Nisporeni () is a district ( ro, raion) in west-central Moldova, with its administrative center at Nisporeni.
According to the 2014 census, its population was 53,154; most (82.8 percent) are Moldovans.
History
The Vărzărești monastery was first mentioned on 25 April 1420. The oldest locations in the district ( Bălăurești, Ciutești,
Seliște, Nisporeni
Seliște is a commune in Nisporeni District, Moldova. It is composed of two villages, Păruceni and Seliște.Vărzărești) were first mentioned in 1420-1425. The 15th to 18th centuries were marked by economic ( trade and agriculture) and
cultural
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...
development (the construction of monasteries and churches) and population growth. The city of Nisporeni was first mentioned by
Gaspar Graziani
Gaspar (or Gaşpar, Gasparo) Graziani (also credited as Grazziani, Gratiani and Graţiani; ''Kasper Gratiani'' in Polish; ca. 1575/1580–1620) was Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia between February 4OS/February 14 NS 1619 and September 19 OS/Sept ...
in his book dated 4 January 1618. According to Graziani, at that time Nisporeni was ruled by Farima Nicolae II, descendant of the Farima dynasty and cousin of Michael the Brave. Nicolae II is one of Moldova's national heroes. Local people were primarily involved in farming (grapes and other fruit) and
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
Basarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
; during the period 1812–1917, there was an intense
russification
Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
Basarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
was occupied by the USSR. In 1991, as a result of the
independence of Moldova
The independence of Moldova was officially recognized on 2 March 1992, when Moldova gained membership of the United Nations. The nation had declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1991, and was a co-founder of the post-Soviet ...
, Nisporeni District became part of
Ungheni County
Ungheni County ( ro, Județul Ungheni) was a county of Moldova from 1998 to 2003. Its population in 2003 was 260,300. Its capital was Ungheni.
It was bordered by the Moldovan counties of Bălți, Orhei, Chişinău, and Lăpușna, and with Romani ...
(1991–2003); in 2003, it became a separate administrative unit.
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , uk, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates ...
River. The district is in the central part of the Moldavian Plateau. The hilly landscape is fragmented by valleys deep, with steep ravines which develop landslides. Nisporeni District is situated on the highest part of the plateau, encompassing the
Codri
Codru (plural form: ''codri''; en, forests or woods) is the name of the forests that grow in the hilly part of central Moldova.
History
During the Middle Ages most of the Principality of Moldavia's hills were forested, and the forested area in ...
forest. The terrain has been called "Basarabian Switzerland." Paradoxically, the forested Codri is most prone to erosion and landslides. In the western part of the Codri is the highest point in Moldova,
Bălănești Hill
Bălănești Hill ( ro, Dealul Bălănești, ) is the highest geographical point in Moldova, Şatravca, Elen"The capitalization of the tourist potential within the Central Moldova Plateau" ''Forum Geografic'', 2014 with an altitude of 430 m ...
, at a height of .
Climate
Nisporeni District, in common with the republic, has a temperate
continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
with mild, short winters and warm, long summers. On average, there are 2,195 hours of sunshine in central Moldova. Sunshine ranges from 43–65 hours in December to 300–340 hours in July. The average annual temperature is . Monthly temperatures are above the annual average from March to November and below from December to February. Average annual precipitation ranges from . Fall rains are highly variable.
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
Birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
include
hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
and
stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...
.
Flora
Forests occupy 34 percent of the district and include oak,
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
knotweed Knotweed is a common name for plants in several genera in the family Polygonaceae. Knotweed may refer to:
* ''Fallopia''
* ''Persicaria''
* ''Polygonum''
* ''Reynoutria japonica
''Reynoutria japonica'', synonyms ''Fallopia japonica'' and ''Poly ...
fescue
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
.
Rivers
The Prut, which crosses the district in the west, borders Romania; its principal tributaries are the Nîrnova and the Lăpușna. The
Cogâlnic River
The Cogâlnic (also Cogîlnic, Kogylnik, Kogîlnic, Kohylnyk, or Kunduk) is a 243 km river in Moldova and south-western Ukraine.
The Cogâlnic rises in the hills of Nisporeni District in the Codri region west of the Moldovan capital, Chișinău ...
, which flows into the Black Sea, rises in the district. There are also 45 ponds, with a total area of .
As of 1 January 2012 the district population was 66,600, of which 21.8 percent was urban and 78.2 percent rural.
* Births (2010): 744 (11.1 per 1000)
* Deaths (2010): 884 (13.2 per 1000)
*Growth rate (2010): -140 (-2.1 per 1000)
Ethnic groups
''Footnote'': * There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
Baptists
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
Evangelicals
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
- 0.1%
*Other - 0.5%
*No religion 0.1%
Economy
The district has a total of 21,956 registered businesses.
Agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...
land comprises , 61.5 percent of total land area. Land in production makes up (34.5 percent of total land area) as follows:
* Orchards: (6.3 percent)
*
Vineyards
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
: (9.7 percent)
* Pasture: (10.8 percent)
Principal
crops
A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponics ...
cereal
A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...
plum
A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes.
History
Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...
),
sunflower
The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...
There are 36 educational institutions in the district with a total student population of 9,300 (including 350
graduate-level
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and stru ...
students). The total number of teachers is 731, with 144 at the graduate level.
Politics
Centre-right political parties, particularly the AEI, are popular in the district; conversely, the
PCRM
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., which promotes a plant-based diet, preventive medicine, and alternatives to animal research, and encourages ...
has the lowest popularity of any Moldovan district. During the last three elections, the AEI vote increased by 74.5 percent.
Elections
, -
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center colspan="2" valign=center, Party
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=+/−
, -
,
, align=left, Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova
, align="right", 10,489
, align="right", 37.22
, align="right", +14.46
, -
,
, align=left, Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova
, align="right", 5,352
, align="right", 18.99
, align="right", −8.19
, -
,
, align=left, Democratic Party of Moldova
, align="right", 5,292
, align="right", 18,78
, align="right", +11.90
, -
,
, align=left, Liberal Party
, align="right", 4,220
, align="right", 14.97
, align="right", −12.04
, -
,
, align=left,
Party Alliance Our Moldova
The Our Moldova Alliance ( ro, Partidul Alianță Moldova Noastră, en, Party Alliance Our Moldova, AMN) was a social-liberal political party in Moldova led by Serafim Urechean, former mayor of Chișinău. It merged into the Liberal Democratic P ...
In the district are two museums, 112 art museums, 13 musical ensembles, 34
public libraries
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
There are five fundamenta ...
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
. There are thirteen family-medicine offices, nine health centers and eight clinics. Nisporeni District has 73 doctors, 267 nurses and 240 auxiliary health-care workers.