The Gagauz are a Turkic people minority of southern Moldova (in Gagauzia) and of southwestern Ukraine (in Budjak) that numbers around 250,000. Along with the Chuvash people of Russia, they are the only ethnic Turkic groups that are predominantly Christian (Eastern Orthodox). The Turkic people are any of various peoples whose members speak languages in the Turkic family of languages. ... Gagauzia (or Gagauz-Yeri) is an autonomous region within Moldova, located along the southern border with Ukraine, inhabited by the Gagauz, a Turkic people who are ethnically and culturally distinct from other Moldovans. ... Budjak, Budzhak, or Buchak (Ukrainian: Буджак [Budžak], Romanian: Bugeac, Turkish: Bucak, Polish: Budziak [Budžak]) is the southern part of Bessarabia, now part of Odesa region of Ukraine. ... The Chuvash are a bunch of pakis . ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ...

Geographic distribution

Gagauz people have settlements in the Ukrainian regions of Odessa and Zaporizhzhia, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Romania. There are also nearly 20,000 Gagauz living in the Balkan countries of Greece and Bulgaria. ODESSA (German Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen; The Organization of Former SS-Members) was an alleged Nazi-German fugitive network set up towards the end of World War II by a group of SS officers, among whom Martin Bormann and Heinrich Himmler. ... Zaporizhzhia (Ukrainian: Запоріжжя, Russian: Запорожье, Zaporozhye) is a city in south-eastern Ukraine, the capital of Zaporizka oblast. It lies on the banks of the Dnieper river. ... The Kabardino-Balkar Republic or Kabardino-Balkaria (Russian: ; Kabardian: Къэбэрдей-Балъкъэр Республикэ; Balkar: Къабарты-Малкъар Республика) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic), located in the northern Caucasus. ...

There is a related ethnic group also called Gagauz (or Gacal) living in the European part of northwestern Turkey and in the Republic of Macedonia, who are Muslims. Official languages Macedonian¤ Capital Skopje President Branko Crvenkovski Prime Minister Vlado Bučkovski Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water Ranked 146th  25,333 km²  1. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ...

History

Early history and settlement in Bessarabia

Ancestors of the Gagauz can be traced to the early nomadic tribes, Guzi and Uzi (also called Ghuzz and Uz which are branches of Oghuz). Byzantine written history records that in the 11th century the nomadic tribe Guzi crossed the Danube River and settled in the Balkan regions of Greece and Bulgaria. Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ... UZ or uz can refer to several things: An abbreviation (and TLD) for Uzbekistan The name of a son of Aram (עוץ Fertile land; counsel, Standard Hebrew עוּץ, Tiberian Hebrew ʿÛṣ), also known as Huz or Utz, according to the Book of Genesis The land of Biblical figure Job The... For all Turkic groupings and Turkic history, see Turkic peoples. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... The Danube (Donau in German; Dunaj in Slovak; Duna in Hungarian; Dunav in Croatian; Дунав/Dunav in Serbian; Дунав in Bulgarian; Dunăre in Romanian; Дунай (Dunay) in Ukrainian; Danuvius in Latin) is Europes second-longest river (after the Volga). ...

Once settled in these new regions, the Guzi people shifted to a sedentary lifestyle and adopted Orthodox Christianity. The ethnic mixes of the Guzi with other Turkic tribes of the Pechenegi, Polovtsi and Kumani are direct ancestors of modern day Gagauzians. The Pechenegs or Patzinaks (in Hungarian: Besenyők) were a semi-nomadic people of the Central Asian steppes speaking a Turkic language. ... The Cumans, also known as Polovtsy (Slavic for yellowish) were a nomadic West Turkic tribe living on the north of the Black Sea along the Volga. ... The Cumans, also known as Polovtsy (Slavic for yellowish) were a nomadic West Turkic tribe living on the north of the Black Sea along the Volga. ...

Turkic-speaking tribes of the Nogai Horde inhabited the Budjak Region of southern Bessarabia from the 16th to 18th centuries. Before 1807, a portion of these tribes were forced to abandon Budjak by the czarist government of Russia and resettled in Crimea, Azov and Stavropol. The Nogai Horde was the Tatar horde that controlled the Caucasus Mountain region after the Mongol invasion. ... Budjak, Budzhak, or Buchak (Ukrainian: Буджак [Budžak], Romanian: Bugeac, Turkish: Bucak, Polish: Budziak [Budžak]) is the southern part of Bessarabia, now part of Odesa region of Ukraine. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Crimea /kraɪˈmia/ is a peninsula and an autonomous republic of Ukraine on the northern coast of the Black Sea. ... Azov is a town in the Rostov Oblast of the Russian Federation, situated on the Don River just 4 miles from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. ... Stone Cross of Stavropol, symbol of the city Stavropol (Ста́врополь) is a city located in south-western Russia. ...

