Cimișlia District

The Cimișlia district is situated in the southern part of the Republic of Moldova and belongs to the South Development Region. Its seat is the town of Cimișlia. The district lies where the Codri area to the north meets the Bugeac steppe to the south, bordering the districts of Hîncești, Ialoveni, Căușeni, Leova and Basarabeasca, as well as the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia.

Geography

The relief is hilly, with valleys and rolling hills, in the transition zone towards the southern plain, and the climate is temperate-continental, warmer and drier than in the centre of the country. The district covers roughly 924 km², and the population, according to the 2014 census, was around 49,299 inhabitants, with a density of about 53 inhabitants per km². The population has undergone a demographic decline in recent decades. The ethnic composition is mostly Moldovan/Romanian, with Ukrainian, Russian and Bulgarian minorities.

Economy

The district's economy is predominantly agricultural. Fertile soils and a warm climate favour the cultivation of cereals, sunflower, grapevines and vegetables, and viticulture holds an important place. Fruit growing and animal husbandry complete the agricultural profile, alongside agri-food processing industry and trade. Part of the grape production supplies local winemaking, which has tradition in the area.

What to see

The Cimișlia district preserves churches and traditional villages, and its landscapes of hills and vineyards are representative of southern Moldova. In recent years the area has also become known for renewable energy projects, benefiting from high wind and solar potential thanks to the climate and open relief.

History

The settlement of Cimișlia is documented from the medieval period, being an old settlement on the trade route linking central Moldova with the southern Bugeac. In the interwar period the territory belonged to Romania, and after 1944 it was integrated into the Moldavian SSR, receiving town status. Set on the border between the Codri and the steppe, the Cimișlia district combines its agricultural and wine-growing vocation with openness to new sources of clean energy, being a territory representative of the transition between the natural zones of the country's centre and south.