The highest point in Moldova is Dealul Balanesti (430 m).

Beleu and Manta are the largest natural lakes in Moldova.

One of the world's largest caves can be found in Criva in Moldova. Its underground path is the eighth longest in the world.

Evidence of Roman occupation of the area can be seen in the "Waves of Trajan", the remains of a system of fortifications.

Prince Bogdan founded Moldavia (Bogdania) in the middle of the fourteenth century.

Steven the Great (Stefan cel Mare), who lived in the later half of the fifteenth century, was a national hero of Moldavia winning a number of victories over many invaders.

From the sixteenth century the principality of Moldavia spent three hundred years under Ottoman suzerainty.

For many years "Moldova" was part of Romania.

From the nineteenth century until the end of the Second World War the historical principality of Moldavia went through a number of boundary changes; sometimes it was within the borders of Romania and other times it was partly within the borders of Russian Ukraine.

In 1924 the USSR created an Autonomous Moldovan Republic on the east of the Dniester River as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova was established at the end of the War (1939-1945).

The following countries in Europe were members of the former USSR along with Russia: Belarus, Estonia (from WW2), Latvia (from WW2), Lithuania (from WW2), Moldova (from WW2) and Ukraine; member countries from Asia were: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

At the end of 1991 the USSR was dissolved and Moldovia became independent.

Moldovia's Transnistria (Trans-Dniester) and Gagauz regions declared independence resulting in two ethnic conflicts.

In 1994 Gagauz became an autonomous region of Moldova.

In 2004 there was protest over closures of Moldovan schools in Trans-Dniester using Latin instead of Cyrillic script.

The results of a referendum in Trans-Dniester in 2006 supported independence from Moldova and eventual amalgamation with Russia.

In June 2014 Moldova signed an association agreement with the European Union. In November 2014 the National Bank discovered embezzlement in the banking system which resulted in a political crisis.