Gagauzia

Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) Gagauz Yeri Găgăuzia Гагаузия
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Long live Gagauzia! (Yaşasın Gagauziya!)
Anthem: Tarafım (My Land)
Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia   Rest of Moldova
Capital and largest city	Comrat 46°19′N 28°40′E / 46.317°N 28.667°E / 46.317; 28.667
Languages	Gagauz Turkish Romanian Russian
Government
• Governor	Irina Vlah (since 15 April 2015)
• Chairman of the People's Assembly	Ana Harlamenco (2008–present)
Legislature	People's Assembly
Autonomous region of Moldova
• Created	23 December 1994
Area
• Total	1,832 km2 (707 sq mi)
Population
• 2011 estimate	160,700
• Density	87.7/km2 (227.1/sq mi)
Currency	Moldovan leu (MDL)

Gagaúzia (Gagauz: Gagaúziya or Gagaúz Yerí; Romanian: Găgăuzia; Russian: Гагаýзия, Gagaúziya), formally known as the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) (Gagauz: Avtonom Territorial Bölümlüü Gagauz Yeri; Romanian: Unitatea Teritorială Autonomă Găgăuzia; Russian: Автономное территориальное образование Гагаузия, Avtonomnoye territorialnoye obrazovaniye Gagauziya), is an autonomous region of Moldova. Its name comes from the Gagauz people. Gagaúz Yerí literally means "place of the Gagauz".

According to some theories, the Gagauz people descend from the Seljuq Turks who settled in Dobruja following the Anatolian Seljuq Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus II (1236–1276). They may be descended from Pechenegs, Uz (Oghuz) and Cuman (Kipchak) peoples.

More specifically, one clan of Oghuz Turks is known to have migrated to the Balkans during intertribal conflicts with other Turks. This Oghuz Turk clan converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity after settling in the Eastern Balkans (in Bulgaria) and were called Gagauz Turks. A large group of the Gagauz later left Bulgaria and settled in southern Bessarabia, along with a group of ethnic Bulgarians.