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There are a number of national symbols of Moldova, representing Moldova or its people in either official or unofficial capacities.
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Moldova |
|---|
| |
| People |
| Mythology |
| Festivals |
| Religion |
| Literature |
| Music |
| Sport |
There are a number of national symbols of Moldova, representing Moldova or its people in either official or unofficial capacities.
| Type | Image | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| National flag |  | The State Flag of the Republic of Moldova (Romanian : Drapelul de Stat al Republicii Moldova) is a rectangular cloth, equally vertically tripartite, starting from the flag pole in blue, yellow and red, similar to the flag of Romania. The difference is the State Emblem of the Republic of Moldova disposed in the midst of the yellow field, constituting 1/5 the length of the flag. [1] |
| National coat of arms |  | The State Emblem of the Republic of Moldova (Romanian : Stema de Stat a Republicii Moldova) is a horizontally divided shield having in the upper part red chromatics, in the lower part – blue, loaded with the head of aurochs having between its horns a star with eight rays. The head of aurochs is flanked on the right by a five-petalled rose, and on the left by a crescent. The aurochs is also present on the coat of arms of Romania. All the elements present on the shield are of golden. The shield is placed on the breast of a natural eagle holding in its beak a golden cross and taking in the right claw a green olive branch, and in the left claw a golden scepter. [2] |
| National anthem | Our language | Limba noastră It was written by Alexei Mateevici in 1917, one year before the union of Bessarabia with Romania. The music for the anthem was composed by Alexandru Cristea. Between 1917–18 and 1991–94, the national anthem of Moldova was Deșteaptă-te, române! , which is also the national anthem of Romania. |
| National holiday |  | Independence Day It commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1991. [3] The act of independence was officially recognized on March 2, 1992, when Moldova gained membership of the United Nations. Being a public holiday most people and employees, also most retail businesses and public institutions are closed on this day. |
| Type | Image | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| National flower |  | The basil |
 | The dog-rose | |
| National tree |  | The oak |
 | The sour cherry | |
 | The walnut | |
| National animal emblem |  | The Aurochs |
 | The wolf | |
| National bird |  | The white stork |
| National river |  | The Dniester |
 | The Prut It forms the western border of Moldova with Romania. | |
| National holiday |  | The Mărțișor begins on 1 March and lasts 10 days, symbolizing the coming of spring. |
 | Paștele Blajinilor is celebrated the Monday after Thomas Sunday. | |
 | Hora | |
| National monument |  | Monument to Stephen the Great and Holy in Chișinău |
Moldovan or Moldavian is one of the two local names for the Romanian language in Moldova. Moldovan was declared the official language of Moldova in Article 13 of the constitution adopted in 1994, while the 1991 Declaration of Independence of Moldova used the name Romanian. In 2003, the Moldovan parliament adopted a law defining Moldovan and Romanian as glottonyms for the same language. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence, thus giving official status to the name Romanian. The breakaway region of Transnistria continues to recognize "Moldavian" as one of its official languages, alongside Russian and Ukrainian. Ukraine also continued until recently to make a distinction between Moldovan and Romanian, with one village declaring its language to be Romanian and another declaring it to be Moldovan, though Ukrainian officials have announced an intention to remove the legal status of Moldovan. On 16 November 2023, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Ukrainian government stated that it has initiated steps to abolish the Moldovan language and to replace it with Romanian. On 13 January 2024, Ukrainian newspaper Dumska reported that the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science had announced all 16 schools in Odesa Oblast teaching "Moldovan" had dropped the term in favor of Romanian. On 16 March 2023, the Moldovan Parliament approved a law on referring to the national language as Romanian in all legislative texts and the constitution. On 22 March, the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, promulgated the law.
Ialoveni is a city in the Republic of Moldova situated 10 km (6 mi) from Chișinău. The city is administrative center of the Ialoveni District.
Cantemir is a town in Moldova. It is the administrative center of Cantemir District.
Strășeni is a city and municipality of about 20,000 inhabitants in central Moldova, the administrative center of Strășeni District. The city administers one village, Făgureni.
Glodeni is a city in the northwest of Moldova; it is the seat of Glodeni District. The population at the 2004 census was 10,785. One village, Stîrcea, is administered by the city.
Nisporeni is a town in Moldova and the administrative center of Nisporeni District.
Ungheni is a municipality in Moldova. With a population of 35,157, it is the seventh largest town in Moldova and the seat of Ungheni District.
Hîncești is a city and municipality in Moldova.
Căușeni is a town and the administrative center of Căușeni District, Moldova.
Fălești is a city and the administrative center of Fălești District, Moldova. The population at the 2004 census was 14,931.
Șoldănești is a city in Moldova. It is the capital of Șoldănești District. Known as Chernenko during the communist era, the town regained its historical name in the early 1980s.
Rîșcani is a city in Moldova, the capital of the Rîșcani District. It is located along the Copăceanca river, about 22 kilometres from the station in Drochia. Two villages are administered by the city, Bălanul Nou and Rămăzan.
Sîngerei is a city in Moldova and the seat of Sîngerei District. One village is administered by the city, Vrănești.
Ceadîr-Lunga is a city and municipality in Gagauzia, Moldova.
Ștefan Vodă is a city and the administrative centre of Ștefan Vodă District, Moldova.
The Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova was a document adopted on 27 August 1991 by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova following the failure of the August coup attempt.
Florești is the capital city and industrial and commercial center of Floreşti District of Moldova. It is located on the river Răut.
Ion Buga is a Moldovan politician and history professor.
Gheorghe Amihalachioaie is a Moldovan lawyer and politician who served as member of the Parliament of Moldova from 1990 to 1994, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova.
Ilie Bratu is a Moldovan politician.