Hîncești () is a district () of

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

, with the city of Hîncești as its administrative center. As of 1 January 2011, its population was 122,000.

History

The district has been inhabited since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

(40,000–30,000 BC). On the territory of the present localities Rusca and Anina many cemeteries and settlements pertaining to the native

Getae The Getae or Getai ( or , also Getans) were a large nation who inhabited the regions to either side of the Lower Danube in what is today northern Bulgaria and southern Romania, throughout much of Classical Antiquity. The main source of informa ...

culture (4th–3rd centuries BC) have been discovered. Localities with the earliest historical attestation are Secăreni, Leușeni, Lăpușna, and Ciuciuleni, which were first attested in the period 1420–1430. During the 15th–18th centuries, the district was part of Lăpușna. Tirgul Lăpușnei was the administrative center, headed by a pârcălab (governor). Lăpușna existed as a

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

in the 14th century. A branch of the Moldovan Road passed by Lapusna, linking the economic centers of

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

to the North Pontic cities. The branch continued on over the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, in

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

, to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. Lăpușna Fair was a resting place for merchants, where they paid a small customs, besides the great customs from abroad. In 1489, Lăpușna was expressly recorded as a fair, thereby underlining its economic importance. After the conquest of Cetatea Albă and Chilia by the Turks, and Bugeac by Noha Tatars, the southern border of

was moved farther north, closer to the region. Lăpușna has served as a resting place for many foreign travelers, officials,

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

, ambassadors, and merchants. In 1812, after the Russo-Turkish War, the Russian Empire occupied the region of Basarabia, leading to an intense russification of the native population. In 1918, after the collapse of the Russian Empire, Bessarabia united with Romania. In this period (1918–1940 and 1941–1944), the district was part of the Lăpușna County. In 1940, after the Molotov–Ribbentrop Treaty, Basarabia was occupied by the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. In 1991, as a result of the proclamation of Independence of Moldova, the region became part of Lăpușna County (1991–2003), and in 2003 it became an administrative unit of

Geography

Hîncești District is located in the central part of the

Republic of Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised ...

. Neighboring districts include Nisporeni District to the northwest, Strășeni District to the northeast, Ialoveni District to the east, Cimișlia and Leova districts to the south, and the border with

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

on the river

Prut The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. Characteristics The Prut originates on the eas ...

to the west. The

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

is predominantly hilly with heights between 100 and 350 m. The

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

of the district is divided into three areas: the forested hills of Codru, the forested and less hilly

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

, and the

. The Codru forests are characterized by very complicated

terrain Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

. From north to south, the territory is intersected by 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, Codri region west of the Moldovan capital, Chiș ...

and the Galbena River. The forested steppe is characterized by gentler topography. The area is intersected by the Lapusna River and the Sărata River, a tributary of the

. The Prut

zone is characterized by a flatter and less

wooded A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

landscape. This area is crossed by the river Călmățui, which in Turkish translates as "white matter".

Erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

al processes differ in each area.

Climate

The

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

is moderate continental, and highly variable. The average annual air temperature is . The average temperature in January is , the absolute minimum is , and in July the average temperature is , with a maximum of . Annual rainfall is 500–650 mm.

Fauna

The

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

are typical of Europe, and include

mammals A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

such as foxes,

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

, wild cats, ermine,

ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...

s, and

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

and others. Birds include

egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...

s, owls,

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

s, sparrows,

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...

s, and

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons and ibise ...

Flora

Forests occupy 18.5% of the district area, and consist of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

s, lindens,

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

es,

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

s, and others. Other plants include bells, knotweeds,

nettle Nettle refers to plants with stinging hairs, particularly those of the genus '' Urtica''. It can also refer to plants which resemble ''Urtica'' species in appearance but do not have stinging hairs. Plants called "nettle" include: * ball nettle ...

s, and wormwood.

Administrative subdivisions

*Localities: 63 **Administrative center: Hîncești ***Cities: Hîncești ****Villages: 24 *****Communes: 38

Demographics

As of 1 January 2012, the district population was 121,600, of which 13.9% was urban and 88.1% was rural. There were 1455 births (11.9 per 1000) and 1829 deaths (14.9 per 1000) in 2010, for a growth rate of −374 (−3.0 per 1000).

