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 (seemunicipiu), and 916 rural localities.[5] 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) orcommunes (659). Few localities are inhabited.
In the administrative-territorial structure of Moldova are 898 second-level administrative territorial units (cities/towns, sectors and villages/communes).[6]
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.
¹ Tighina and the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester are under the control of the unrecognized separatistPridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Transnistria). There, Tighina is known asBender.
Transnistria, which with the exception of sixcommunes (comprising a total of ten localities) corresponds to the geographic part of Moldova situated to the east of theDniestr (Romanian:Nistru) river, isde jure a part of Moldova, but in fact is governed by breakaway authorities (see also:War of Transnistria). The city ofDubăsari (geographically and administratively in Transnistria, and not in theDubăsari District), and six communes (administratively in theDubăsari District of Moldova, and not in the administrative definition of Transnistria), all controlled by the central authorities (except the village ofRoghi in communeMolovata Nouă, which is controlled by Tiraspol), form the northern part of thesecurity zone set at the end of the war.
Tighina municipality (the city itself, plus the communeProteagailovca), and three communes (five localities) ofCăușeni District (Gîsca,Chițcani, andCremenciug) arede facto controlled by the breakaway regime of Transnistria. Together with the communeVarnița ofAnenii Noi District and the communeCopanca ofCăușeni 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 Transnistrianmilitsiya force (practically in charge in most instances). In Transnistria, Tighina is known asBender.
The smallest entity electing a mayor is the commune ofSalcia, inTaraclia District (population 441). It consists of the village ofSalcia, population 382, and the village ofOrehovca, population 59. The largest entity is the municipality ofChișinău, 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 ofAnenii Noi, population 11,463, of which 3,105 in the 5 suburban villages
The village ofSchinoasa was outlined within communeȚibirica,Călărași District in 2007, and information is not available yet whether it has any population.
Village (hamlet)Ivanovca, communeNatalievca,Fălești District, population 19, inhabited by 14 Russians and 5 Ukrainians, is the only inhabited locality in Moldova without any ethnicMoldovans. 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.
A townCostești, inRîșcani District, with a population of 2,247 (4,109 with 4 suburb villages), the 8th smallest city in Moldova, and a commune (village)Costești, inIaloveni District, population 11,128, the 2nd largest village in Moldova
Between 1998 and February 2003, Moldova was divided into 12 territorial units, including 1 municipality, 1 autonomous territorial unit, 1 territorial unit, and 9counties (Romanian:județe; seats in brackets):
Chișinău municipality, surrounded by Chișinău county, but different from it
^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.
^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.
^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.
^Tighina is under the control of the unrecognized separatistPridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Transnistria). There, Tighina is known asBender.
Moldova portal
Anenii Noi
Basarabeasca
Briceni
Cahul
Cantemir
Călărași
Căușeni
Cimișlia
Criuleni
Dondușeni
Drochia
Dubăsari
Edineț
Fălești
Florești
Glodeni
Hîncești
Ialoveni
Leova
Nisporeni
Ocnița
Orhei
Rezina
Rîșcani
Sîngerei
Soroca
Strășeni
Șoldănești
Ștefan Vodă
Taraclia
Telenești
Ungheni
Chișinău
Bălți
Tighina
Găgăuzia
