Gagauzia, Autonomous region in southern Moldova.
Gagauzia is an autonomous region in southern Moldova that brings together four separate areas with fields, vineyards and smaller towns. Comrat serves as the main center of this region, which includes three districts and is surrounded by the rest of the Moldovan countryside.
The region gained its status as an autonomous unit in late 1994, following negotiations between local leaders and the Moldovan government after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This political agreement allowed the Gagauz to preserve their linguistic and cultural particularities within the Moldovan state.
Gagauz is the mother tongue of most inhabitants, a language with Turkic roots still spoken daily and taught in schools. The three official languages of the region reflect connections with different neighbors and show how the population lives between several cultural worlds.
The region is accessible by road from Chișinău, though the four separate areas are surrounded by non-autonomous Moldovan territory. Small towns and villages are scattered among the vineyards and farmland, and a visit requires several hours of travel through rural countryside.
The Gagauz are the only Christian Orthodox community with Turkic heritage in all of Europe, a combination that reflects their Balkan origins and centuries of religious continuity. Although their language is close to Turkish, the Orthodox faith distinguishes them clearly from other Turkic-speaking groups.
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