Administrative divisions of Moldova

Moldova

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Currently, Moldova is divided into 37 first-tier units,^[1] including 32 districts (Romanian: raioane; see also raions):

three municipalities:

one autonomous territorial unit:

and one territorial unit:

The final status of the latter has not been settled yet, as the region, such as defined administratively, 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, respectively Transnistria.

Current administrative divisions of Moldova

Localities

Moldova has a total of 982 incorporated localities (de jure with 982 mayors and 982 local councils), of which 5 have municipality status, 60 have city status, and 917 are villages with commune status. They cover the entire area of the country. Another 699 villages are too small to have a separate administration, and are part of either cities (40 of them) or communes (659). This makes for a total of 1,681 localities of Moldova, all but two of which are inhabited.

The status of Chişinău, Bălţi, and Bender 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.

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 (administratively in Transnistria, and not in the Dubăsari district), and these six communes (administratively in the Dubăsari district of Moldova, and not in the administrsative 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.

• Bender (Tighina) municipality (the city itself, and the commune Proteagailovca), and three communes (five localities) of Căuşeni district (Gîsca, Chiţcani, and Cremenciug) are de facto controlled by the breakaway regime of Transnistria. Together with one the commune Varniţa of Anenii Noi district and the commune Copanca of Căuşeni district under Moldovan control, these localities form the southern part of the security zone set at the end of the war. The city of Bender (Tighina) has both a Moldovan police force (mostly symbolic) and a Transnistrian militsiya force (practically in charge in most instances).

Population

• The smallest entity electing a mayor is commune Salcia, Taraclia district, population 441. It consists of the village Salcia, population 382, and the village Orehovca, population 59. The largest entity is themunicipality of Chişinău, 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, Făleşti district, population 2,231
  • commune Tătărăuca Veche, Soroca district, population 2,203

On the opposite end, 41 of the 65 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 population zero:
  • village Armanca, commune Vasileuţi, Rîşcani district
  • village Chetrişul Nou, commune Chetriş, Făleşti district
  • village Pelinia, loc. st. c. f., commune Pelinia, Drochia district
  • village Stălineşti, commune Corestăuţi, Ocniţa district

The village of Schinoasa was outlined within commune Ţibirica, Călăraşi district in 2007, and information is not available yet whether it has any population.

• Village (hamlet) Ivanovca, commune Natalievca, Făleşti district, population 19, inhabited by 14 Russians and 5 Ukrainians, is the only inhabited locality in Moldova without any ethnic Moldovans (Romanians). On the opposite end, one commune, Cigârleni, Ialoveni district, population 2,411, and 42 villages of sub-commune level (population varying from 1 to 673), have 100% Moldovan (Romanian) population.

Coincident names

• There is a city Mărculeşti, and a different commune Mărculeşti, both situated in the Floreşti district
• There is a city Donduşeni, and a different commune Donduşeni, both situated in the Donduşeni district
• There is a city Drochia, and a different commune Drochia, both situated in the Drochia district
• There is a city Costeşti, Rîşcani district, population 2,247 (4,109 with 4 suburb villages), the 8th smallest city in Moldova, and a commune (village) Costeşti, Ialoveni district, population 11,128, the 2nd largest village in Moldova
• etc

Previous divisions

Counties (1998-2003)

Former counties of Moldova. The Chişinău municipality is incorrectly lumped on this map with the Chişinău County, although they were two distinct units.

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: judeţe; seats in brackets):

In 2003, just before the abolition of the county system, a 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^[2]:

Cities

• Bălţi
• Cahul
• Chişinău
• Dubăsari
• Orhei
• Rîbniţa
• Soroca
• Tighina
• Tiraspol
• Ungheni

Districts

• Anenii Noi
• Basarabeasca
• Brinceni
• Cahul
• Camenca
• Cantemir
• Căinari
• Călăraşi
• Căuşeni
• Ciadîr-Lunga
• Cimişlia
• Comrat
• Criuleni
• Donduşeni
• Drochia
• Dubăsari
• Edineţ
• Făleşti
• Floreşti
• Glodeni
• Grigoriopol
• Hînceşti
• Ialoveni
• Leova
• Nisporeni
• Ocniţa
• Orhei
• Rezina
• Rîbniţa
• Rîşcani
• Sîngerei
• Slobozia
• Soroca
• Străşeni
• Şoldăneşti
• Ştefan Vodă
• Taraclia
• Teleneşti
• Ungheni
• Vulcăneşti

See also

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

References

External links

• Moldovan Ministry of Local Public Administration
• Law № 764-XV/2001 on the administrative organization of the Republic of Moldova available on Wikisource.
  • Modification 37-XV-14.02.2003
  • Modification 124-XV-18.03.2003
• Moldovan Law 431-XIII from April 19, 1995, Monitorul Oficial al Republicii Moldova, no. 31-32/340, June 9, 1995

Administrative divisions of Moldova Districts Anenii Noi · Basarabeasca · Briceni · Cahul · Cantemir · Călăraşi · Căuşeni · Cimişlia · Criuleni · Donduşeni · Drochia · Dubăsari · Edineţ · Făleşti · Floreşti · Glodeni · Hînceşti · Ialoveni · Leova · Nisporeni · Ocniţa · Orhei · Rezina · Rîşcani · Sîngerei · Soroca · Străşeni · Şoldăneşti · Ştefan Vodă · Taraclia · Teleneşti · Ungheni Autonomous regions Găgăuzia · Transnistria1 Municipalities Chişinău  · Bălţi · Bender 1 The political status of Transnistria is not settled.