyn-Podolian Upland (Podisul Podolie, in Romanian;
VolynoPodil 's'ka vysochyna, in Ukrainian), which are cut into by
tributaries of the Nistru River.
About 75 percent of Moldova is covered by a soil type
called
chernozem (see Glossary).
In the northern highlands, more
claytextured soils are found; in the south, red-earth soil is
predominant. The soil becomes less fertile toward the
south but
can still support grape and sunflower production. The
uplands
have woodland soils, while southern Moldova is in the
steppe (see Glossary)
zone, although most steppe areas today are
cultivated.
The lower reaches of the Prut River and the southern river
valleys are saline marshes.
Drainage in Moldova is to the south, toward the Black
Sea
lowlands, and eventually into the Black Sea, but only
eight
rivers extend more than 100 kilometers. Moldova's main
river, the
Nistru, is navigable throughout almost the entire country,
and in
warmer winters it does not freeze over. The Prut River is
a
tributary of the Danube River, which it joins at the far
southwestern tip of the country.
Data as of June 1995
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