Bessarabia

Bessarabia, historic region of south-eastern Europe, east of Romania, between the Prut and Dnestr rivers. The region corresponds to the present-day republic of Moldova, except for its northern and southern sections, which are in Ukraine. Its name is derived from that of the Basarabs, a Romanian dynasty that ruled neighbouring Walachia from the 14th to the 17th century. In the Middle Ages Bessarabia belonged to the principality of Moldavia. It was ruled by the Ottoman Turks from 1513 to 1812 when, following the Russo-Turkish Wars, it was ceded to the Russian Empire. For a brief period (1856-1878) southern Bessarabia was returned to Romania. When the kingdom of Romania was established in 1881, it laid claim to the region, which had a large Romanian-speaking population. After the breakup of the Russian Empire, Bessarabia was united with Romania (1918). During World War II it was occupied by the army of the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1940, retaken by Romania the following year, and reoccupied by the USSR in 1944. The larger part of Bessarabia was joined to the already existing Moldavian Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic, across the Dnestr River, to form the Moldavian SSR; the northernmost area around Khotin and the coastal strip along the Black Sea became part of the Ukrainian SSR.