Bessarabia facts for kids
Bessarabia is the word for the area in Eastern Europe between Romania and Ukraine. It shares borders with Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west.
During the 19th century it was sometimes part of Romania and sometimes in the Russian Empire. It was again part of Romania most of the first half of the 20th century. The Soviet Union occupied the region after 1944. Today, most areas of Bessarabia belong to the Republic of Moldova.
Images for kids
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Map of Bessarabia within Moldavia through time
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According to one theory, the region's name originated from the Wallachian rule during the late 14th century (1390 map).
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Most of Bessarabia was for centuries part of the principality of Moldavia (1800 map).
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Akkerman fortress in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Ukraine) was one of the many important castles in Bessarabia.
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The Moldavian (later Romanian)–Russian boundary between 1856/1857 and 1878
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Declaration of unification of Romania and Bessarabia
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Bessarabia (pale purple) and the other historical regions of Romania between 1918 and 1940.
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Administrative map of the Governorate of Bessarabia in February 1942
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Ethnic composition of the Governorate of Bessarabia in late 1941, after the Romanian authorities had “cleansed” the Jewish population.
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Ethnic map of Bessarabia in 1930
