Moldavian Plateau

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The Moldavian Plateau (Romanian: Podișul Moldovei) is a geographic area of the historical region of Moldavia, spanning nowadays the east and northeast of Romania, most of Moldova (except the south), and most of the Chernivtsi Oblast of Ukraine (where it is known as the Pokuttyan-Bessarabian Upland^[1]).

Limits

The Moldavian Plateau is bounded (in clockwise order), as follows.

• To the west by the
  Eastern Carpathian Mountains (Romanian
  : Carpații Orientali).
• To north and north-east by the
  Podolian Plateau (Romanian
  : Podișul Podoliei).
• To the east and south east by
  Bugeac Plain (Romanian
  : Câmpia Bugeacului, Câmpia Moldovei de sud), comprising 3,210 km² (1,240 sq mi) in Moldova.
• To the south by the Romanian Plain (also known as the Wallachian Plain) and the Bărăgan Plain (Romanian: Câmpia Română, Câmpia Bărăganului).
• To the southwest by the Vrancea Hills (Romanian: Dealurile Vrancei), part of the Sub Carpathians (also known as the Curvature Carpathians) (Romanian: Subcarpații de curbură).

The Moldavian Plateau comprises over two-thirds of the territory of the medieval

The slope of the terrain follows the direction of the rivers: from northwest to southeast. Along them, the altitude decreases from 700 m (2,300 ft) to under 200 m (660 ft). The strata are disposed in North-South and northwest-southeast aligned layers, producing asymmetric valleys and ridges. Among the latter are the steep edge of the Bârlad Plateau (Romanian: Podișului Bârladului), known as the Iași Ridge (Romanian: Coasta Iașilor), the edge of the Central Moldavian Plateau (Romanian: Podișul Moldovei Centrale), known as the Cornești Hills, and the edge of the Dniester Hills, known as the Dniester Ridge.

The relief in the valleys of the rivers and creeks is quite conspicuous, so that the valleys have large

• The Bukovinian Subcarpathians in the northwest.
• The Moldavian Subcarpathians in the west and southwest, has altitudes of up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), but also includes depressions.
• The Suceava Plateau (Romanian: Podișul Sucevei), situated in the northwest, has altitudes that exceed 700 m (2,300 ft) and long ridges.
• The
  Dniester River
  and has elevations of approximately 300 m (980 ft).
• The Moldavian Plain (Romanian: Câmpia Moldovei), in the center-north has elevations of approximately 200 m (660 ft):
  • The Jijia Plain, west of the river Prut.
  • The Middle Prut Valley, east of the river Prut, creeks tributary to the Prut, 2,930 square kilometres (1,131 sq mi).
  • The Bălți Steppe, east of the river Prut, creeks tributary to the Dniester, 1,920 square kilometres (741 sq mi).
• The Bârlad Plateau (Romanian: Podișul Bârladului), situated in the south-center occasionally has heights over 500 m (1,600 ft), but is generally sloped from north at 400 m (1,300 ft) to the south at 200 m (660 ft).
• The Central Moldavian Plateau (Romanian: Podișul Moldovei Centrale), situated in the center and southeast, has elevations that in the north-south direction decrease in altitude from 400 m (1,300 ft) to under 200 m (660 ft).
• The
  Bugeac Plain, the last continuation of the Pontic–Caspian steppe
  .

The main influence on the climate is Dry Continental with frequent cold north winds in winter. In the Suceava Plateau and the Dniester Hills, there is an influence of Scandinavo-Baltic climate with the circulation of masses of polar air in the winter.

Waters

Streams on the plateau flow into the Siret, Prut, or Dneister rivers. The Prut has the Jijia as its principal tributary. The Siret traverses and—with the exception of the Subcarpathians—limits the Moldavian Plateau

The lack of precipitation has required water management in the Jijia Plain and in the Bălți steppe which serves as a reservoir and for

Hemp is cultivated in the Suceava plateau, cereals and wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) in the Jijia Plain, Bălți steppe, Bârlad Plateau and Central Moldavian Plateau. In the Siret Passage they cultivate potatoes and sugar beets.

Fauna

Characteristic of the plateau are mammals such as goats, wild