Taraclia District

The district was formed on 11 November 1940, with its center in the village of Taraclia, in the Moldavian SSR. Until 16 October 1949 it was part of the Cahul district, after the abolition of the district it passed to direct republican subordination.

Between 31 January 1952 and 15 June 1953 the area was part of Cahul district, after the abolition of the county division it returned to direct republican subordination. In 1956 the territory of Taraclia district was almost doubled due to the annexation of parts of the territory of the abolished Congaz district. In 1962 the Taraclia district was abolished and its territory was divided between the neighboring regions of Kahul, Comrat and Ceadîr-Lunga. On 10 November 1980, the district was restored with almost the same boundaries as in 1956, adding part of the territories of Vulcănești and Ceadîr-Lunga districts.

In the mid-1990s, after the creation of the autonomous territorial entity of Gagauzia, there was a mutual transfer of villages between Gagauzia and the Taraclia region. As a result of the transfer, the region was territorially divided into two unrelated parts. In 1999, as part of the ongoing administrative reform, the region became part of the Cahul county, but on 22 October 1999,^[3] at the request of the majority of ethnic Bulgarians in the region, a separate Taraclia county was created.

The Taraclia District was founded in 2003. Until February 2003, the area belonged to the now dissolved Cahul District (Județul Cahul) together with today's Cahul District and Cantemir. As the center of the Bulgarian minority in Moldova, which accounts for about 66% of the population, today there are numerous Bulgarian cultural institutions and schools in Taraclia District. The Bulgarian language is also one of the languages of instruction at the Taraclia State University.

The regional authorities in Taraclia have long been demanding more autonomy rights for their region. In early 2014, a union with the autonomous region of Gagauzia was also discussed.^[4] According to the regional president of Taraclia, numerous other localities, mostly inhabited by Bulgarians, from other parts of Moldova applied to join the Taraclia district.^[5] Semi-independent of Moldova's central government, the rayon regional administration maintains separate relations with Russia.^[6] Taraclia is considered a stronghold of pro-Russian political parties in Moldova.^[7] Due to dissatisfaction with the Chișinău government, separatist tendencies have intensified in the region in recent years.^[8]

Taraclia District consists of two parts, the main enclave with the capital Taraclia is surrounded by the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, Cahul District and Odesa Oblast. The second enclave is surrounded by Gagauzia and Odesa Oblast, consisting of the town Tvardița and the village Valea Perjei.

Taraclia District is divided into 15 separate localities, with the status of one city, one town, six communes and seven villages respectively.

As of the 2024 Census ^[9], the district population was 26,435 - with 51.2% living in urban areas and 48.8% living in rural areas - making it the most urban raion in Moldova, surpassed only by the municipalities of Chișinău and Bălți.

Traditionally in Taraclia district, political and electoral support for the PCRM is higher than the rest of the southern part of Moldova. Communists have the largest percentage of the Moldova votes in this district. But the last three elections communists saw a continuous decline in percentage.

In the Taraclia district there are 17 schools. The Gregory Tsamblak State University is based in Taraclia and is under restructuring as a part of the University of Ruse.

The football club Levski Trakia is based in Taraclia, which is sponsored by the Association for Development of Bulgarian Community (ARBOM).^[10]

• Taraclia County
• Bessarabian Bulgarians