Nisporeni District

The Nisporeni district lies in the central-western part of the Republic of Moldova, in the Centre Development Region. The seat is the town of Nisporeni. The district borders the Călărași district to the north, the Hîncești district to the south, the Strășeni district to the east, and to the west the Ungheni district and, across the Prut, Romania, the river Prut forming the state border here. Set in the heart of the Codri area, the district is one of the most picturesque in the centre of the country.

Relief and waters

With an area of approximately 629 km², the district has a varied and complicated hilly relief, cut by deep valleys and ravines, with altitudes of 150–250 metres. Here rises Bălănești Hill, the highest point in the Republic of Moldova, at about 430 metres. The waters are represented by the Prut, to the west, and by the inland rivers Nârnova, Lăpușna and Cogâlnic, to which are added numerous ponds and reservoirs. Owing to its wooded and broken relief, dotted with beech and oak forests, the Codri area has been nicknamed "the Bessarabian Helvetia".

Population and economy

At the 2014 census the district numbered approximately 53,000 inhabitants, mostly of Moldovan/Romanian ethnicity. The economy is based on agriculture, viticulture and fruit growing, favoured by the fertile chernozem soils that cover most of the territory. The district also has mineral resources used in construction: limestone, clay for bricks and tiles, sand and gravel. Besides the seat town, numerous villages with a long agricultural and winegrowing tradition complete the district's network of settlements.

Heritage and tourism

Nisporeni is renowned for its natural wealth. A significant part of the territory is covered by the beech and oak forests of the Codri, and the "Plaiul Fagului" scientific reserve, at Rădenii Vechi, protects centuries-old beech forests — a rarity at this latitude — with a particularly rich flora and fauna. The mineral springs at Hâncu are valued for their therapeutic properties and attract visitors. The landscape of wooded hills, the villages with winemaking traditions and the proximity to the Prut make the district a sought-after destination for rural and ecological tourism. The district, in its first administrative form, was constituted in November 1940.