Transnistria's Topography, Nature & Climate

From north to south, the country is more than 200 kilometres long - however, the average east-west extent is 20 kilometres only. At some points, it's only 4 km from the eastern to the western border. To the west, Transdniestr borders the →Republic of Moldova. Most of the border is marked by the river Nistru (Dniestr). Almost all of the territory lies on the eastern bank of the river - except for two pockets, namely the area south of the capital →Tiraspol and a small area around the town of →Bendery (Tighina), which was subdued by the PMR after heavy fights.

The area north of Dubăsari is rather hilly, the rest of the country is just flat. It's the Dniestr plain with an altitude of a few metres above sea level only. That is one of the reasons why the area was heavily industrialized - plains are rare in the area. Agriculture plays an important role, too. Transdniestr produces almost all of the food itself. Still, the annual precipitation is quite low. Due to a long drought between 2000 and 2003, the entire harvest has been severely hit. As with the rest of Moldova, wine production plays an important role.