Located in the Western part of the country, Ungheni County forms one of Moldova’s border regions to Romania. Ungheni occupies 9% (2,605 sq km) of Moldova’s total surface and with its 283,000 inhabitants represents 8% of the country’s total population. The Region harbours 191 villages and 3 towns (Ungheni, Calarashi and Nisporeni).

As a result of the new administrative reform in Moldova, in 2001, the Ungheni region has split into 3 administrative raions, but from the country development strategy point of view, the Ungheni region remains integral.

With 73% of the population living in the villages and only 27% in towns, Ungheni region is first and foremost a rural region.

The region’s main city is also called Ungheni and with its 40,000 inhabitants is the region’s political and economic centre. The city is situated on the left bank of the river Prut and is approximately 105 km away from the country’s capital city Chisinau and 25 km from Iashi region – one of the large economic centres of Romania. In general though, Ungheni has a favourable geographic position as an important railway junction and a traffic customs liasing point between Moldova and Romania.

Ungheni region is a rather industrialised with a number of large food processing enterprises, wineries and industrial factories. Only in Ungheni municipality, one of the famous Carpet factories (“Covoare-Ungheni”) is situated. Its products are mainly exported to Europe, USA, Japan and other countries.

In 2004, the Ungheni Free Economic Zone has been established and the weekly marketplace is an ever-growing entity attracting an ever-increasing consumer public. The relatively inexpensive cost of labour is a factor that greatly increases the potential in the Ungheni’s economic growth.

The Ungheni region is actively positioning itself as Moldova’s gateway to Europe and bets on the social, political and economic benefits arising from enhanced personnel and goods’ cross-border trade between Moldova and Romania.