Administrative divisions of Moldova

According to the Moldovan law on territorial administrative organisation, Moldova is divided administratively into the following administrative territorial units: districts (Romanian: raioane; see also raions), cities/towns (Romanian: orașe) and villages (Romanian: sate).[1] The administrative territorial organization of Moldova is made on 2 levels:[2][3]

  1. villages (communes), sectors and cities/towns (municipii) constitute the first level,

along with Chișinău municipality, Bălți municipality and Tighina municipality.

Two or more villages can form together a commune (Romanian: comună).[4]

Currently, Moldova is divided into the following first-tier units,[5] which include 32 districts and 3 municipalities, grouped into three regions:

two autonomous territorial units:

  1. Gagauzia (officially the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, it lies in the Southern Region of Moldova)
  2. Left Bank of the Dniester (officially the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester)

The final status of the latter has not been settled yet, as the region, such as defined administratively, in fact is not under the control of Moldovan authorities. The cities of Comrat and Tiraspol also have municipality status, but are not among first-tier units of Moldova; they are the seats of Gagauzia and Transnistria, respectively. Besides Chișinău, Bălți, Tighina, Comrat, and Tiraspol, on 13 April 2017 eight more became municipalities: Cahul, Ceadîr-Lunga, Edineț, Hîncești, Orhei, Soroca, Strășeni, and Ungheni.[7]

Current administrative divisions of Moldova

Localities

Detailed map of Moldovan administrative divisions

Moldova has a total of 1,682 localities; from these 982 are incorporated (de jure with 982 mayors and 982 local councils), including 53 cities/towns, other 13 cities with municipality status (see municipiu), and 916 rural localities.[8] They cover the entire area of the country. A number of villages are self-governed, while others 700 villages are too small to have a separate administration, and are part of either cities/towns/municipalities (41 of them) or communes (659). Few localities are inhabited.

Current divisions

In the administrative-territorial structure of Moldova are 898 first level administrative territorial units (cities/towns, sectors and villages/communes).[9]

The status of Chișinău, Bălți, and Tighina as municipalities and first-level territorial units of the country allows their suburb villages to have, when large enough, their own mayor and local council. By contrast, the villages that are administratively part of (some of) the other cities do not retain self-rule.

  • Districts (32):
Name of districtDistrict seatPresidentArea
(km²)
Population
(2014)[10]
Density
(2014)
Towns/
villages
Anenii NoiAnenii NoiVladimir Vâzdoagă89278,99688.645
BasarabeascaBasarabeascaIlie Cernăuțan29523,01278.010
BriceniBriceniEfimia Bendulac81470,02986.039
CahulCahulAvram Micinschi1,546105,32468.156
CantemirCantemirIon Balan87052,11559.951
CălărașiCălărașiIlie Rău75364,40185.554
CăușeniCăușeniIlie Gluh1,16381,18569.848
CimișliaCimișliaIon Veveriță92349,29953.439
CriuleniCriuleniVitalie Rotaru68870,648102.743
DondușeniDondușeniAnastasie Pavlov64537,85658.730
DrochiaDrochiaAndrei Marian1,00074,44374.440
DubăsariDubăsariGrigore Policinschi30929,27194.715
EdinețEdinețOleg Scutaru93371,84977.049
FăleștiFăleștiValeriu Muduc1,07378,25886.376
FloreștiFloreștiȘtefan Paniș1,10876,45769.074
GlodeniGlodeniValeriu Țarigradschi75451,30668.035
HînceștiHînceștiGrigore Cobzac1,484103,78469.963
IaloveniIaloveniNicolae Andronache78393,154119.034
LeovaLeovaEfrosinia Grețu77544,70257.739
NisporeniNisporeniVasile Bîtcă63053,15484.439
OcnițaOcnițaIon Tomai59747,42579.433
OrheiOrheiIon Ștefârță1,228101,50282.775
RezinaRezinaEleonora Graur62142,48668.441
RîșcaniRîșcaniIon Parea93659,22663.355
SîngereiSîngereiGheorghe Meaun1,03379,81477.370
SorocaSorocaMircea Martîniuc1,04377,65674.568
StrășeniStrășeniPetru Voloșciuc73082,675113.339
ȘoldăneștiȘoldăneștiAlexandru Relițchi59836,74361.433
Ștefan VodăȘtefan VodăVasile Buzu99862,07262.226
TaracliaTaracliaVasile Plagov67437,35755.426
TeleneștiTeleneștiBoris Burcă84961,14472.054
UngheniUngheniIurie Toma1,083101,06493.374
  • Municipalities of first-tier (3):
MunicipalityMayorArea
(km²)
Population
(2014)[11]
Density
(2014)
Towns/
villages
ChișinăuDorin Chirtoacă563662,8361,177.335
BălțiRenato Usatîi78102,4571,313.63
Tighinanone¹972
  • Autonomous territorial units (2):
Name of autonomyAutonomy SeatLeaderArea
(km²)
Population
(2014)[12]
Density
(2014)
Towns/
villages
GăgăuziaComratIrina Vlah1,832134,53573.435
Left Bank of the DniesterTiraspolnone¹4,163147

