PrutThe Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; prut, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. The Prut originates on the eastern slope of Mount Hoverla, in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine (Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast). At first, the river flows to the north. Near Yaremche it turns to the northeast, and near Kolomyia to the south-east. Having reached the border between Moldova and Romania, it turns even more to the south-east, and then to the south.
BessarabiaBessarabia (ˌbɛsəˈreɪbiə; Besarabiya; Basarabia; Bessarabiia) is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Ukrainian Budjak region covering the southern coastal region and part of the Ukrainian Chernivtsi Oblast covering a small area in the north.
RomaniansThe Romanians (români, roˈmɨnj; dated exonym Vlachs) are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2021 Romanian census found that just under 89.3% of Romania's citizens identified themselves as ethnic Romanians. In one interpretation of the 1989 census results in Moldova, the majority of Moldovans were counted as ethnic Romanians in this country as well.
BastarnaeThe Bastarnae (Latin variants: Bastarni or Basternae; Βαστάρναι or Βαστέρναι), sometimes called the Peuci or Peucini (Πευκῖνοι), were an ancient people who between 200 BC and 300 AD inhabited areas north of the Roman frontier on the Lower Danube. The Bastarnae lived in the region between the Carpathian Mountains and the river Dnieper, to the north and east of ancient Dacia. The Peucini were a subtribe who occupied the region north of the Danube Delta. Their name was sometimes used for the Bastarnae as a whole.
DobrujaDobruja or Dobrudja (USˈdoʊbrʊdʒə; Dobrudzha or Dobrudža; Dobrogea, ˈdobrodʒe̯a or doˈbrodʒe̯a; Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. It is situated between the lower Danube River and the Black Sea, and includes the Danube Delta, Romanian coast, and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast. The territory of Dobruja is made up of Northern Dobruja, which is a part of Romania, and Southern Dobruja, which is a part of Bulgaria.
MoldaviaMoldavia (Moldova, molˈdova or Țara Moldovei, literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: Молдова or Цара Мѡлдовєй; Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Central and Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later autonomous state, it existed from the 14th century to 1859, when it united with Wallachia (Țara Românească) as the basis of the modern Romanian state; at various times, Moldavia included the regions of Bessarabia (with the Budjak), all of Bukovina and Hertsa.
History of RomaniaThis article covers the history and bibliography of Romania and links to specialized articles. Prehistory of TransylvaniaBronze Age in RomaniaPrehistory of Southeastern EuropeCucuteni culture and Hamangia culture Remains of 34,950-year-old modern humans with a possible Neanderthalian traits were discovered in present-day Romania when the Peștera cu Oase ("Cave with Bones") was uncovered in 2002.
History of MoldovaThe 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 (Sfatul Țării), united with Romania.