Moldova borders the Dniester River which separates Moldova from the breakaway disputed territory of Transnistria.
Most of Moldovan territory was a part of the Principality of Moldavia from the 14th century until 1812, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Ottoman Empire (to which Moldavia was a vassal state) and became known as Bessarabia
 The final status of Transnistria is disputed, as the central government does not control that territory

