Moldova vs. Ukraine
Geography
| Moldova | Ukraine | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania | Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east |
| Geographic coordinates | 47 00 N, 29 00 E | 49 00 N, 32 00 E |
| Map references | Europe | AsiaEurope |
| Area | total: 33,851 sq km land: 32,891 sq km water: 960 sq km | total: 603,550 sq km land: 579,330 sq km water: 24,220 sq km note: approximately 43,133 sq km, or about 7.1% of Ukraine's area, is Russian occupied; the seized area includes all of Crimea and about one-third of both Luhans'k and Donets'k oblasts |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Maryland | almost four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,885 km border countries (2): Romania 683 km, Ukraine 1202 km | total: 5,581 km border countries (7): Belarus 1111 km, Hungary 128 km, Moldova 1202 km, Poland 498 km, Romania 601 km, Russia 1944 km, Slovakia 97 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 2,782 km |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | moderate winters, warm summers | temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; warm summers across the greater part of the country, hot in the south |
| Terrain | rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea | mostly fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, with mountains found only in the west (the Carpathians) or in the extreme south of the Crimean Peninsula |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m lowest point: Dniester (Nistru) 2 m mean elevation: 139 m | highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m lowest point: Black Sea 0 m mean elevation: 175 m |
| Natural resources | lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, limestone, arable land | iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land |
| Land use | 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.) | agricultural land: 71.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 56.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 13.6% (2018 est.) forest: 16.8% (2018 est.) other: 12% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 2,283 sq km (2012) | 21,670 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | landslides | occasional floods; occasional droughts |
| Environment - current issues | heavy use of agricultural chemicals, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion and declining soil fertility from poor farming methods | air and water pollution; land degradation; solid waste management; biodiversity loss; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic- Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds |
| Geography - note | landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone | strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe after Russia |
| Total renewable water resources | 12.27 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 175.28 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | 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 | densest settlement in the eastern (Donbas) and western regions; noteable concentrations in and around major urban areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donets'k, Dnipropetrovs'k, and Odesa |
Source: CIA Factbook
