Located in the center of the historical region called Bessarabia, Chisinau sits along the shores of the Bìc river. Its population amounts to roughly 700,000 inhabitants, distributed amongst 5 districts (Centru, Buiucani, Riscani, Ciocana e Botanica). The city covers an area of about 120 sq km.

History

The first historical documents trace the city foundation back to the year 1436 as a monastic center. Chisinau was subsequently annexed to the Principality of Moldova and, in the XVI century, it became part of the Ottoman empire.

In1812 it was occupied and annexed by the Russians to the Tsarist Empire and became the center of Bessarabia until 1918, the year in which it became an integral part of the Kingdom of Romania.

In 1940, after the Nazi-Soviet agreements of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, the Bessarabian territory was annexed to the U.R.S.S. which created the Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova with capital Chisinau, which was renamed in Russian Kishinev.

In 1991, in the wake of the independence movements born in the U.R.S.S. under Gorbaciov, Moldova declared its independence. The newborn country reintroduced the Moldovan language (a Romanian dialect) as the official language and the city resumed its original name of Chisinau.

Population

Chisinau is a multi-ethnic city populated by different Slavic ethnic groups established there following the different historical vicissitudes that the city. The most numerous ethnic group is constituted by the Moldavians who are more than 50% of the total population, followed by the Russians who are around 25% and by the Ukrainians who represent 13%. The remaining part is made up of small groups of Turks (Gagauzi), Georgians, Armenians, Bulgarians and Roma gypsies.