Moldova

MOLDOVA

A. THE COUNTRY

The Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.  The
government is a parliamentary democracy, but there is persistent and
unresolved political problems which descended from the former USSR’s
policy of reassigning regions across ethnic and cultural lines.  The
largely autonomous Transnistria region has, with Russian backing,
effectively succeeded from the rest of Moldova and is a haven for
organized crime and smuggling.  The Gagauz region in the southwest
operates with autonomy.  Moldova has rich agricultural land with
unfulfilled potential.  It is Europe’s poorest nation, with lack of
industry and trade, economic dependence on Russia and lingering effects
of communism.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~3,575,000 and official language Moldovan Romanian.
~93.4% are European (widespread intermarriage and mixing), ~4% Turkic,
~2.6% All other (Romani, Jews, other).

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

The Orthodox Church uses its strong political influence against those it
regards as threats – unregistered Protestant, Muslims and rival Orthodox
groups.  Schism in the Orthodox Church between Russian and Romanian
patriarchates further divide the country’s religious population.
~73.36% claim to be Christian, ~21.56% Non-religious, ~4.95% Muslim,
~0.13% Jewish.
In the Christian category:
~61.74% are Orthodox, ~3.98% Unaffiliated, ~3.86% Protestant, ~2.04%
Catholic, ~0.53% Independent.
Evangelicals represent ~3.7% of the population and growing.
Charismatics represent ~1.7% and of those ~0.9% are Pentecostals.

Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.