Moldova Districts

Moldova is a small, landlocked country between Romania along the Prut river and Ukraine to the east, and its map is a long strip of rolling hills, vineyards and plains. The first level of its administration is 32 districts (raioane), the municipalities of Bălți and Bender, the capital Chișinău, the autonomous region of Gagauzia and Transnistria, which together cover the country without a gap.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: The North, the Centre and the South development regions, and Chișinău with the special units
In the game: 37 units

Start

What you are looking at

The units of today, named the way Moldova writes them, diacritics and all. Transnistria is drawn as part of Moldova, the way the country and the United Nations draw it, as a long strip along the Dniester river with the small municipality of Bender on its western bank. Chișinău sits in the middle of the country, and the largest districts are in the south and along the northern border, while the smallest are packed around the capital.

The groups are the development regions Moldova uses itself. Chișinău, Bender, Gagauzia and Transnistria belong to none of them, so they share a fourth group.

How to place one

Find the capital. Chișinău is the unit in the middle, with Ialoveni to its south and Strășeni to its west.
Follow the Prut. Briceni, Edineț, Ungheni, Nisporeni, Leova, Cantemir and Cahul run down the western border with Romania.
Follow the Dniester. Transnistria is the strip along the eastern border, and Soroca, Rezina and Criuleni are the districts facing it on the west bank.
Fill in the south last. Gagauzia is a scatter of pieces in the south, with Taraclia, Basarabeasca and Cimișlia around it.

Every unit, by group

North12 units: Bălți, Briceni, Dondușeni, Drochia, Edineț, Fălești, Florești, Glodeni, Ocnița, Rîșcani, Sîngerei, Soroca
Centre13 units: Anenii Noi, Călărași, Criuleni, Dubăsari, Hîncești, Ialoveni, Nisporeni, Orhei, Rezina, Șoldănești, Strășeni, Telenești, Ungheni
South8 units: Basarabeasca, Cahul, Cimișlia, Căușeni, Cantemir, Leova, Ștefan Vodă, Taraclia
Chișinău and the special units4 units: Bender, Chișinău, Gagauzia, Transnistria

Worked examples

Chișinău

The capital

Chișinău is a compact unit in the centre of the country, and the one every other unit is easiest to place from.

Transnistria

The long strip

Transnistria is the long, narrow unit along the Dniester, and the only one that runs almost the whole length of the eastern border.

Gagauzia

The scattered one

Gagauzia is an autonomous region made of several separate pieces in the south, which is why it is easy to place the first piece and miss the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How many districts does Moldova have?

32 districts, plus the municipalities of Bălți and Bender, Chișinău, Gagauzia and Transnistria, 37 units in all.

Why is Transnistria on the map?

Moldova and the United Nations treat it as part of Moldova, although it has been outside the government's control since 1992, so the game draws it as one of the units.