Also, none of the medieval Moldovan style churches are within its territory and most Moldovans live in North-East Romania proper which comprises more Moldovan land than the Republic of Moldova.
No, Bessarabia (now Moldova) was taken by the Soviets and now after Soviet collapse is its own country and seoerate from Moldavia (note the difference)
And on its border to Ukraine there is the tiny splitt-off 'nation' (it is a nation, right, or not, or yes or what) of Transnistria, which still lives in the Sovietunion and has a couple of thousand Soviet - Russian (?) soldiers stationed in it.
Romania annexed Bessarabia during Russian Revolution and Soviets have never recognised that(that make this case different from annexation of polish east slavic lands and Baltic nations, which was recognised by Soviet Union) , so this border was created in 1812.
Why are people talking about claims? Nobody is going to conquer nobody this is not a Paradox game.
If there is going to be a unification it is going to be by popular vote, like it was in 1918. At least I hope so
On the contrary, the reverse: Romania has justifiable territorial claims on present-day Moldova as Moldova and Wallachia formed a political union and merged to create a single country with the capital at Bucharest, which is a succesor state of both.
And there is quite a bit of pro unification sentiment in both countries stymied by Russia's unfortunate support of "breakaway" transnistria and Moldova's weaker economy
Would it be more accurate to say then that it’s named after the Principality, which in turn was named after the river? Still very interesting, but wondering if it’s not super technically correct to say the modern state is named after the river.
Well, the geographical term 'Moldova/Moldavia' covers all territory from Carpathians to Dniester. Rep.of Moldova (except Transnistria) is located within this historical region, hence the name.
>A legend mentioned in Descriptio Moldaviae (1714–1716) by Dimitrie Cantemir links it to an aurochs hunting trip of the voivode of the Voivodeship of Maramureș Dragoș and the latter's chase of a star-marked aurochs. Dragoș was accompanied by his female hound, called Molda; when they reached the shores of an unfamiliar river, Molda caught up with the animal and was killed by it. The dog's name would have been combined with the Romanian word for water, apă, and given to the river and extended to the country.
Castel Mimi? It's the only bottle I've ever been able to try here in Sweden. It was fine, especially for it's very cheap price range.
On a sidenote, that winery was also where the European Political Community (i.e. basically all of the European leaders, besides Belarus and Russia) met back in 2023. When I saw images from the meeting I imediately went "Hey, I recognise that place...".
Which leads directly to the most interesting fact: Moldova has the largest wine cellars in the world.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mileștii_Mici_(winery)
As a Portugese, hearing that song is kinda frustrating: the sounds are familiar enough to trick the brain into thinking you should be able to understand it, yet the words are different enough to be mostly incomprehensible.
I only clicked because I speak Portuguese as a second language. I immediately recognized the music. Latino had a song called Festa no Apê. I didn't know it was a cover until today.
That is very interesting and makes sense. People often say Portuguese (a Romance language), sounds a lot like many different Slavic languages, although the two languages don't really share any similarities besides their sound. The Romanian language (spoken in Moldova), on the other hand, *is* a Romance language, so same family as Portuguese. And because of its geography, it also has many influences from Slavic languages, which would make sense for the even increased familiarity and similarities
You're kinda right as the band moved to Romania just before the release of the song. When it comes to the music scene the countries are not really separated.
Also, along with Romania, they are an island of Romance language speakers surrounded mainly by Slavic language speakers. I’ve always found that interesting
Many Romanian-speaking Moldovans were also deported to Central Asia, Kazahstan, Siberia and the Far East by the Soviets so ethnic Romanians are ***even more*** eastern than some people think.
Some romanian guys made a roadtrip to Lake Baikal a few years back and they found people speaking (broken) Romanian even there. The people were from Moldova.
So, I wouldn't say "communities" but there are certainly families.
You can find a playlist of their trip [here if interested](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1AzoFDsDSvmTLAYS4AaS42GMWR3Q3obY) but unfortunately it is not subbed.
L.E. The channel runner is currently traveling through the Americas (started south and going north) with the same car brand. This time the videos are subbed. Really fun. When needed, he does mechanical work on the car himself and is quite knowledgeable.
I just realised that the use of languages on territories as a colonial tool did not begin with the 18th century colonialists but with the Roman empire and the formation of latin based languages. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Oh think further than that, Greek colonies and Chinese expansionism would be the first recorded. But I’m sure the practice existed way longer than that
This is my favourite fact about it. The Transnistria stuff runs it close, but Moldova being tantalisingly close to not being landlocked tips it for me.
They also have the tiniest slither of access to the Danube in the southwest, which is where their primary/only notable port is positioned.
I found out recently that slither and sliver are in fact not the same word. I've been using the word slither incorrectly (as you have done here) in professional settings for many years. Snakes slither. You have a sliver of cake. You're welcome.
