Demographic features of the population of Republic of Moldova include distribution, ethnicity, languages, religious affiliation and other statistical data.
Gagauzia or Gagauz-Yeri, officially the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (ATUG), is an autonomous territorial unit of Moldova. Its autonomy is intended for the local Gagauz people, a Turkic-speaking, primarily Orthodox Christian ethnic group.
Comrat is a city and municipality in Moldova and the capital of the autonomous region of Gagauzia. It is located in the south of the country, on the Ialpug River. In 2014, Comrat's population was 20,113, of which the vast majority are Gagauzians.
Stepan Mikhailovich Topal was a Moldovan politician of Gagauz ancestry. From 1990 to 1995 he served as the only leader and President of the Gagauz Republic; after reintegration into Moldova he served until 1995 as Governor (başkan) of Gagauzia.
The flag of Gagauzia has served as an official symbol of the Gagauz Territorial Unit since 1995, and is recognized as a regional symbol by Moldova. Popularly known as the "Sky Flag", it is a triband of blue-white-red, with a wider blue stripe, charged with three yellow stars arranged in triangular pattern. The overall symbolism is debated, but the stars may represent the three Gagauz municipalities within Moldova. The tricolor is reminiscent of the Russian flag, which is also popular in Gagauzia; the issue has created friction between Gagauz and Moldovan politicians.
The history of Gagauzia dates back to ancient times. The larger area, known as Bessarabia, previously the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812. The Gagauz have been ruled by the Russian Empire (1812–1917), Romania, the Soviet Union, and Moldova.
The official state language of Moldova is Romanian, which is the native language of 78.6% of the population ; it is also spoken as a primary language by other ethnic minorities. Gagauz, Russian, and Ukrainian languages are granted official regional status in Gagauzia and/or Transnistria.
Moldova–Turkey relations are the foreign relations between Moldova and Turkey. Currently, Turkey is represented through an embassy in Chișinău and is trying to establish a consulate in Comrat. On the other hand, Moldova has an embassy in Ankara and a consulate in Aydın, Belek, Bursa, Istanbul, Manisa and, since 2020, Alanya. Both countries officially established their diplomatic relations on 3 February 1992 after Turkey recognised the Moldovan declaration of independence on 16 December 1991.
Todur Zanet is a Gagauz and Moldovan journalist, folklorist and poet, one of the most prominent contributors to Gagauz literature and theater. He is the editor-in-chef of Ana Sözü newspaper, which cultivates the Gagauz language, and has written the original anthem of Gagauzia. His activity as a journalist began under Soviet rule, and first peaked during the Perestroika years, when he became involved with the Gagauz nationalist movement.
Television in Moldova was introduced in 1958.
Russians in Moldova form the second largest ethnic minority in the country. According to the Moldovan Census (2004) and a separate 2004 Census in Transnistria, about 370,000 persons identified themselves as ethnic Russians in Moldova.
Comrat State University is a public university in Comrat, Moldova. It is the successor of the Gagauz National University, founded on 11 February 1991, by the decision of the Russian Education Foundation and the executive committee of Comrat Regional Council of Deputies. In 2002, it became a state university, by the Resolution of the Government of Moldova.
The Gagauz Republic was a self-proclaimed unrecognised political entity, first declared in 1989, that separated from Moldova in 1990 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union but later peacefully joined Moldova after being de facto independent from 1991 to 1995.
Mihail Formuzal is a Moldovan politician of Gagauz ethnicity, who was the governor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia from December 2006 to March 2015.
Irina Vlah is a Moldovan politician, plutocrat, and archdeacon who served as Head of the autonomous region of Gagauzia since 2015 to 2023. Previously, she served as member of the Moldovan Parliament from 2005 to 2015.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, in Moldova, in April 2020.
Presidential elections were held in Moldova on 20 October 2024, with a runoff held on 3 November. Incumbent president Maia Sandu, who won the first round, and former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was the runner-up, contested the runoff, with Sandu winning a majority of votes and being re-elected for a second and final term.
On 18 September 2022, protests in Moldova began in the capital city of Chișinău, demanding the resignation of the country's pro-Western government, amid an energy crisis causing rising natural gas prices and inflation, caused in part by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Natalia Dmitrievna Șoșeva is a Moldovan pharmaceutical executive and politician who served in the People's Assembly of Gagauzia from 2003 until 2021. An independent politician, she represented the town of Joltai. Since 2022, Șoșeva has been the interim president of the Ceadîr-Lunga District.
Evghenia Guțul, also rendered Yevgenia Gutsul and Eugenia Guțul, is a Moldovan Gagauzian jurist and politician, who has served as Governor of Gagauzia since 19 July 2023. In April 2024 she was indicted in a criminal case with the Anticorruption Court of Moldova.