Between 1750 and 1846, the Russian Empire allocated them land and gave them financial incentives to settle in Bessarabia in the settlements vacated by the Nogai tribes. They settled mainly in Avdarma, Comrat, Congaz, Tomai, Cismichioi and other former Nogai villages located in the central Budjak Region. Events March 2 - Small earthquake in London, England April 4 - Small earthquake in Warrington, England August 23 - Small earthquake in Spalding, England September 30 - Small earthquake in Northampton, England November 16 – Westminster Bridge officially opened Jonas Hanway is the first Englishman to use an umbrella James Gray reveals her sex... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Old map of Bessarabia Bessarabia or Bessarabiya (Basarabia in Romanian, Besarabya in Turkish) was the name by which the Imperial Russia designated the eastern part of the principality of Moldavia annexed by Russia in 1812. ... Comrat or Komrat is the capital of the Gagauzia autonomous region in Moldova. ...

With the exception of a five-day independence in the winter of 1906, when a peasant uprising declared the autonomous Republic of Comrat, the Gagauzian people have been ruled by the Russian Empire, Romania, Germany, and the Soviet Union. Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

Soviet Union and Republic of Moldova

Gagauz nationalism remained an intellectual movement during the 1980s but strengthened by the end of the decade as the Soviet Union began to embrace democratic ideals. In 1988, activists from the local intelligentsia aligned with other ethnic minorities to create the movement known as the "Gagauz People". A year later the "Gagauz People" held its first assembly which accepted the resolution to create an autonomous territory in southern Moldova with Comrat designated as capital. In August of 1990, Comrat declared itself an autonomous republic, but the Moldovan government annulled the declaration as unconstitutional. The Gagauz national movement intensified when Romanian was accepted as the official language of the Republic of Moldova. The multiethnic populations of southern Moldova regarded this decision with concern, precipitating a lack of confidence in the central government located in Chisinau. The Gagauz were also worried about the implications for them if Moldova reunited with Romania, as seemed increasingly likely at the time. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Comrat or Komrat is the capital of the Gagauzia autonomous region in Moldova. ...

Support for the Soviet Union remained high, with an almost unaminous 'yes' vote to staying in the USSR in a referendum of March 1991 (Moldovans in Gagauzia boycoted the referendum however). Many Gagauz supported the Moscow coup attempt, further straining relations with Chisinau. However, when the Moldovan parliament voted on whether Moldova should become independent 6 of the 12 Gagauz deputies voted 'yes.' Gagauzia declared itself independent on 19th August 1991, followed in September by Transnistria. The moves prompted the nationalist Popular Front to tone down its pro-Romanian line and speak up for the rights of minorities. During the Soviet Coup of 1991, also known as the August Putsch or August Coup, a group of hardliners within the Soviet Communist party briefly deposed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and attempted to take control of the country. ... Administrative map of Moldova with Transnistria highlighted in yellow Official languages Moldovan, Russian and Ukrainian Political status unrecognized Capital Tiraspol President Igor Smirnov Independence  â€“ Declared  â€“ Recognition From Moldova  September 2, 1990  none Area 3,567 km² (2001 est. ...

In February 1994 President Mircea Snegur promised the Gaugauz autonomy, though he was against outright independence. He was also opposed to the suggestion that Moldova become a federal state made up of three republics - Moldova, Gagauzia, and Transnistria. Mircea Ion Snegur (b. ...

Only on December 23, 1994 did the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova accept the "Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia" (Gagauz Yeri), resolving the dispute peacefully. This date is now a Gagauzian holiday. Many European human-rights organizations recognize Gagauzia as a successful model for resolving ethnic conflict. Gagauzia was now a 'national-territorial autonomous unit' with three official languages (Russian, Gagauz and Moldovan (Romanian) ). December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

30 settlements, including 3 towns and 27 villages, expressed their desire to be included in the Autonomous Gagauz Territory as a result of a referendum to determine Gagauzia's borders. In 1995, George Tabunshik was elected to serve as the Governor (Bashkan) of Gagauzia for a four year term as were the deputies of the local parliament, "The People's Assembly" and its chairman Peter Pashali.

In 1994, the Parliament of Moldova awarded to "the people of Gagauzia" the right of "external self-determination".