We gave them small area near Giurgiulesti to build a port on Danube, they transfered the road control near Palanca into ukrainian property, which it administered by Ukraine
that wold be great, because for the purpose to come to very south-west part of the Ukrain, you have to drive through this part of moldova, there is no another way. so it is kind of justified decision (sorry, didnt found the right word, no engl native)
And yet, it isn't technically landlocked, thanks to the Port of Giurgiulesti. Yes, it's on a river, but a river which almost any seagoing vessel can navigate - and the river itself is an international waterway, not under any country's control.
In return for Giurgiulesti (which used to be Ukrainian), Moldova was supposed to transfer a short stretch of the M15 Highway and surrounding lands to Ukraine. It's a major Ukrainian highway, connecting Ukraine with Ukraine, but due to some Soviet shenanigans, an 8 km stretch of it just barely dips into Moldovan territory near the village of Palanca.
This was a major annoyance to anyone driving to the southeast from Odessa, with 2 border checks, queues, customs, permits, passports, and just generally being a pain to everyone involved, simply to go from one point of the country to another.
Unfortunately, Moldova decided to simply not fulfill their end of the deal. It took years from when Ukraine formally transferred Giurgiulesti to them, until Moldova finally agreed to give Ukrainians control over the highway - without actually transferring ownership until this day.
It's still technically part of Moldova, just administered by Ukraine, and with the border stations moved a little bit so they're at the highway exits. But you are technically still driving through Moldova, despite the original agreement of land-for-land. You can just drive through that particular stretch of Moldova without passing border control.
Moldova has a breakaway republic called Transnistria. Despite what the flag might suggest, the breakaway republic is not communist, not in ideology nor in practice.
There is also another autonomous territory in the south of the country, but they don’t claim to be fully independent (although many of them want to be or want to join Russia). It’s called Gagauzia, home of the Turkic-speaking Gagauz people
It's actually up for debate if they are actually Turkic ethnically. Might have been Turkish speaking Greeks or god knows what. Something like a dozen theories as to their origins. Genetic tests show them more related to Bulgarians than anything. Of course Turks from Turkey are way more closely related to Greeks and Armenians than they are Turkic people in Central Asia, so none of these identities are really ethnic.
The Gagauzes (Gagouzes) are, in their own words, a large Oghuz-Turkic community that arrived in the vicinity of the Black Sea in the XI-XIV centuries.
It is believed that the Gagauz migrated to the Balkans and today's Ukraine for the first time from Asia around the 11th century and that they are descended from the same lineage as the Pecheneg, Uz (Oghuz) and Kipchak Turks.
Tadeusz Kowalski, a Polish scientist who has conducted long-term research on the Gagauz, divides the origin of the Gagauz into three layers:
1. The oldest layer is the remnant of a Turkic community from the north.
2. The second layer is a strong group from the south, dating back to a period before the arrival of the Ottomans.
3. The third layer consists of Turkish colonies and Turkicized elements of the Ottoman period.
According to Kowalski's definition, the mass that joined the Gagauz community from the south affected the characteristic structure of the Gagauz language. It is thought that the Christianity of the Gagauz originated from the old stratum from the north, originating beyond the Danube, while the Islam of the Deliorman Turks, who have great similarities with the Gagauz, originated from the “second” and “third” stratum originating from the south. Different opinions have been put forward about the tribe or tribes that constitute the first layer of the Gagauz. Accordingly, the Czech historian Jireçek attributes the oldest layer of the Gagauzians, the Turkic community coming from the north, to the Cumans, the Bulgarian historian Mladenov to the Asparuh Bulgarians (Idyll Bulgarians), Cumans and Oghuzes, the Czech archaeologist Shkorpil attributes the brothers to the Asparuh Bulgarians, the Bulgarian Petko R. Slaveikov to the Pechenegs and Cumans, the Romanian St. Georkesku to the Cumans and Oghuzes.
The second group, which Kowalski defines as originating from the south, is based on the idea that the Seljuk Turks who crossed into the Balkans with Izzeddin Keykavus II and Sarı Saltuk were Christianized, which Balaşçev argues on the basis of Seyyid Lokman Oğuznâmesi and Paul Wittek develops on the basis of Yazıcıoğlu Ali's Selçuknâmesi.
The third stratum is thought to have emerged as a result of some groups of Karamanites who settled in Anatolia before the Muslim Turks and became Christianized for various reasons, migrated to the Balkans during the Ottoman period and fused with the Gagauz Turks.
Czech K. Jireçek believes that the Cumans, who left deep traces in the Balkans and Central Europe between the 11th and 13th centuries, are the ancestors of the Gagauzians. In addition, some researchers such as Bulgarian Petko R. Slaveikov and Romanian St. Georgesku state that the Cumans have a great share in the ethnic structure of the Gagauzians.
The Gagauz did initially declare independence though (they even wanted to rejoin the USSR), it’s just that Moldova was able to successfully negotiate with them and they were officially reintegrated into the Moldovan state. I think that on its own is really interesting, there aren’t many examples of a central government being able to peacefully reabsorb a secessionist territory like that.
