The history of Moldova can be traced to the 1350s,when the Principality of Moldavia,the medieval precursor of modern Moldova and Romania,was founded. The principality was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1538 until the 19th century. In 1812,following one of several Russian–Turkish wars,the eastern half of the principality,Bessarabia,was annexed by the Russian Empire. In 1918,Bessarabia briefly became independent as the Moldavian Democratic Republic and,following the decision of the Parliament,united with Romania. During the Second World War it was occupied by the Soviet Union which reclaimed it from Romania. It joined the Union as the Moldavian ASSR,until the dissolution of the USSR. In 1991 the country declared independence as the Republic of Moldova.
Moldova,officially the Republic of Moldova,is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe,on the northeastern corner of the Balkans. The country spans a total of 33,483 km2 (12,928 sq mi) and has a population of approximately 2.5 million as of January 2023. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north,east,and south. The unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria lies across the Dniester river on the country's eastern border with Ukraine. Moldova is a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic with its capital in Chișinău,the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre.
Romanian is the official and main language of Romania and Moldova. Romanian is part of the Eastern Romance sub-branch of Romance languages,a linguistic group that evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin which separated from the Western Romance languages in the course of the period from the 5th to the 8th centuries. To distinguish it within the Eastern Romance languages,in comparative linguistics it is called Daco-Romanian as opposed to its closest relatives,Aromanian,Megleno-Romanian,and Istro-Romanian. It is also spoken as a minority language by stable communities in the countries surrounding Romania,and by the large Romanian diaspora. In total,it is spoken by 25 million people as a first language.
Chișinău,formerly known as Kishinev,is the capital and largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre,and is located in the middle of the country,on the river Bîc,a tributary of the Dniester. According to the results of the 2014 census,the city proper had a population of 532,513,while the population of the Municipality of Chișinău was 700,000. Chișinău is the most economically prosperous locality in Moldova and its largest transportation hub. Nearly a third of Moldova's population lives in the metro area.
Moldovan,also called 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 Moldovan as one of its official languages,alongside Russian and Ukrainian. Ukraine also continues 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 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.
Transnistria,officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR),is a breakaway state internationally recognized as part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldova–Ukraine border,as well as some land on the other side of the river's bank. Its capital and largest city is Tiraspol. Transnistria is officially designated by the Republic of Moldova as the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester or as Stînga Nistrului.
The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic or Moldavian SSR,also known as the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic,Moldovan SSR,or simply Moldavia or Moldova,was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991. The republic was formed on 2 August 1940 from parts of Bessarabia,a region annexed from Romania on 28 June of that year,and parts of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic,an autonomous Soviet republic within the Ukrainian SSR.
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 ethnic group.
The term Greater Romania usually refers to the borders of the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period,achieved after the Great Union. It also refers to a pan-nationalist idea.
Moldovans,sometimes referred to as Moldavians,are a Romanian-speaking ethnic group and the largest ethnic group of the Republic of Moldova and a significant minority in Romania,Italy,Ukraine and Russia. There is an ongoing controversy,in part involving the linguistic definition of ethnicity,over whether Moldovans' self-identification constitutes an ethnic group distinct and separate from Romanians,or a subset. The extent of self-identification as Romanians in the Republic of Moldova varies.
The unification of Moldova and Romania is a popular concept in the two countries that began during the Revolutions of 1989. The Romanian Revolution in 1989 and the independence of Moldova in 1991 further contributed to the development of a movement for the unification of the two Romanian-speaking countries. The question of reunification is recurrent in the public sphere of the two countries,often as a speculation,both as a goal and a danger. Though historically Romanian support for unification was high,a March 2022 survey following the Russian invasion of Ukraine indicated that only 11% of Romania's population supports an immediate union,while over 42% think it is not the right moment.
Relations between the European Union (EU) and Moldova are currently shaped via the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP),an EU foreign policy instrument dealing with countries bordering its member states.
Moldovenism is a term used to describe the political support and promotion of a Moldovan identity and culture,including a Moldovan language,independent from those of any other ethnic group,the Romanians in particular. It is primarily used as a pejorative by the opponents of such ideas as part of the wider controversy over ethnic and linguistic identity in Moldova.
This is the history of Transnistria,officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR),an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldovan–Ukrainian border,as well as some land on the other side of the river's bank.
Moldova State University is a university located in Chișinău,Moldova.
The Metropolis of Bessarabia,also referred to as the Bessarabian Orthodox Church,is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan bishopric of the Romanian Orthodox Church,situated in Moldova. Its canonical jurisdiction is the territory of the Republic of Moldova,and over the Moldovan and Romanian Orthodox diaspora from the former USSR.
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.
A controversy exists over the national identity and name of the native language of the main ethnic group in Moldova. The issue more frequently disputed is whether Moldovans constitute a subgroup of Romanians or a separate ethnic group. While there is wide agreement about the existence of a common language,the controversy persists about the use of the term "Moldovan language" in certain political contexts.
The Democratic Forum of the Romanians of Moldova is a civic movement,which brings together over 120 NGOs,several leading public organizations of Moldova and a whole number of academicians,writers,journalists. In 2006,the organization claimed 100,000 members.
Eugen Tomac is a Romanian politician,historian and journalist currently serving as MEP in the European Parliament for Romania since 2019. He is also the President of the People's Movement Party (PMP).