¹ Tighina and the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester are under the control of the unrecognized separatist Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Transnistria). There, Tighina is known as Bender.

Notes

Areas not under central government control include:

  • Transnistria, which with the exception of six communes (comprising a total of ten localities) corresponds to the geographic part of Moldova situated to the east of the Dniestr (Romanian: Nistru) river, is de jure a part of Moldova, but in fact is governed by breakaway authorities (see also: War of Transnistria). The city of Dubăsari (geographically and administratively in Transnistria, and not in the Dubăsari District), and six communes (administratively in the Dubăsari District of Moldova, and not in the administrative definition of Transnistria), all controlled by the central authorities (except the village of Roghi in commune Molovata Nouă, which is controlled by Tiraspol), form the northern part of the security zone set at the end of the war.
  • Tighina municipality (the city itself, plus the commune Proteagailovca), and three communes (five localities) of Căușeni District (Gîsca, Chițcani, and Cremenciug) are de facto controlled by the breakaway regime of Transnistria. Together with the commune Varnița of Anenii Noi District and the commune Copanca of Căușeni District under Moldovan control, these localities form the southern part of the security zone set at the end of the war. The city of Tighina has both a Moldovan police force (mostly symbolic) and a Transnistrian militsiya force (practically in charge in most instances). In Transnistria, Tighina is known as Bender.

Population

  • The smallest entity electing a mayor is the commune of Salcia, in Taraclia District (population 441). It consists of the village of Salcia, population 382, and the village of Orehovca, population 59. The largest entity is the municipality of Chișinău, electing a mayor for 712,218 inhabitants.
  • The largest number of localities governed by a single commune or city government in Moldova is 6. This is the case for:
    • city of Anenii Noi, population 11,463, of which 3,105 in the 5 suburban villages
    • commune Copăceni, Sîngerei District, population 3,315
    • commune Natalievca, Fălești District, population 2,231
    • commune Tătărăuca Veche, Soroca District, population 2,203
On the opposite end, 42 of the 66 cities, and about half the communes of Moldova have local administration providing services for a single locality.
  • There are four or five localities in Moldova with a zero population:
    • village Armanca, commune Vasileuți, Rîșcani District
    • village Chetrișul Nou, commune Chetriș, Fălești District
    • village Pelinia, loc. st. c. f., commune Pelinia, Drochia District
    • village Stălinești, commune Corestăuți, Ocnița District
The village of Schinoasa was outlined within commune Țibirica, Călărași District in 2007, and information is not available yet whether it has any population.
  • Village (hamlet) Ivanovca, commune Natalievca, Fălești District, population 19, inhabited by 14 Russians and 5 Ukrainians, is the only inhabited locality in Moldova without any ethnic Moldovans. On the opposite end, one commune, Cigîrleni, Ialoveni District, population 2,411, and 42 villages of sub-commune level (population varying from 1 to 673), have a 100% Moldovan population.