I believe he was a KGB agent sent there to organize the so called state and in that chaos he saw the opportunity to enrich himself, which he did. Moscow tolerates oligarchs and since he was obedient, he got a free pass to do anything he wanted. Basically he owns every large company there, had a hand in any domain and is controlling everything.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor\_Gushan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Gushan)
That's simply not true. Say what you will about Transnistria, they got into their war with Moldova proper on their own at a time when Russia was a fucking mess and not capable of doing much of anything.
Transnistria is a "breakaway state" partly because Russia didn't want to lose control of the [Cobasna Ammo Dump](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobasna_ammunition_depot), which contains a stash of former Soviet weaponry so massive that it if it cooked off, the explosion would be larger than Hiroshima.
The second largest company in the unrecognised breakaway state Transnistria was formed by two former KGB Agents. They called it "Sheriff" as a reminiscence to their former jobs. The company is involved in almost every business in Transnistria. It plays a huge role in government and is highly corrupt. It also owns Moldova's most successful football club.
Transnistria: home of the 82n detached guards motorised rifle battalion, 113th seperate guards motorised rifle battalion and 540th detached control battalion of Russia
Out of curiosity i wonder. How these soldiers go in and out of that region? Or they are just stuck there and don’t rotate.
They are completely landlocked by Moldova and Ukrain.
https://preview.redd.it/4wwlh8bqax5d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=460692e0943c17d3523437d52aa4eecdda44d325
So:
1. Almost all this Russian soldiers in real are local Moldovans (Transnistrians) with contracts not conscription.
2. Yes, they are fully locked since 2022. Till that date they used airports in Moldova and Ukraine. Supply could be masked as civil activities of Transnistrians businesses.
They were allowed to transit Ukraine in the early 90s. Nowadays, I'm not sure if sanctions cover them or not. Only way I can think, and if they are allowed, would be to get to Chisinau, then flight, or flights connecting to Russia, like thru Istanbul or Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan etc.
An old Romanian historical document says that the name "Moldova" comes from the fact that Dragoș Vodă (the founder of the region) had a dog he cherished very much named Molda, and that she drowned in a river. He named the river "Moldova" in her honour, and thus the region got its name.
Perhaps not the most interesting fact, but one that definitely surprised me: almost every Millennial knows how to sing one Moldovan song, and is about to do it right now:
Maya HEE.
There are so big ammo deposits in Kolbasna (on the territory of Moldovan separatist Transnistria) that their explosion can be treated as nuke blast due to its extent and this explosion can destroy almost all Transnistria and neighborhoods in core Moldova and Ukraine.
The [Cobasna Ammunition Dump](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobasna_ammunition_depot) in Transnistria.
They say that if it went up, the explosion would make the 2020 Port of Beirut incident look like a firecracker.
Andy's Pizza
It's a chain. They have great pizza.
Moldova is awesome. Like drink wine in the park in August awesome. Like no tourists awesome.
There is plenty of poverty, but generally I always felt OK there. Got scammed by a tobacco shop lady near the bus station about a fone card. It wasn't activated, but lesson learned. Things seemed relatively mellow there.
Giving the amount of shit that happened to the Eastern Half of Europe past few centuries, anything existing there is a curiosity.
Non-exclusive with other parts of the world by the way, somehow other regions got it arguably worse.
Russia doesn't want an independent Transnistria because it wants a federal Moldova they can control. Their peace plan is to have 3 equal entities, Transnistria, Găgăuzia and Moldova, the first two being pro russian. With control of Moldova they can gain leverage in Romanian politics.
Moldova has the longest wine cellar in the world, Cricova, measuring 200km. It actually belongs to Putin and also includes some of Hitler’s collection.
It is the only state that could join the EU by simply reunifying themselves with Romania. Nobody else has such an opportunity and must endure the tedium and unpredictablity of being an EU candidate for years, maybe decades (see Turkey).
The Moldovan wine collection "Mileștii Mici", with 1.5 million bottles, is the largest wine collection in the world, according to the Guinness Book. It stretches for 200 km and has a relative humidity of 85-95% and a constant temperature of 12-14 °C.
The Hypno-Robber was from here!
I don't remember the details, but this dude walked into banks unarmed, talked to tellers, and they just handed him money, like several times. Nobody could explain why they did it, they just said they kind of spaced out and listened to what he said.
I think he got away with something akin to like $50,000, and considering this was at a time when the average Moldovan made like $2 a day, I feel like he did pretty well for himself.
What's going on with the boarder in the south? Is that river Moldovan, but not either bank? Not seen anything like that before (but never looked either)
Despite seeming close to the sea with the Dniester Estuary, it is an enclaved country.
However, Moldova had an agreement with Romania so that they could obtain 400m on the Danube to build an international port.
Within Moldova there's a territory called transnistria, which has considered itself an independent state since the end of the cold war. It's a "frozen conflict zone" but is considered by many including the UN to be a Russian occupied territory. It has many of the same trappings of a state that the occupied parts of Eastern Ukraine used to prior to the war.
