Gagauz people in Moldova

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A map of the major ethnic groups in Moldova

A map of the distribution of Gagauz in Moldova

The Gagauz community of Chisinau celebrates Ederlezi

Gagauz people are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Moldova. During the Russian colonization of Budjak, the Gagauz people moved there, however they started to stabilize their presence in the future territory of the Republic of Moldova. They are not distributed equally in the territory of Moldova. They live primarily in south Moldova, particularly in the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia. They follow a primarily rural lifestyle.

Population[]

Their share in the ethnic composition of the country gradually increases.^[1] They are the majority of Gagauzia's population (83.8%), while in Taraclia District, which is inhabited primarily by Bulgarians, they comprise 9.0% of the total population. In Bessarabsky District they are 7.4% of the district's population, but gradually declining. In Cahul district, they have a small presence (2.7% of the district's population). In the rest of Moldova their share is lower than 1%. The internal migration of Gagauz in Moldova is low. Most Gagauz who leave Gagauzia migrate to Russia.

Ethnolinguistic features[]

Due to their concentration in the areas around the border between Moldova and Ukraine, modern Gagauz people marry primarily with other Gagauz; thus keeping a high degree of ethnic stability. However, in the recent past, the situation was somewhat different. In the early 20th century, the ratio of Gagauz and Bulgarians in the population of Comrat was approximately 2:1. In the late 20th century, due to assimilation and higher fertility rates within the Gagauz, the ratio was 1:14.^[2] Nowadays, similar ratios between Gagauz and Bulgarians are preserved in some villages. For practical reasons, a contemporary Gagauz usually speaks at least two languages. In their daily life they use Gagauz and Russian, but many can speak Romanian as well.

References[]