Moldavians
| Moldoveni | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| c. 3.4 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Republic of Moldova
|
2,741,849 (Transnistria included) |
 Ukraine
|
258,619 |
 Russia
|
156,400 |
 Italy
|
142,583 |
 Spain
|
17,426 |
 Romania
|
15,000 |
 Kazakhstan
|
14,245 |
 Portugal
|
13,586 |
 Greece
|
9,920 |
 Canada
|
8,050 |
 United States
|
7,859 |
 Belarus
|
3,465 |
 Latvia
|
2,284 |
| Languages | |
| Primarily Romanian | |
| Religion | |
| Primarily Ortodox Christianity (small Catholic and Evangelical minorities) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Romanians, Other Eastern Romance peoples | |
Moldovans (in Moldovan/Romanian moldoveni pronounced [moldoˈvenʲ]; Moldovan Cyrillic: Молдовень) are the largest population group of the Republic of Moldova (75.8% of the population), and a significant minority in Ukraine and Russia. Under the variant Moldavians, the term may also be used to refer to all inhabitants of the territory of historical Principality of Moldavia, currently divided among Romania (47.5%), Moldova (30.5%) and Ukraine (22%), regardless of ethnic identity.
This article refers primarily to the Romance language-speaking ethnic group native to Moldova, the historical Bessarabia and diaspora originating from these regions. There is an ongoing controversy whether Moldovans are a fully fledged ethnic group or a regional subgroup of the Romanian ethnic group.
According to Miron Costin, a prominent chronicler from the 17th century Moldavia, the inhabitants of the Principality of Moldavia spoke Romanian and called themselves "Moldovans", but also "Romanians" which, he notes, comes from "romanus". Also, the Slavic neighbours called Moldovans "Vlachs" or "Volokhs", a term equally used to refer to all native Romance speakers from Eastern Europe and the Balkan peninsula.
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Wikipedia