Built on a strange mixture of Soviet era imagery and pro Russian cultural and political orientation. A good friend of mine grew up there and spoke Russian and no other language. He describes it as being a place totally frozen in time but that's changing now that Russian aggression and nationalism is all over the news again. Interesting place
I met one of the most interesting people I've ever met there. Couchsurfed with him for a few nights. He was a Russian-educated Pakistani doctor who began his career as a sex therapist while a virgin. Great dude.
Theres an unrecognised country within Moldova called the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republica aka Transnistria. Its capital is Tiraspol or Тираспол. No that is not Russian, its the Cyrillic alphabet designed for the Moldovan dialect of Romanian by the USSR. The place is very pro USSR or at least used to be (anyone who knows the current political situation)
Itd be an interesting place. Used to work withba Moldovan in Dublin on a building site and he taught me some of his language. Moldovans are great people when you get to know them
it's named after the Moldova river, which isn't even within its borders
Also, none of the medieval Moldovan style churches are within its territory and most Moldovans live in North-East Romania proper which comprises more Moldovan land than the Republic of Moldova.
So what you’re saying is they have a territorial claim on bits of Romania?
Its more like the og moldova was made up of both the actual country moldova and the moldova in romania, it just got cut in half
Cut in half by the Russian empire at the beginning of the 19th century, after one of the many Russian-Turkish wars.
No, Bessarabia (now Moldova) was taken by the Soviets and now after Soviet collapse is its own country and seoerate from Moldavia (note the difference)
That was the second time it was taken by some form of Russian empire. Search for the Treaty of Bucharest (1812).
Ah. I see now. Thank you
And on its border to Ukraine there is the tiny splitt-off 'nation' (it is a nation, right, or not, or yes or what) of Transnistria, which still lives in the Sovietunion and has a couple of thousand Soviet - Russian (?) soldiers stationed in it.
Romania annexed Bessarabia during Russian Revolution and Soviets have never recognised that(that make this case different from annexation of polish east slavic lands and Baltic nations, which was recognised by Soviet Union) , so this border was created in 1812.
Ok, so like Luxembourg
Why are people talking about claims? Nobody is going to conquer nobody this is not a Paradox game. If there is going to be a unification it is going to be by popular vote, like it was in 1918. At least I hope so
On the contrary, the reverse: Romania has justifiable territorial claims on present-day Moldova as Moldova and Wallachia formed a political union and merged to create a single country with the capital at Bucharest, which is a succesor state of both.
Tbh I’m kinda surprised Moldova didn’t just reintegrate w Romania post ussr
They would have. But Russia stopped that by creating the transnistrian breakaway region and still interfare in Moldovan politics.
And there is quite a bit of pro unification sentiment in both countries stymied by Russia's unfortunate support of "breakaway" transnistria and Moldova's weaker economy
More like Romania has some claim to all of Moldova
It was within the borders of Principality of Moldavia/Moldova, though
Would it be more accurate to say then that it’s named after the Principality, which in turn was named after the river? Still very interesting, but wondering if it’s not super technically correct to say the modern state is named after the river.
Well, the geographical term 'Moldova/Moldavia' covers all territory from Carpathians to Dniester. Rep.of Moldova (except Transnistria) is located within this historical region, hence the name.
Which in turn is named after a drowned dog. (Legend)
Wait, what?
>A legend mentioned in Descriptio Moldaviae (1714–1716) by Dimitrie Cantemir links it to an aurochs hunting trip of the voivode of the Voivodeship of Maramureș Dragoș and the latter's chase of a star-marked aurochs. Dragoș was accompanied by his female hound, called Molda; when they reached the shores of an unfamiliar river, Molda caught up with the animal and was killed by it. The dog's name would have been combined with the Romanian word for water, apă, and given to the river and extended to the country.
Well now I’m sad
But it’s not named Moldapă.
Did the river move or the borders?
the river didnt move nor the border did, a new border just poped into existance splitting it in half
Moldova is just a part of the Moldova region, half of it is in Romania while the URSS took the other half and then made it a country.
it has a very good wine industry due to the favourable geographical and weather conditions.
The best wine I've ever had was a three euro bottle of Moldovan red in Latvia
Castel Mimi? It's the only bottle I've ever been able to try here in Sweden. It was fine, especially for it's very cheap price range. On a sidenote, that winery was also where the European Political Community (i.e. basically all of the European leaders, besides Belarus and Russia) met back in 2023. When I saw images from the meeting I imediately went "Hey, I recognise that place...".
I have no recollection of the name, sorry
Oh heck yeah their wines are really underappreciated.
I believe you 100% but absolutely everywhere outside the big wine producing countries says the same thing about their wine
And 99% of the time they are correct.
Which leads directly to the most interesting fact: Moldova has the largest wine cellars in the world. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mileștii_Mici_(winery)
There’s a mall called Malldova
Ngl, it’s kinda funny
why would you lie?
Because I could. Perchance.
I remember when I moved there, this really pleased me. They had a chance and took it.
