PMR

On 2 September 2007, Pridnestrovie turns 17 years old. The small country declared independence on September 2, 1990. Since that date, it has governed its own affairs as a sovereign state, with its own flag, constitution, national anthem, license plates, passports, currency, and democratically elected parliament.

Map of Pridnestrovie with the country's main cities.

Map of roads, villages, towns and cities of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (or Pridnestrovie for short).

Map of Pridnestrovie

This is Voronkovo from the air (location: 7°41'N 029°06'E). Voronkovo is a village near Rybnitsa, and known for two things: A huge Cold War military air base, and a famous Christian church.

Entry to PMR: This sign, located at one of the country's border crossings and done in the same colors as the national flag, welcomes visitors to the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

Text free outline of map of Pridnestrovie

In terms of population, Pridnestrovie is double the size of Iceland (296,000) and Belize (283,000), and larger than Luxembourg (468,000). In fact, scores of UN members have population sizes below Pridnestrovie -- and are still independent, sovereign nations. Pridnestrovie has more than fifty times the population of UN members Nauru and Tuvalu. On the scale of new and independent nations, Pridnestrovie falls into the high end of the category: It is one of the larger countries and fully capable of continued independent statehood.

Pridnestrovie is small, but is it too small to stand on its own? Based on nearly two decades of independence, the answer is no. Ever since independence in 1990, the country has proven to the world that it meets all the tests of an independent, economically viable nation state. The size of the country, while small, is much larger than lots of other independent nations.

Independent and sovereign, Pridnestrovie issues its own currency.