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Bessarabia is a region located in Eastern Europe spread over current day Moldova and Ukraine. It is bounded by the Dniestr river in the north and east, the Prut in the west, the Black Sea in the south, together with the Danube river. The main cities in the region are Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, Tiraspol, Izmayil and Bilgorod-Dnistrovski. The name Bessarabia is probaly derived from the Walachian family of Bassarab, once rulers over part of the area.

Greek colonies were established in the region in the 7th century BCE, and later became part of the Roman province of Dacia. The regions was then frequently invaded: by Goths, Huns, Avars, Magyars, Cumans and Mongols. The Turks conquered Bessarabia in 1513. In 1812, the Treaty of Bucharest gave the region to Russia. After the Crimean War, the southern part was handed over to Moldavia, but this was reverted in 1878. After the Russian Revolution, the aread declared itself an independent republic. In 1920, a union with Romania was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris, but this was not recognised by the Soviet Union. In 1940, Romania had to give up the region to the the Soviet Union, where it was divided over the Moldavian SSR and the Ukrainian SSR. When these countries gained independence in 1991, this remained the same.