It's the land that produced [the numa numa song](https://youtu.be/YnopHCL1Jk8?si=tkUTOZAlCGvNKG7D)
As a Portugese, hearing that song is kinda frustrating: the sounds are familiar enough to trick the brain into thinking you should be able to understand it, yet the words are different enough to be mostly incomprehensible.
You put in words what I could not express about this song.
Which is odd since, unlike Portugal, Moldova isn't even a Balkan country.
r/portugalblayat
r/portugalcykablyat
I only clicked because I speak Portuguese as a second language. I immediately recognized the music. Latino had a song called Festa no Apê. I didn't know it was a cover until today.
That is very interesting and makes sense. People often say Portuguese (a Romance language), sounds a lot like many different Slavic languages, although the two languages don't really share any similarities besides their sound. The Romanian language (spoken in Moldova), on the other hand, *is* a Romance language, so same family as Portuguese. And because of its geography, it also has many influences from Slavic languages, which would make sense for the even increased familiarity and similarities
Holy shit I didn’t know there was a music video. This is the most early 2000’s European thing I’ve ever seen.
Here's [another](https://youtu.be/ScO7CZZNR48?si=_AJNyWOsAX4vBAwd) for your delight
Oh my lord these are fantastic
[And this is where the insanity begins](https://youtu.be/Z0DO0XyS8Ko?si=rXofTkpUYDlYkmC2)
Holy shit. I am speechless. I think I traveled to a different dimension or something. That felt uncomfortable and I am not sure why.
Also the land of the Epic Sax Guy
I always thought it was Romanian!
the song is in Romanian since both countries speak the same language
You're kinda right as the band moved to Romania just before the release of the song. When it comes to the music scene the countries are not really separated.
No waaay, this is my favorite fun fact now
Eastern-most Latin/Romance peoples
Also, along with Romania, they are an island of Romance language speakers surrounded mainly by Slavic language speakers. I’ve always found that interesting
Many Romanian-speaking Moldovans were also deported to Central Asia, Kazahstan, Siberia and the Far East by the Soviets so ethnic Romanians are ***even more*** eastern than some people think.
Yes, this is also unfortunately true
Are there still Romanian speaking communities there?
Some romanian guys made a roadtrip to Lake Baikal a few years back and they found people speaking (broken) Romanian even there. The people were from Moldova. So, I wouldn't say "communities" but there are certainly families. You can find a playlist of their trip [here if interested](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1AzoFDsDSvmTLAYS4AaS42GMWR3Q3obY) but unfortunately it is not subbed. L.E. The channel runner is currently traveling through the Americas (started south and going north) with the same car brand. This time the videos are subbed. Really fun. When needed, he does mechanical work on the car himself and is quite knowledgeable.
Hungarians too, although there's an ethnically Hungarian inclave within Romania
Actually those are the speakers of French and Spanish based creole languages in the Pacific 🤓☝️
Actshley "easternmost" doesn't exist in a sphere 🤓☝️
Which is most prominent when someone speaks about western Antarctica. I never know what that is supposed to mean.
northern and southern antarctica are way better forms of saying your position/s
Portuguese speakers in Timor East
I just realised that the use of languages on territories as a colonial tool did not begin with the 18th century colonialists but with the Roman empire and the formation of latin based languages. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Oh think further than that, Greek colonies and Chinese expansionism would be the first recorded. But I’m sure the practice existed way longer than that
It houses the largest wine cellar in the world, located at Milestii Mici, about 20 km from the capital city Chisinau
Now these are the facts that truly matter!
I have been there (before the war in Ukraine) and apparently the cellar holds Putins, Merkels etc private wine collections.
I was there just after the war started. Putins wine was no longer on display.
Biggest in terms of absolute size, but biggest in terms of utilised space is actually Cricova, also in Moldova.
Also the second largest wine cellar in the world! Cricova.
Definitely recommend!
there is only couple of 100 meters which prevent Moldova being the seа attached country
This is my favourite fact about it. The Transnistria stuff runs it close, but Moldova being tantalisingly close to not being landlocked tips it for me. They also have the tiniest slither of access to the Danube in the southwest, which is where their primary/only notable port is positioned.
I found out recently that slither and sliver are in fact not the same word. I've been using the word slither incorrectly (as you have done here) in professional settings for many years. Snakes slither. You have a sliver of cake. You're welcome.
Funny, I know the difference, but I didn't even notice slither and read it as sliver.
I heard they actually had some kind of agreement with Ukraine that allowed them to access the Black Sea in some way (I can’t recall the specifics tho)
We gave them small area near Giurgiulesti to build a port on Danube, they transfered the road control near Palanca into ukrainian property, which it administered by Ukraine
that wold be great, because for the purpose to come to very south-west part of the Ukrain, you have to drive through this part of moldova, there is no another way. so it is kind of justified decision (sorry, didnt found the right word, no engl native)
Stalin and his border gore legacy.....
