Moldavia (
Romanian Moldova) is a geographic and historical region and former
principality in
Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between
Eastern Carpathians and
Dniester river. An initially independent and later autonomous state, it existed from the 14th century to 1859, when it united with
Wallachia as the basis of the modern
Romanian state; at various times, the state included the regions of
Bessarabia (with the
Budjak) and all of
Bukovina. The western part of Moldavia is now part of Romania, the eastern part belongs to the
Republic of Moldova, while the northern and south-eastern parts are territories of
Ukraine.
Geographically, Moldavia is limited by the Carpathian Mountains to the West, the Cheremosh River to the North, the Dniester River to the East and the Danube and Black Sea to the South. The Prut River flows approximately through its middle from north to south. Of early 15th century Moldavia, the biggest part is located in Romania (42%), followed by the Republic of Moldova (33%) and Ukraine (25%). This represents 90.5% of Moldova's surface and 19.5% of Romania's surface.
The region is mostly hilly, with a range of mountains in the west, and plain areas in the southeast. Moldavia's highest altitude is Ineu peak (2,279m), which is also the westernmost point of the region.
The original and short-lived reference to the region was Bogdania, after Bogdan I, the founding figure of the principality. The names Moldavia and Moldova are derived from the name of the Moldova River, however the etymology is not known and there are several variants
