Gagauzia
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.
Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia Avtonom Territoriali Bölümlüü Gagauziya (Gagauz) Unitatea Teritorială Autonomă Găgăuzia (Romanian) Автономное территориальное образование Гагаузия (Russian) | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Yaşasın Gagauziya! (Gagauz) "Long live Gagauzia!" | |
| Anthem: Tarafım (Gagauz) "My Land" | |
Gagauzia within Moldova | |
| Gagauz ASSR declared | 12 November 1989 |
| Gagauz Republic declared | 19 August 1990 |
| Autonomy agreement reached | 23 December 1994 |
| Autonomy established | 14 January 1995 |
| Capital and largest city | Comrat 46°19′N 28°40′E |
| Official languages |
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| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Devolved parliamentary autonomous territorial unit |
• Başkan (Governor) | Evghenia Guțul |
• Chairman of the People's Assembly | Dmitri Constantinov |
| Legislature | People's Assembly |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,832 km2 (707 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0.36 |
| Population | |
| 134,535 | |
• Density | 73.43/km2 (190.2/sq mi) |
| Currency | Moldovan leu (MDL) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| UTC+3 (EEST) | |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +373 |
| Internet TLD | .md |
Bessarabia, previously the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812. At the end of World War I, all of Bessarabia – including what was known as 'Gagauzia' – switched control to the Kingdom of Romania. A Soviet invasion and occupation began in June 1940, but the territory was again occupied by Romania from 1941 to 1944, after the latter joined the Axis powers and helped invade the USSR. After World War II, it was incorporated into the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1990, Gagauzia declared itself independent from Moldova as the Gagauz Republic during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but was ultimately reintegrated into Moldova in 1995.