The Republic of Moldova lies in the central part of Europe in the northeastern Balkans. Moldova occupies an area of 33,843.5 km2.
The capital of Moldova is Chisinau. On the North, East and South Moldova is surrounded by Ukraine, and on the West it is separated from Romania by the Prut River.
The total length of the national boundaries is 1,389 km, including 939 km with Ukraine and 450 km with Romania. The most northerly point is the village of Naslavcea (48º21´ N 27º35´ E), while the most southerly point, Giurgiulesti (45º 28´ N 28º 12´ E), which is the only settlement on the bank of the Danube. The most westerly point is the village of Criva (48º16´ N 26º30´ E) and the most easterly point is the village of Palanca (46º 25´ N 30º 05´ E).
The Republic of Moldova belongs to the group of countries located in the Black Sea Basin. It maintains close mutually advantageous commercial ties with these countries as well as the countries located in the Danube Basin. The southern border of the country extends almost as far as the Black Sea, which can be accessed through the Nistru Liman and the Danube River.
The mineral resources of the Republic of Moldova are mainly represented by sedimentary rocks, such as limestone, chalk, gypsum, sand, sandstone, bentonite, tripoli, and diatomite, which can be used in construction, cement and glass production, food processing, chemical and metallurgical industries etc. Among other nonmetallic minerals that have been identified on the territory of the Republic of Moldova are graphite, phosphorite, zeolite, fluorite, barite, iodine and bromine as well as several industrial metals such as iron, lead, zinc and copper. Moldova has small deposits of lignite, crude oil and natural gas.
Although country has a small area, the Republic of Moldova as a tourist destination has a great potential represented first of all by the geomorphologic aspect of its territory – an unusual diversity of landscape reservations or scenery and unique geological monuments of European and world value.
Over the last decade the priority forms of tourism in the Republic of Moldova have been: rural, wine, cultural tourism, health and beauty Tourism.
The Republic of Moldova has 87 museums with rich collections of art. Additionally, museums are mostly housed in buildings of a special architectural importance. All of these have their specialist audiences, but at least 20 are of interest to the general public.
Part of the national tourist product is the variety of cultures represented in different parts of the country. The Republic of Moldova is an amalgam of many nationalities and cultures with many traditions, languages, folklore, cooking, etc. There are over 880 folk music groups in the Republic of Moldova, most of them reflecting the distinct traditions of their districts and ethnic origins.
