Ten things you didn't know about Europe's newest country

Odds are you haven't heard much about Pridnestrovie, or Transnistria as it is also sometimes called. The country is one of the smallest in Europe so it tends to be overlooked. You won't find it in history books either ... it only got independence in 1990, a mere 17 years ago.

It's full name is Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica. In the short life of the country it has accomplished quite a bit.

Here are some quick facts that will no doubt surprise you:

10: Double of Iceland's population
9: Multi-party democracy
8: Signed UN human rights charters
7: Market based economy
6: A total of 35 nationalities live here
5: OSCE-ruled elections
4: "Clean" report from EU border monitors
3: Historically, never part of Moldova
2: Industrial powerhouse
1: Government success

The countdown, in more detail —

Pridnestrovie, with a population of 555,000 inhabitants, is nearly twice the size of Iceland (296,000 people) and Belize (283,000). It also has more people than Luxembourg and a dozen other UN member states.
In terms of land, Pridnestrovie controls a territory of 4,163 square km with an international border of over 800 km. Pridnestrovie is six times larger than Singapore or Bahrain, and nearly twice the size of Luxembourg. More than a dozen UN member countries are smaller in size than Pridnestrovie.
[ More ] » Does size matter? Pridnestrovie compared to other countries

Half a dozen parties freely and openly compete for votes in Pridnestrovie's democratic elections. Civil society is represented with a stunning 867 officially registered NGOs (some political, some not, and most are merely single-issue groups). The opposition is in control of the country's parliament and of key posts in the public administration. The latest parliamentary election, in December 2005, was won by the opposition party 'Renewal' over the governing party 'Respublica'; the main supporters of incumbent president Igor Smirnov. Following the win, a new generation of reformers were swept into power with the election of lawyer Yevgeny Shevchuk, 38, as chairman and Parliamentary Speaker.
[ More ] » Democracy | » Elections | » Opposition

Pridnestrovie has acceded to the world's most important human rights treaties, and the country's parliament has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The country is seeking to integrate itself with the international community and become a pro-active and contributing partner, among other things in the field of human rights protection.
[ More ] » Human rights treaties signed

Pridnestrovie's open, market based economy has grown 200% in recent years. The US and Europe, in particular Germany, are among the country's largest trading partners. With the undertaking of a privatization program, foreign investment have poured in from the USA, Western Europe and the CIS. Pridnestrovie has eight large banks, three of them foreign. The country has an advanced electronic payment system and mints its own local currency. New construction is going up all over the country; a clear sign of investor confidence.
[ More ] » Economy | » Banking | » Construction

Pridnestrovie is tolerant and multi-ethnic. Slavs (mainly ethnic Russians and Ukrainians) make up almost 58% of the population. Ethnic Moldavians represent 33%. The rest? A vibrant cultural mix of Poles, Bulgarians, Jews, Gagausians, Germans, and others, living in peace. There is no racism and the country is completely devoid of any racial conflict or ethnic hatred whatsoever. Pridnestrovie has religious freedom and is 98% Christian / 2% Jewish. There is no muslim community. Although a third of the country is ethnic Moldavian they don't want to unite with neighboring Moldova. Like other national minorities, they too prefer Pridnestrovie to stay independent and voted in favor of the country's 1990 independence.
[ More ] » Pridnestrovie's population

Comprehensive 2005-changes to Pridnestrovie's electoral code have increased transparency and citizen participation. Although the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe does not run the elections, all of the OSCE rules and guidelines for the conduct of free and democratic elections have been implemented. A total of 153 international observers supervised the last election, concluding that it was democratic, free and fair. An MP-led delegation from Poland even called Pridnestrovie's election system "by far the most open and transparent in the Black Sea region." The election was won by an opposition party.
[ More ] » Elections in Pridnestrovie: Democratic, free and fair

Pridnestrovie's 800+ km of borders are tightly controlled and smuggling has dwindled to not more than in any other country of Europe. A border monitoring mission from the European Union has been checking the transit of goods on Pridnestrovie's borders since 2005, filing monthly reports on its finding. The result? A "clean" bill of health for Pridnestrovie, confirming similar reports by officials from the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) saying that there is no evidence that Pridnestrovie has ever trafficked arms or nuclear material.
[ More ] » Customs uses technology to end smuggling

Historically distinct, Pridnestrovie was attached to the territory that became Moldova when Stalin redrew borders in 1940. It became independent again in 1990. But at no other time in history was Pridnestrovie ever part of Moldova. Pridnestrovie is separate from its larger neighbor Moldova in language, culture, alphabet and history. Its capital, Tiraspol, can trace its roots back thousands of years; always separate and independent from Moldova. The forced marriage of Moldova and Pridnestrovie was declared "null and void" by Moldova's in its own Declaration of Independendence, leading the two nations to again go their separate ways.
[ More ] » Historical maps of Pridnestrovie

Pridnestrovie, while poor, is richer (on a per-capita basis) and more industrialized than Moldova. With a territory just 12% of Moldova's, upon independence Pridnestrovie nevertheless produced 40% of its GDP and 90% of its electricity. In gas, Pridnestrovie is the region's leader: During the first 15 years of independence, the nation's government doubled the length of gas lines to 3,376 km. Exports go to a total of 99 countries. Just one of the privately owned companies, the steel works in Rybnitsa, exports 2,000,000 tonnes of steel per year and has a Lloyds of London certification. Annual turnover exceeds USD 500 million. Today, the USA is the #1 customer for the country's steel exports. With more than 3,530 trains, the rail system carries over 10 million tons of goods per year. Pridnestrovie's large hydroelectric plants, M.GRES and Dubossarskaya GES, generate and export electricity to its two neighboring countries, Moldova and Ukraine. These numbers show the importance of Pridnestrovie and underscore the importance of future integration in European cross border trade flows.
[ More ] » Economy | » Steel exports

For the past 17 years, Pridnestrovie has is a socially coherent society which has been successful in delivering all of the basic fundamental public goods expected from the state, such as property rights, pensions, crime prevention, roads, health and education. The country has its own Supreme Court and thirteen government ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pridnestrovie has an efficient public administration based on modern management principles and accountability to its citizens. The country has its own Constitution, its own currency, passports, license plates, a Central Bank, a judiciary, police, army, customs service and border patrol, health care system, educational system, a tax collection agency ... and much, much more, as you'll see in the next few minutes as you take a tour of this website.
[ More ] » Government of Pridnestrovie