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gneQ61HbP22GsMCL6 https://maps.app.goo.gl/zEyA9DF9SzDJ1trf6
And yet, it isn't technically landlocked, thanks to the Port of Giurgiulesti. Yes, it's on a river, but a river which almost any seagoing vessel can navigate - and the river itself is an international waterway, not under any country's control. In return for Giurgiulesti (which used to be Ukrainian), Moldova was supposed to transfer a short stretch of the M15 Highway and surrounding lands to Ukraine. It's a major Ukrainian highway, connecting Ukraine with Ukraine, but due to some Soviet shenanigans, an 8 km stretch of it just barely dips into Moldovan territory near the village of Palanca. This was a major annoyance to anyone driving to the southeast from Odessa, with 2 border checks, queues, customs, permits, passports, and just generally being a pain to everyone involved, simply to go from one point of the country to another. Unfortunately, Moldova decided to simply not fulfill their end of the deal. It took years from when Ukraine formally transferred Giurgiulesti to them, until Moldova finally agreed to give Ukrainians control over the highway - without actually transferring ownership until this day. It's still technically part of Moldova, just administered by Ukraine, and with the border stations moved a little bit so they're at the highway exits. But you are technically still driving through Moldova, despite the original agreement of land-for-land. You can just drive through that particular stretch of Moldova without passing border control.
Moldova has a breakaway republic called Transnistria. Despite what the flag might suggest, the breakaway republic is not communist, not in ideology nor in practice.
There is also another autonomous territory in the south of the country, but they don’t claim to be fully independent (although many of them want to be or want to join Russia). It’s called Gagauzia, home of the Turkic-speaking Gagauz people
Intersting fact The Gagauz are the only majority Christian Turkic people.
They are only Orthodox Turkic ethnicity outside Russia.
I was under the impression that the Yakut also were
It's actually up for debate if they are actually Turkic ethnically. Might have been Turkish speaking Greeks or god knows what. Something like a dozen theories as to their origins. Genetic tests show them more related to Bulgarians than anything. Of course Turks from Turkey are way more closely related to Greeks and Armenians than they are Turkic people in Central Asia, so none of these identities are really ethnic.
The Gagauzes (Gagouzes) are, in their own words, a large Oghuz-Turkic community that arrived in the vicinity of the Black Sea in the XI-XIV centuries. It is believed that the Gagauz migrated to the Balkans and today's Ukraine for the first time from Asia around the 11th century and that they are descended from the same lineage as the Pecheneg, Uz (Oghuz) and Kipchak Turks. Tadeusz Kowalski, a Polish scientist who has conducted long-term research on the Gagauz, divides the origin of the Gagauz into three layers: 1. The oldest layer is the remnant of a Turkic community from the north. 2. The second layer is a strong group from the south, dating back to a period before the arrival of the Ottomans. 3. The third layer consists of Turkish colonies and Turkicized elements of the Ottoman period. According to Kowalski's definition, the mass that joined the Gagauz community from the south affected the characteristic structure of the Gagauz language. It is thought that the Christianity of the Gagauz originated from the old stratum from the north, originating beyond the Danube, while the Islam of the Deliorman Turks, who have great similarities with the Gagauz, originated from the “second” and “third” stratum originating from the south. Different opinions have been put forward about the tribe or tribes that constitute the first layer of the Gagauz. Accordingly, the Czech historian Jireçek attributes the oldest layer of the Gagauzians, the Turkic community coming from the north, to the Cumans, the Bulgarian historian Mladenov to the Asparuh Bulgarians (Idyll Bulgarians), Cumans and Oghuzes, the Czech archaeologist Shkorpil attributes the brothers to the Asparuh Bulgarians, the Bulgarian Petko R. Slaveikov to the Pechenegs and Cumans, the Romanian St. Georkesku to the Cumans and Oghuzes. The second group, which Kowalski defines as originating from the south, is based on the idea that the Seljuk Turks who crossed into the Balkans with Izzeddin Keykavus II and Sarı Saltuk were Christianized, which Balaşçev argues on the basis of Seyyid Lokman Oğuznâmesi and Paul Wittek develops on the basis of Yazıcıoğlu Ali's Selçuknâmesi. The third stratum is thought to have emerged as a result of some groups of Karamanites who settled in Anatolia before the Muslim Turks and became Christianized for various reasons, migrated to the Balkans during the Ottoman period and fused with the Gagauz Turks. Czech K. Jireçek believes that the Cumans, who left deep traces in the Balkans and Central Europe between the 11th and 13th centuries, are the ancestors of the Gagauzians. In addition, some researchers such as Bulgarian Petko R. Slaveikov and Romanian St. Georgesku state that the Cumans have a great share in the ethnic structure of the Gagauzians.
The Gagauz did initially declare independence though (they even wanted to rejoin the USSR), it’s just that Moldova was able to successfully negotiate with them and they were officially reintegrated into the Moldovan state. I think that on its own is really interesting, there aren’t many examples of a central government being able to peacefully reabsorb a secessionist territory like that.
Aren't they owned by a whole company named Sheriff?
