Introduction
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Municipality in Gagauzia, MoldovaComrat
KomratMunicipalityFrom top, left to right: Saint John the Baptist CathedralComrat State UniversityHouse of CultureChapelCentral Park
FlagSealComratLocation of Comrat in MoldovaShow map of GăgăuziaComratComrat (Moldova)Show map of MoldovaCoordinates: 46°19′N 28°40′E / 46.317°N 28.667°E / 46.317; 28.667Country MoldovaAutonomous Region GagauziaFounded1443/1789Government • MayorSergey AnastasovArea • Total164 km2 (63 sq mi)Population (2024) • Total19,120 • Density117/km2 (302/sq mi)Ethnicity (2024 census) • Gagauz people73.5% • Moldovans10.8% • other15.7%Time zoneUTC+2 (EET) • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)ClimateCfbWebsitecomrat.md
Comrat (Romanian: Comrat, Romanian pronunciation: [komˈrat]; Gagauz: Komrat, Russian: Комрат) is a city and municipality in Moldova and the capital city of the autonomous region of Gagauzia. It is located in the south of the country, on the Ialpug River. The vast majority of the inhabitants are Gagauz.
History
[edit]
Remains of human activity belonging to the Chernyakhov culture and burial mounds of the Yamnaya culture have been found in the area. Archeological sites found in the area from the bronze age have been generally attributed to the Noua-Sabatinovka-Coslogeni complex.
Budjak Horde[edit]
The present day city of Comrat was a major settlement in the Budjak Horde, alongside Căușeni and Udobne. The name of the settlement is thought to come from the Gagauz word for a black horse (Gagauz: Kömür at), the symbol of the town and a sign of wealth for Nogai-Tatars.
In 1775 a settlement called "Cumrad" was depicted in the area of the present day city on map of Moldova by F. W. Bauer.
Russian period[edit]
Following the Russian annexation of the area after the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) the local Tatars and Turks were expelled from the region and the new Russian government issued a decree in 1819 to resettle the region with various nationalities from across the Danube.
Majority of people who settled in Comrat were Gagauz and Bulgarians as refugees from the Ottoman Empire, mainly from southern Bulgaria and the Varna region. A minority of Moldovans, Ukrainians, Greeks and others also came to inhabit the area. Since the reorganized Bessarabia Governorate was included in the Pale of Settlement, a small Jewish minority also sprung up in settlement. The first seal of Comrat (1932–2005)
By the end of the 19th century Comrat still held the status of a village and in 1892 the local Jewish community petitioned the authorities to change it to a shtetl, which was left unanswered. Russian ethnographer A. V. Moshkov at the time described Comrat as such: "Kamrat (Comrat), a large trading village with 10,000 residents, jokingly called the "capital of the Gagauz" by local Russians, is considered the center of all Gagauz colonies,".
20th century[edit]
In 1906, the village revolted against the Russian authorities and proclaimed the autonomous (but not independent) Comrat Republic. Following World War I, it was part of Kingdom of Romania. During this time it was in the Tighina County and in 1926 it was given the status of a town. Due to this new title it was required that the town have its own seal. Designed by Emmanuel Hadji-Mosco, Dionisie Pecurariu and was adopted on September 30, 1932. It was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, before it was briefly recaptured by Romania in 1941.
In 1941, a decree of the Supreme Soviet of the MSSR was issued, according to which Comrat was divided into three village councils: Comrat, New-Comrat and the village of Yalpug. A decision was taken on September 13, 1957 to reunite the settlements. During the time when the town was part of Moldavian SSR, Comrat's industry was geared toward the production of butter, wine, and rugs, the latter decorated with Moldavian motifs.
Present day[edit]
Following the fall of the Soviet Union, from 1989 to 1995 it was the capital of the self proclaimed and unrecognised Gagauz Republic.
Today it is the capital of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (Gagauz-Yeri) and where the Executive Committee of Gagauzia is based.
In 2002 the Comrat State University was established.
Demographics
[edit]
Historical populationYearPop.±%1827 1,541—    1847 3,926+154.8%1857 4,469+13.8%1930 12,331+175.9%1943 12,213−1.0%1959 14,361+17.6%1970 21,369+48.8%1979 23,652+10.7%1989 25,822+9.2%2004 23,327−9.7%2014 20,113−13.8%2024 19,120−4.9%
According to the 2024 Moldovan census, 19,120 inhabitants lived in Comrat, a decrease compared to the previous census in 2014, when 20,113 inhabitants were registered. It is the primate and most populous city in Gagauzia, as well as the 11th biggest city in Moldova.
Although Gagauz is the official language of Comrat, around 12,192 (63.76%) people in Comrat speak Gagauz as their mother-tongue, while 4,358 (22.79%) speak Russian.
The vast majority of people in Comrat are religious, with the vast majortiy, 18,434 (96.41%) inhabitants confessing Eastern Orthodoxy.
Ethnic composition of Comrat (2024)
Ethnic group
Population
% Percentage
Gagauz
14,061
73.54%
Moldovans
2,065
10.8%
Romanians
27
0.14%
Bulgarians
1,048
5.48%
Russians
890
4.65%
Ukrainians
694
3.63%
Romani
105
0.55%
Others
230
1.21%
Total
19,120
100%
Economy
[edit]
Comrat is situated in the southern wine zone of Moldova. It is known for production of red wine and muscat. In Comrat and its suburbs there are about 10 wineries.