Ethnic groups

''Footnote'': * There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.

Religion

*Christians – 98.6% ** Orthodox Christians – 95.3% **

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

– 3.3% ***

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

– 1.9% *** Seventh-day Adventists 0.9% *** Evangelicals – 0.3% *** Pentecostals – 0.3% *Other – 0.9% *No Religion – 0.5%

Economy

Agriculture is the primary economic activity in the district. Products include wine, alcohol, bakery products, fruit, and sausages. All agricultural land is privately owned. There are 93,361 ha of agricultural land, including

arable land Arable land (from the , "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the purposes of a ...

(62.3%),

vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

(17.5%), and

orchards An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of lar ...

(6.0%). Other products include shoes, clothes, furniture, and concrete building blocks.

Education

The district has 59 educational institutions, teaching 18,908 children, 350 students in the College of Construction, and 600 in various professional schools. Currently there are 1600 teachers.

Politics

The district traditionally supports right-wing parties, particularly the AEI. In the district, the PLDM had the highest percentage of votes of all of the

districts of Moldova Countries' first-level (top-level) administrative divisions. ''Please note:'' This category's subcategories contain articles on each subdivision of the country while each directly included article considers the subdivisions structure of the count ...

. Support for the PCRM has steadily declined. During the last three elections support for the AEI had a 99.0% increase.

Elections

, - ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;" colspan="2", Parties and coalitions ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;", Votes ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;", % ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:right;", +/− , - , , align=left, Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova , align="right", 26,555 , align="right", 51.09 , align="right", +23.04 , - , , align=left,

Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (, PCRM) is a communist party in Moldova led by Vladimir Voronin. It is the only communist party to have held a majority government in a post-Soviet state. It has been variously described as Com ...

, align="right", 12,190 , align="right", 23.45 , align="right", −9.55 , - , , align=left,

Democratic Party of Moldova The European Social Democratic Party (, PSDE) is a centre-left, populist Social democracy, social democratic political party in Moldova. Established in 1997, the party holds pro-European views, and is an associate member of the Party of European ...

, align="right", 6,973 , align="right", 13.42 , align="right", -3.06 , - , , align=left,

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, align="right", 3,551 , align="right", 6.83 , align="right", −7.29 , - , style="background:gray;", , align=left, Other Party , align="right", 2,727 , align="right", 5.21 , align="right", +2.01 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#e9e9e9;" colspan="2", Total (turnout 56.20%) , style="text-align:right; width:30px; background:#e9e9e9;", 52,340 , style="text-align:right; width:30px; background:#e9e9e9;", 100.00 , style="text-align:right; width:30px; background:#e9e9e9;",

Culture

The district is home to two museums, 77 works of art, and 13 bands.

Health

The district has two hospitals with 540 beds, a center for family doctors that has 25 family physician offices, 14 health centers, and 18 health points. There are 183 doctors and 472 medical staff and auxiliary.

Tourism

The council of the

n Vaslui County, the county councils of the

n Leova and Hîncești districts, and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(through the Phare program), have set up a program to promote tourism in these regions. The main tourist attractions of the Vaslui- Hîncești- Leova area are the medieval and early modern churches and monasteries, the Manuc Bei Hunting Palace and the Manuc–Mirzaian Manor Palace (similar to Manuc's Inn in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

) in Hîncești, and the region's natural riches. The district is home to the Hîncești Forest Landscape Reserve and two natural reserves for medicinal herbs ( Sărata-Galbenă and Logănești).

Sister communities

On 1 December 2017, the district partnered with

Greenfield, Massachusetts Greenfield is the county seat, and sole city, of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Commun ...

to form a "sister community".

References

District population per year

External links

Vaslui-Turism.ro
– Cultural Religious Itineraries – Tourism website for Hîncești District
General description of Hîncești District
* Talk: Hîncești District
Results of 2010 Parliamentary election
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hincesti District Districts of Moldova