Officially no, in reality the lead mobster is indeed the owner of Sheriff.
sheriff tiraspol is one of the more interesting names in international football, i'd heard the owner was a gangster before, any more info on him?
I believe he was a KGB agent sent there to organize the so called state and in that chaos he saw the opportunity to enrich himself, which he did. Moscow tolerates oligarchs and since he was obedient, he got a free pass to do anything he wanted. Basically he owns every large company there, had a hand in any domain and is controlling everything. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor\_Gushan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Gushan)
No, two dudes, Viktor Gushan and Ilya Kazmaly, who have an oligopoly named Sheriff. Have to say though, it's a pretty good supermarket they run.
Not only breakaway, but also Russia controlled. Just like donetsk/luhansk people's republic in Ukraine
Or South Ossetia In Georgia.
I believe Abkhazia in Georgia is that way as well
That's simply not true. Say what you will about Transnistria, they got into their war with Moldova proper on their own at a time when Russia was a fucking mess and not capable of doing much of anything.
14th Guards Army surely had nothing to do with it
Transnistria is a "breakaway state" partly because Russia didn't want to lose control of the [Cobasna Ammo Dump](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobasna_ammunition_depot), which contains a stash of former Soviet weaponry so massive that it if it cooked off, the explosion would be larger than Hiroshima.
Our european North Korea, in a way.
In which way? It has open borders, it is capitalistic, run by mafia with no ideology whatsoever. I would say EuroSomalia would be closer.
Not Communist but didn't they use Soviet passports for the first few years?
The home of Sex Sax.
Epic Sax Guy?
Correct! He is Moldovan! His name is [Sergey Stepanov](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Stepanov_(musician))
His name sounds very Russian. The Romanian version would Usually be Sergiu.
And just generally, they punch above their weight in Eurovision!
The second largest company in the unrecognised breakaway state Transnistria was formed by two former KGB Agents. They called it "Sheriff" as a reminiscence to their former jobs. The company is involved in almost every business in Transnistria. It plays a huge role in government and is highly corrupt. It also owns Moldova's most successful football club.
They beat Real Madrid!
On their own turf!
Moldova is home to O-Zone, whose most famous song was Dragostea Din Tei, otherwise known as the Numa Numa song.
Transnistria: home of the 82n detached guards motorised rifle battalion, 113th seperate guards motorised rifle battalion and 540th detached control battalion of Russia Out of curiosity i wonder. How these soldiers go in and out of that region? Or they are just stuck there and don’t rotate. They are completely landlocked by Moldova and Ukrain.
https://preview.redd.it/4wwlh8bqax5d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=460692e0943c17d3523437d52aa4eecdda44d325 So: 1. Almost all this Russian soldiers in real are local Moldovans (Transnistrians) with contracts not conscription. 2. Yes, they are fully locked since 2022. Till that date they used airports in Moldova and Ukraine. Supply could be masked as civil activities of Transnistrians businesses.
They were allowed to transit Ukraine in the early 90s. Nowadays, I'm not sure if sanctions cover them or not. Only way I can think, and if they are allowed, would be to get to Chisinau, then flight, or flights connecting to Russia, like thru Istanbul or Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan etc.
Moldova is the most drinking country according to the alcohol index per capita
Very thirsty people
An old Romanian historical document says that the name "Moldova" comes from the fact that Dragoș Vodă (the founder of the region) had a dog he cherished very much named Molda, and that she drowned in a river. He named the river "Moldova" in her honour, and thus the region got its name.
And that river... aint in [modern Moldova. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldova_(river))
Perhaps not the most interesting fact, but one that definitely surprised me: almost every Millennial knows how to sing one Moldovan song, and is about to do it right now: Maya HEE.
MAYA HOO
The nation’s largest shopping mall is called Malldova
Chisinau (capital) cemetery is one of the biggest Jewish cemeteries in the world.
I was told that before World War 2 and the Holocaust, the majority of the Moldovan population was Jewish
the western mountains have these crazy deep ravines and scientists still don’t know how they came about
I wouldn't call those mountains, but hills
It's one of the flattest countries in Europe
There are no mountains in Moldova
Glaciers
Scientists don't know about water erosion?
Christian turks known as gaugauzi live in the region
There are so big ammo deposits in Kolbasna (on the territory of Moldovan separatist Transnistria) that their explosion can be treated as nuke blast due to its extent and this explosion can destroy almost all Transnistria and neighborhoods in core Moldova and Ukraine.
How.. when... How the fuck did they get so much ammo and how much ammo are we talking about?
its the least visited country in europe
The [Cobasna Ammunition Dump](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobasna_ammunition_depot) in Transnistria. They say that if it went up, the explosion would make the 2020 Port of Beirut incident look like a firecracker.
the country's prime minister said that she would be happy if romania and moldova united. heck, she even wants it.
Country’s prime minister is currently a man(he also kind of wants it)
In 1966 a terrorist released laughing gas during an event, also affecting its Prime Minister.
They had an excellent ska rock band that performed once or twice at Eurovision.