Coincidal names

There are 147 settlement names shared by multiple localities in Moldova. Most notable cases includes these:

  • A town Mărculești, and a different commune Mărculești, both situated in the Florești District
  • A city Dondușeni, and a different commune Dondușeni, both situated in the Dondușeni District
  • A city Drochia, and a different commune Drochia, both situated in the Drochia District
  • A town Costești, in Rîșcani District, with a population of 2,247 (4,109 with 4 suburb villages), the 8th smallest city in Moldova, and a commune (village) Costești, in Ialoveni District, population 11,128, the 2nd largest village in Moldova
  • A town Cornești, in Ungheni District, and a different village Cornești in the same Ungheni District, and also a village Cornești in Hîncești District
  • etc.

Previous divisions

Counties (1998-2003)

Former counties of Moldova.

Between 1998 and February 2003, Moldova was divided into 12 territorial units, including 1 municipality, 1 autonomous territorial unit, 1 territorial unit, and 9 counties (Romanian: județe; seats in brackets):

  1. Chișinău municipality, surrounded by Chișinău county, but different from it
  2. Bălți County (Bălți)
  3. Cahul County (Cahul)
  4. Chișinău County (Chișinău)
  5. Edineț County (Edineț)
  6. Lăpușna County (Hîncești)
  7. Orhei County (Orhei)
  8. Soroca County (Soroca)
  9. Tighina County (Moldova) (Căușeni)
  10. Ungheni County (Ungheni)
  11. Găgăuzia, autonomous territorial unit (Comrat)
  12. Left Bank of the Dniester, territorial unit (Tiraspol)

In October 1999, Taraclia County was split out from the Cahul County; it coincides with the current Taraclia District.

Cities and districts (1991-1998)

Between 1991-1998, Moldova was divided into 10 cities and 40 districts:[13]

Cities
Districts
  • Anenii Noi
  • Basarabeasca
  • Brinceni
  • Cahul
  • Camenca
  • Cantemir
  • Căinari
  • Călărași
  • Căușeni
  • Ceadîr-Lunga
  • Cimișlia
  • Comrat
  • Criuleni
  • Dondușeni
  • Drochia
  • Dubăsari
  • Edineț
  • Fălești
  • Florești
  • Glodeni
  • Grigoriopol
  • Hîncești
  • Ialoveni
  • Leova
  • Nisporeni
  • Ocnița
  • Orhei
  • Rezina
  • Rîbnița
  • Rîșcani
  • Sîngerei
  • Slobozia
  • Soroca
  • Strășeni
  • Șoldănești
  • Ștefan Vodă
  • Taraclia
  • Telenești
  • Ungheni
  • Vulcănești

See also

  • ISO 3166-2:MD, ISO subdivision codes for Moldova

References

  1. Law no. 764-XV from 27.12.2001 on territorial administrative organisation of the Republic of Moldova, article 4 para. 1 (in Romanian)
  2. Law no. 764-XV from 27.12.2001 on territorial administrative organisation of the Republic of Moldova, article 4 para. 4 (in Romanian) [public domain]
  3. Administrative-territorial organization of Moldova
  4. Law no. 764-XV from 27.12.2001 on territorial administrative organisation of the Republic of Moldova, article 5 para. 2
  5. Administrative-territorial units of Moldova
  6. Tighina is under the control of the unrecognized separatist Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Transnistria). There, Tighina is known as Bender.
  7. LEGE Nr. 248 din 03.11.2016 pentru modificarea și completarea Legii nr. 764-XV din 27 decembrie 2001 privind organizarea administrativ-teritorială a Republicii Moldova (in Romanian)
  8. Clasificatorul unităţilor administrativ-teritoriale (CUATM) (in Romanian)
  9. Report on the Territorial Administrative Structure Options for the Republic of Moldova. March 2015
  10. Departamentul Statistica si Sociologie al Republicii Moldova (web). The 2014 figures are officially adjusted for underenumeration, and include 209,030 persons absent from Moldova for more than 12 months.
  11. Departamentul Statistica si Sociologie al Republicii Moldova (web). The 2014 figures are officially adjusted for underenumeration, and include 209,030 persons absent from Moldova for more than 12 months.
  12. Departamentul Statistica si Sociologie al Republicii Moldova (web). The 2014 figures are officially adjusted for underenumeration, and include 209,030 persons absent from Moldova for more than 12 months.
  13. www.statoids.com
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