Chisinau, formerly Kishinev, capital and largest city of Moldova, located on the Byk River, in the central part of the country. Chisinau is the largest population center in Moldova and accounts for most of the country's industrial output. Manufactures include processed food, wine, clothing, and tobacco products. A university and the Moldovan Academy of Sciences are located in Chisinau.
Founded in the 15th century, Chisinau sprouted from a small settlement built around a monastery in the principality of Moldavia. Less than a hundred years after the town was established, the Ottomans captured the city. Chisinau subsequently blossomed into a trade center. In 1812, following one of the Russo-Turkish Wars, Russia annexed Chisinau, renamed it Kishinev, and made the city the center of the Bessarabia region.
