Transdniestria is located in the southeast corner of Europe between Moldova and Ukraine. The territory is composed of a thin strip of land almost entirely east of the Dniester River (its name literally translates to "the other side of the Dniester"). With an area of 4,163 square kilometers (roughly 1,607 square miles), Transdniestria is just slightly larger than the U.S. state of Rhode Island and boasts some 550,000 residents. Cultural and Political Evolution Transdniestria has a complex history, which is best understood through an assessment of the country from which it broke away in the early 1990s, Moldova. Moldova lies just west of Transdniestria between the Prut and Dniester rivers. Historically, the country was known as Bessarrabia.