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.
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.
BucharestBucharest (UKˌbuːkəˈrɛst , USˈbuːkərɛst ; București bukuˈreʃtj) is the capital and largest city of Romania. It is described as the cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center in the country with a significant influence in Eastern and Southeastern Europe as well. In geopolitical regards, Bucharest has been and still is an important capital of a state situated in Central and Eastern Europe, where noteworthy summits had taken place (for example the 2008 Bucharest summit).
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.
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.
WallachiaWallachia or Walachia (wɒ'leɪkiə; Țara Românească, ˈt͡sara romɨˈne̯askə; archaic: Țeara Rumânească, Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: Цѣра Рꙋмѫнѣскъ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia is traditionally divided into two sections, Muntenia (Greater Wallachia) and Oltenia (Lesser Wallachia). Dobruja could sometimes be considered a third section due to its proximity and brief rule over it.
RomaniaRomania (roʊˈmeɪniə ; România româˈnI.a) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and the Black Sea to the southeast. It has a predominantly temperate-continental climate, and an area of , with a population of 19,892,812 inhabitants (2023) made by macrotrend and worldometer. Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe and the sixth-most populous member state of the European Union.
BukovinaBukovina is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both). The region is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided between Romania and Ukraine. Inhabited by many cultures and peoples, settled by both Ukrainians (Ruthenians) and Romanians (Moldavians), it became part of the Kievan Rus' and Pechenegs' territory early on during the 10th century. The region has been sparsely populated since the Paleolithic.
Romanian languageRomanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: limba română ˈlimba roˈmɨnə, or românește, in Romanian) is the official and main language of Romania and Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communities in the countries surrounding Romania (Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Ukraine), and by the large Romanian diaspora. In total, it is spoken by 28–29 million people as an L1+L2 language, of whom 24 million are native speakers. In Europe, Romanian occupies the 10th position among 37 official languages.
TransylvaniaTransylvania (Transilvania or Ardeal; Erdély; Siebenbürgen or Transsilvanien, historically Überwald, also Siweberjen in the Transylvanian Saxon dialect) is a historical and cultural region in Central and Eastern Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains and to the west the Apuseni Mountains. Broader definitions of Transylvania also include the western and northwestern Romanian regions of Crișana and Maramureș, and occasionally Banat.