Comrat is a city and municipality in Moldova and the capital of the autonomous region of Gagauzia. It is located in the south of the country, on the Ialpug River. In 2014, Comrat's population was 20,113, of which the vast majority are Gagauzians.

History

Comrat was first settled as early as 1443, with other sources claiming it was founded in 1789. Nevertheless, the settlement was sparsely populated until the new Russian government issued a decree in 1819 to resettle the region with Bulgarians and other nationalities from across the Danube, after the territory was annexed by Russia from Moldavia in 1812. 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 World War II, it was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, before it was recaptured by Romania in 1941. 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. The Comrat State University was established in 2002.

Demographics

According to the 2014 census, the population of Comrat amounted to 20,113 inhabitants (making it the tenth largest city in Moldova), a decrease compared to the previous census in 2004, when 23,327 inhabitants were registered. Of these, 9,528 were men and 10,585 were women. Footnotes: ***** 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 In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence, thus giving official status to the name Romanian. ''

Economy

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.

Wineries

Comrat Wines - the oldest winery located in the south of Republic of Moldova. Aur-Vin is a Moldovan wine producer from Comrat. This factory takes part of the Moldovan wine producer Dionis Club.

Sport

Football clubs FC Olimp Comrat and Univer-Oguzsport are based in Comrat.

Geography

Climate

Comrat has a humid continental climate (Dfa), characterized by warm summers and cool, drier winters with snow. Winter lows are often below 0 °C. In summer, the average maximum temperature is approximately 25 °C. The average annual precipitation is relatively low.

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Comrat is twinned with:

Gallery