Food production is very developed in the city. Comrat is a home for food processing factories, alcohol production, and an oil processing plant (the first and only one in Moldova).
There is also such economic agents as a ferro-concrete factory, furniture productions, wood processing, production of plastic windows and doors, cattle butcheries, and transport companies.
Sport
[edit]
Two football clubs: FC Olimp Comrat and CF Univer Comrat are based in Comrat, specifically the Victor Mumjiev Stadium.
Geography
[edit]
Climate[edit]
Comrat has a humid continental climate (Dfa), characterized by warm summers and cool, drier winters with snow. Winter lows are often below 0 °C (32 °F). In summer, the average maximum temperature is approximately 25 °C (77 °F). The average annual precipitation is relatively low.
Climate data for Comrat (1991–2020, extremes 1897–2021)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
14.8(58.6)
21.7(71.1)
27.9(82.2)
31.4(88.5)
35.7(96.3)
38.2(100.8)
40.8(105.4)
40.0(104.0)
36.6(97.9)
33.3(91.9)
29.0(84.2)
17.1(62.8)
40.8(105.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
1.5(34.7)
4.1(39.4)
10.0(50.0)
17.0(62.6)
23.0(73.4)
26.9(80.4)
29.3(84.7)
29.1(84.4)
23.2(73.8)
16.2(61.2)
9.0(48.2)
3.1(37.6)
16.0(60.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)
−1.7(28.9)
0.1(32.2)
4.8(40.6)
11.0(51.8)
16.8(62.2)
20.9(69.6)
23.1(73.6)
22.8(73.0)
17.3(63.1)
11.1(52.0)
5.2(41.4)
−0.1(31.8)
10.9(51.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
−4.5(23.9)
−3.1(26.4)
0.7(33.3)
5.9(42.6)
11.2(52.2)
15.4(59.7)
17.4(63.3)
17.1(62.8)
12.2(54.0)
7.0(44.6)
2.2(36.0)
−2.7(27.1)
6.6(43.9)
Record low °C (°F)
−25.6(−14.1)
−28.1(−18.6)
−18.3(−0.9)
−8.1(17.4)
−2.6(27.3)
5.4(41.7)
7.5(45.5)
5.7(42.3)
−4.9(23.2)
−7.5(18.5)
−16.8(1.8)
−22.2(−8.0)
−28.1(−18.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)
33(1.3)
27(1.1)
32(1.3)
37(1.5)
48(1.9)
69(2.7)
59(2.3)
46(1.8)
42(1.7)
43(1.7)
39(1.5)
39(1.5)
514(20.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)
6
6
6
6
7
7
6
5
5
6
5
6
71
Average relative humidity (%)
84
82
76
66
64
65
63
63
67
73
83
86
73
Source 1: NOAA
Source 2: Serviciul Hidrometeorologic de Stat (extremes, relative humidity)
Notable people
[edit]
Alexandru Bârlădeanu (1911–1997), Romanian Marxian economist
Anatoliy Blashku (born 1944), Minister of Industry in Transnistria
Igor Cobileanski (born 1974), Moldovan film director
Mihai Cojusea (born 1978), Moldovan football player
Dmitri Constantinov (born 1952), Moldovan politician and businessman
Petar Draganov (1857–1928), Russian philologist and Slavist
Sorana Gurian (1913–1956), Romanian writer, journalist, and translator
Alexander Romanov (born 1990), Moldovan UFC heavyweight fighter
Reuven Shari (1903–1989), Israeli politician
Alexandr Stoianoglo (born 1967), Moldovan politician and member of the Parliament of Moldova
Stepan Topal (1938–2018), Moldovan politician, former Governor Gagauzia, President of the Gagauz Republic
Irina Vlah (born 1974), Moldovan politician, former Governor of Gagauzia
Petru Vlah (born 1970), Moldovan lawyer, businessman and politician
International relations
[edit]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Moldova
Twin towns — Sister cities[edit]
Comrat is twinned with:
Altındağ, Turkey;
Slănic-Moldova, Romania;
Erzsébetváros, Budapest region, Hungary.
Küçükkuyu, Ayvacık, Turkey;
Tatlısu, Northern Cyprus;
Pendik, Istanbul region, Turkey;
Hendek, Turkey;
Kalecik, Ankara, Turkey;
Sokolniki District, Russia;
Dnestrovsc, Transnistria;
Tiraspol, Transnistria;
Bălți, Moldova;
Ceadîr-Lunga, Moldova;
Bavly, Tatarstan, Russia;
Sofia, Bulgaria;
Yaroslavl, Russia;
Bolhrad, Ukraine;
Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan;
Maltepe, Istanbul, Turkey;
Taşköprü, Kastamonu, Turkey;
Bryansk, Russia;
Antalya, Turkey;
Volokolamsk, Russia;
Nizhnevartovsk, Russia;
Galați, Romania;
Çanakkale, Turkey;
Hlybokaye, Belarus;
Babruysk, Belarus;
Niksar, Turkey;
Tecuci, Romania;
North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus;[citation needed]
Sapanca, Turkey;[citation needed]
Isparta, Turkey;[citation needed]
Grozny, Russia;[citation needed]
Gallery
[edit]
Executive Committee of Gagauzia
Central Square
Central Park
Comrat State University
Hotel "Altyn Palace"
Shopping center "Comrat-City"
Lenin statue
Street in Comrat
