Gagauzia
Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia | |
|---|---|
Autonomous territorial unit | |
| Motto: Yaşasın Gagauziya! (Gagauz) "Long live Gagauzia!" | |
| Anthem: Tarafım (Gagauz) "My Land" | |
Gagauzia within Moldova | |
| Sovereign state | 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 / 46.317°N 28.667°E |
| Official languages | |
| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Devolved presidential autonomous region |
• Başkan (Governor) | Ilia Uzun (acting) |
• Chairman of the People's Assembly | Nicolai Ormanji (acting) |
| Legislature | People's Assembly |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,848.5 km2 (713.7 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0.36 |
| Population | |
• 2024 census | 103668 |
• Density | 56.1/km2 (145.3/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | €0.3 billion (5th) |
• Per capita | €2,900 |
| Currency | Moldovan leu (MDL) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Driving side | Right |
| Calling code | +373 |
| Internet TLD | .md |
Gagauzia (/ɡəˈɡɔːziə/) 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 primarily Orthodox Christian ethnic group.
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 Gagauzia – was annexed 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, Gagauzia 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 it was ultimately reintegrated into Moldova in 1995.