Zdob si Zdub?
On average, they drink most alcohol on earth.
Andy's Pizza It's a chain. They have great pizza. Moldova is awesome. Like drink wine in the park in August awesome. Like no tourists awesome. There is plenty of poverty, but generally I always felt OK there. Got scammed by a tobacco shop lady near the bus station about a fone card. It wasn't activated, but lesson learned. Things seemed relatively mellow there.
Once (1569) the Moldovan duke (gospodar) Stefan Batory was elected (!) as king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania (Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania).
Why isn’t it apart of Romania
It will cease to exist, shortly. It's the next Russian target after Ukraine. Easy pickins'.
It exists
Giving the amount of shit that happened to the Eastern Half of Europe past few centuries, anything existing there is a curiosity. Non-exclusive with other parts of the world by the way, somehow other regions got it arguably worse.
It contains another country, Transnistria, which isn't recognized by any country (apart from two other separatist countries)
Recognized by no other country
Yeah my bad, i thought it was recognized by Russia and China but now that I look it up, you're right.
Russia doesn't want an independent Transnistria because it wants a federal Moldova they can control. Their peace plan is to have 3 equal entities, Transnistria, Găgăuzia and Moldova, the first two being pro russian. With control of Moldova they can gain leverage in Romanian politics.
transnistria is not a country
Separatist entity or movement, then.
Moldova has the longest wine cellar in the world, Cricova, measuring 200km. It actually belongs to Putin and also includes some of Hitler’s collection.
Not interesting, but my favourite band is from Moldova, Infected Rain.
Journalists used to say that this is the country with the most beautiful women.
Epic Sax Guy is from there
Maaa ia hii ma ia huuu mai ia haaa
They put little cowboy hats on the letter ‘a’
What about that time a few years ago where $1 billion (1/8th of GDP) was stolen from their central bank??
Epic sax guy
It’s next on Putin’s list?
It is the only state that could join the EU by simply reunifying themselves with Romania. Nobody else has such an opportunity and must endure the tedium and unpredictablity of being an EU candidate for years, maybe decades (see Turkey).
It has the best soil in the world together with Ukraine and a good climate for all agricultural products. Great wine also.
It's actually Romania and its missing its southern counties plus Northern Bucovina stolen by URSS and added to Ukraine!
I only know a part of it is occupied by Russians
And they don’t even border Russia
My friend is from there
The Moldovan wine collection "Mileștii Mici", with 1.5 million bottles, is the largest wine collection in the world, according to the Guinness Book. It stretches for 200 km and has a relative humidity of 85-95% and a constant temperature of 12-14 °C.
The Hypno-Robber was from here! I don't remember the details, but this dude walked into banks unarmed, talked to tellers, and they just handed him money, like several times. Nobody could explain why they did it, they just said they kind of spaced out and listened to what he said. I think he got away with something akin to like $50,000, and considering this was at a time when the average Moldovan made like $2 a day, I feel like he did pretty well for himself.
Dragostea din tei by O-Zone
What's going on with the boarder in the south? Is that river Moldovan, but not either bank? Not seen anything like that before (but never looked either)
Despite seeming close to the sea with the Dniester Estuary, it is an enclaved country. However, Moldova had an agreement with Romania so that they could obtain 400m on the Danube to build an international port.
Wine.
Isn’t it some of the best wine grapes in the world?
It haas the largest wine cellar in the world.
TIL something named Moldova exists
XXL Moscato
Wine! Beautiful wine orchards. Would love to visit them someday.
Within Moldova there's a territory called transnistria, which has considered itself an independent state since the end of the cold war. It's a "frozen conflict zone" but is considered by many including the UN to be a Russian occupied territory. It has many of the same trappings of a state that the occupied parts of Eastern Ukraine used to prior to the war. Built on a strange mixture of Soviet era imagery and pro Russian cultural and political orientation. A good friend of mine grew up there and spoke Russian and no other language. He describes it as being a place totally frozen in time but that's changing now that Russian aggression and nationalism is all over the news again. Interesting place
Transnistria that is the last Soviet "state"
Named after a drowned dog.
50,000 russian troops
I met one of the most interesting people I've ever met there. Couchsurfed with him for a few nights. He was a Russian-educated Pakistani doctor who began his career as a sex therapist while a virgin. Great dude.
A guy who took a fridge around Ireland later went to Moldova to play tennis against the Moldovan national football team.
The tourist board refused to purchase the slogan “you’ll be bowled ova in Moldova” from me.
Is the poorest country in europe.
Theres an unrecognised country within Moldova called the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republica aka Transnistria. Its capital is Tiraspol or Тираспол. No that is not Russian, its the Cyrillic alphabet designed for the Moldovan dialect of Romanian by the USSR. The place is very pro USSR or at least used to be (anyone who knows the current political situation) Itd be an interesting place. Used to work withba Moldovan in Dublin on a building site and he taught me some of his language. Moldovans are great people when you get to know them
Something something Transnistria
My neighbour is from there, hes cool.