Cahul (Romanian pronunciation:[kaˈhul]; also known by other alternative names) is a city and municipality[2] in southern Moldova. The city is the administrative center of Cahul District; it also administers one village, Cotihana. As of 2014 census, the city has had a population of 30,018.
Etymology and names
The city of Cahul (Russian: Кагул, romanized: Kagul, Bulgarian: Кахул, romanized: Kahul) is believed to have been inhabited for many centuries, although it has had a number of different names over the years – the name Scheia (Old Romanian for "Bulgarian") was recorded in 1502, and the name Frumoasa ("Beautiful" in Romanian) was recorded in 1716. The modern name was given to the settlement after the Battle of Kagul, which was fought nearby.
The city was a part of the Moldavia before 1812, then Russia from 1812 to 1856, then again Moldavia/Romanian Principalities (1856–1878), then Russia again (1878–1918), then Romania again (1918–1940), then the Soviet Union (1940–1941), then again Romania, the Soviet Union again (1944–1991) and finally Moldova (1991 to the present).
Apart from the battles that have been fought over it, Cahul is also known for its thermal spas and for its folk music.
Demographics
According to the 2014 census, the population of Cahul amounted to 30,018 inhabitants (making it the seventh largest city in Moldova), a decrease compared to the previous census in 2004, when 36,805 inhabitants were registered. Of these, 13,951 were men and 16,067 were women.[3]
*There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.
*Moldovan language is one of the two local names for the Romanian language in Moldova. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence,[6] thus giving official status to the name Romanian.[7][8]
Cahul is home to the Cahul Musical-Drama Theatre, Cahul History Museum, and other public institutions and monuments. Every two years, at the beginning of July, in Cahul takes place an important folk music festival, "Nufărul Alb" ("White waterlilies").
Cahul is home to the State University of Cahul, opened in 1999 and named after Romanian writer and philologist Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu. The university is made up of 3 faculties (Philology – History, Law – Public Administration and Business – Computer Science – Mathematics) with around 2,150 students.
Cahul has a humid continental-type climate (Köppen climate classification "Dfa" – hot-summer subtype) with four distinct seasons. Average monthly precipitation ranges from about 28 mm (1.1 in) in October to 76 mm (3 in) in June.
In Cahul is located one of the two Consulates General of Romania in Moldova. On 2 November 2009 the President of RomaniaTraian Băsescu has signed the decrees on opening of Romanian general consulat in Cahul. "The opening of the Romanian consulates in Bălți and Cahul will be beneficial for the Moldovan people, who have encountered economic and time-related problems as they have to travel to the consulate in Chișinău," Moldova's Foreign MinisterIurie Leancă said, commenting on the Băsescu's decree.[11]
Romania asked the approval for the opening of the consulate as early as in 2006, in order to easy thus the process of granting visas to the Moldovan citizens more easily, after Romania's accession with the European Union on 1 January 2007.[12] Initially, the communist authorities in Chişinău gave their approval for the opening of the two consular offices, but they later came with the condition Romania to accept two consular offices of the Republic of Moldova on its territory too, in Iaşi and Constanţa. Moreover, the former communist rule in Chişinău conditioned the signing of the small border traffic agreement on the signing of the Basic Political Treaty between the two countries and also of the agreement referring to the delimitation of the border.[13][14]
On 28 January 2010, Traian Băsescu visited the future headquarters of the Romanian consulate in Cahul.[15] Speaking about the opening of the two Romanian consulates in Bălți and Cahul, Băsescu said that the consulate in Cahul could be opened in 2–3 weeks.[16]
The consulate has 17 employees:[17] Consul General, two consuls, two main consular officers, six major referers, two drivers, two skilled workers and two guards. The Consul General is Ms. Anca Corfu.[18]
^"Cahul Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
1 In Transnistria. 2 Controlled by the Transnistrian authorities. 3 Also a municipality. 4 The seat of Dubăsari District is the commune of Cocieri (not a city).
._(15246508805).jpg)
._(21671765175).jpg)
Moldova
