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Chisinau

Chișinău
City
Clockwise, from left: Stephen the Great Monument,  Water Tower, Gates of Chisinau, Triumphal Arch, Liberation Monument, Sky Tower, Bell Tower of the Nativity Cathedral,  City Hall,
Clockwise, from left: Stephen the Great Monument, Water Tower, Gates of Chisinau, Triumphal Arch, Liberation Monument, Sky Tower, Bell Tower of the Nativity Cathedral, City Hall,
Flag of Chișinău
Flag
Official seal of Chișinău
Seal
Chișinău is located in Moldova
Chișinău
Chișinău
Location of Chișinău in Moldova
Coordinates: 47°0′00″N 28°55′00″E / 47.00000°N 28.91667°E / 47.00000; 28.91667
Country  Moldova
First written mention 1436
Government
 • Mayor Dorin Chirtoacă
Area
 • City 123 km2 (47 sq mi)
 • Metro 563.3 km2 (217.5 sq mi)
Elevation 85 m (279 ft)
Population (2014 census)
 • City 492,894
 • Density 4,007/km2 (10,380/sq mi)
 • Metro 736,100a
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code MD-20xx
Area code(s) +373 22
ISO 3166 code MD-CU
Website www.chisinau.md
a As the estimated population of the Municipality of Chișinău (which comprises the city of Chișinău and 34 other suburban localities)

Coordinates: 47°0′N 28°55′E / 47.000°N 28.917°E / 47.000; 28.917

Chișinău (/ˌkɪʃˈn/; Romanian pronunciation: [kiʃiˈnəw]), also known formerly as Kishinev, is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc. According to the preliminary results of the 2014 census, the city of Chișinău is home to 492,894 residents. The estimated number of resident population in the Municipality of Chișinău (which includes other nearby communities), as of 1 January 2015, is 736,100.

Chișinău is the most economically prosperous locality in Moldova and its largest transportation hub.

The origin of the city's name is unclear.

In one version, the name comes from the archaic Romanian word chișla (meaning "spring", "source of water") and nouă ("new"), because it was built around a small spring, at the corner of Pușkin and Albișoara streets.

The other version, formulated by Ștefan Ciobanu, Romanian historian and academician, holds that the name was formed the same way as the name of Chișineu (alternative spelling: Chișinău) in Western Romania, near the border with Hungary. Its Hungarian name is Kisjenő, from which the Romanian name originates. Kisjenő comes from kis "small" and the "Jenő," one of the seven Hungarian tribes that entered the Carpathian Basin in 896. At least 24 other settlements are named after the "Jenő" tribe.


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