When we think of Europe, the first thing that comes to mind is French romance, English gentlemen, German rigority, and the high welfare of the Nordic countries. The inhabitants of this land do not worry about food and drink, food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and have almost become the richest group of people on the planet. However, in the remote corner of Eastern Europe, there is a shocking fact hidden - there is one European country that is not only lagging behind in development, but also economically worse than some African countries: Moldova.
1. Located in Europe but not like Europe
Located on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, Moldova is a landlocked country sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania. It is surrounded by neighboring countries on three sides, to the west, north and east, and only faces the Black Sea to the south by a narrow Ukrainian corridor, but it does not enjoy the trade convenience brought by the sea.
The geography is harsh, with three-quarters of the country being hills and plateaus. The territory mainly flows through the Prut and Dniester rivers, but the rivers are often rapids and rapids, which are not conducive to navigation. The area of arable land that can be used is also limited.
Under such closed and barren natural conditions, the economic development of Moldova can be imagined to be very difficult. Its GDP is at the bottom of Europe, with a per capita GDP of only $2,990 in 2022, compared to three times that of Romania, also in Eastern Europe, and more than ten times that of developed countries in Western Europe.
Second, a turbulent history has led to economic decline
The reason why Moldova is backward is also inseparable from its turbulent historical fate. The ancestors of this region were the ancient brave Dacians, who originally lived in the Balkans. After BC, it became a province of the ancient Roman Empire, and the Dacians merged with the Romans. After the fall of Rome, the Dacians established a principality, which was once strong.
But centuries of war began here: the Hungarians invaded, the Turks occupied, and the Tsarists annexed...... Changed hands back and forth dozens of times. In 1812, Tsarist Russia directly divided it into two, and the eastern part became imperial territory. It was not until the 20th century that the land was unified as part of Romania, but soon became a Soviet province in World War II.
Repeated wars and divisions have prevented the region from forming a unified market and stable trade. At the turn of the century, the economy could not accumulate; Ethnic divisions make it difficult to unite. It's like a businessman who can get rich, who is robbed dozens of times by robbers, and bankruptcy will follow.
3. The loss of the sea leads to economic recession
Even more deadly, Moldova lost access to the Black Sea in the 20th century. As mentioned above, Tsarist Russia occupied its eastern part of the country, and after World War II these Black Sea coastal areas were included in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. At this point, Moldova officially became a besieged landlocked country.
The importance of the ocean to a country cannot be overstated. With the loss of its coastline, Moldova lost most of its foreign trade opportunities and was unable to rely on river and land transport to reach the countries as the shallower depths of Western European countries. The terrain surrounded by mountains doomed it to be a dead end.
Because of this, even though Moldova gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, its development has been sluggish because it has no ability to change this predicament. Europe's prosperity did not spill over into this closed land, and it could only watch the prosperity on the other side of the Black Sea.
Fourth, compared with Africa, it is more backward and has a tragic fate
Poverty in Africa has received more attention than poverty in Europe. What we often call European affluence is an exception like Moldova's. In 2022, Moldova's GDP per capita was only equal to that of middle-income Algeria and Mozambique, and even worse than that of Botswana, an emerging African economy. This can be described as "the first month near the water" in terms of geography, and it shows the tragedy of its development.