Europe: All about Moldova Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wine cellar

The Mileștii Mici Winery was founded in 1969. The Guinness World Records recognises this cellar as the largest. It typically holds around two million bottles of wine.

Answer: Bic

The Bīc originates in west-central Moldova, in the village of Temeleuți. It is a right tributary of the Dniester River, and forms a deep canyon in the Codri Hills in the central of the country.

When Moldova was under Soviet rule from 1944 to 1991, the Soviets changed the nature of the river considerably by building several dams. The largest of these dams created in the early 1960's resulted in the formation of the Ghidighici Reservoir, located around 7.5 miles (12 km) from the capital.

Answer: Raut

Like the Bīc River which flows through Moldova's capital, the Răut is also a right tributary of the Dniester. It is around 180 miles (285 km) long.

The city of Bălți features the Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre, named for Romanian poet and politician, Vasile Alecsandri. The city is located atop three hills, the Răut dividing one of the hills in the north-east.

Answer: Porridge

Mămăligă consists of yellow maize flour. It was made by peasants in Moldova in centuries past, often acting as a substitute for bread. It is normally now an accompaniment to meat dishes and stews in the country. It is often mistaken for the popular dish "polenta" which is a boiled maize dish from Italy, but Mămăligă is much more simple to make.

Answer: Maryland

Moldova's area is around 13,070 square miles (33,850 square km) in total.

Maryland in the U.S.A is around 12,407 square miles (32,133 square km) in area.

Answer: Chisinau

In 1940, the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) committed atrocities and mass deportations in Moldova, against anyone who opposed the Soviet occupation.

On 10 November 1940, an earthquake measuring between 7.4-7.7 on the Richter scale hit the city. 78 people died and 172 buildings were completely destroyed.

The following year in 1941, the Nazis conducted air raids on the city, and murdered Jewish citizens of the city by having them driven outside Chișinău, and shot. Around 10,000 Jewish people were killed when the Nazis took the city.

Answer: Eagle

The flag of Moldova is a triband of blue, yellow and red - identical to the flag of Romania. The Moldovan flag however has the coat of arms of Moldova, which is an emblem of an Eagle behind a shield. The shield features the head of an aurochs.

The eagle on the flag holds an Orthodox Christian cross in its beak, and an olive branch in its claw to symbolise peace.

Answer: Kuchurhan

The Cuciurgan Reservoir connects the Odessa oblast of Ukraine and Transnistria. It is around 12 miles (20 km) in length, and just under 2 miles (3 km) in width.

This lake does not employ any hydroelectric power plants. It instead has a fossil fuel power station in the town of Dnestrovsc in the south of Moldova, which uses the water straight from the reservoir.

The Kuchurhan River flows through Moldova and Ukraine. It is aproximately 70 miles (110 km) long. It is a tributary of the Turunchuk River, which is a branch of the Dniester River.

Answer: Bani

The name "leu" is derived from the Romanian word for "lion." Only one man has yet been represented on the bank notes of Moldova: Ștefan cel Mare (Stephen III, or Stephen the Great) of Moldavia, who reigned from 1457-1504.

The breakaway state of Transnistria uses the Transnistrian ruble as their currency.

Answer: Alexander Suvorov

Tiraspol was founded by Alexander Suvorov, a military general of the Russian Empire, in 1792. The statue of Suvorov in the central square of Tiraspol depicts him triumphantly riding a horse.

Answer: Hincesti

Located around 20 miles (30 km) south-west of the capital, Chișinău, the city of Hīncești is located on the Cogālnic River, which flows through Moldova and the south-west of Ukraine.

Grigory Kotovsky was born in Hīncești in 1881, when it still had this name, in the city that would be one day be (albeit not permanently) named after him, from 1940 until 1941 when the city was re-named Hīncești again. However, in 1945 it was then again re-named Kotovskoe. This was until 1965, when it was re-named Kotovsk. The city was finally called Hīncești again in 1990.

Answer: Balanesti Hill

Bălănești Hill is 1,410 feet (430 m) high, and is located in the Nisporeni District of west-central of the country in the village of Bălănești, which is the highest village of Moldova.

Answer: Capriana monastery

Born around 1746, Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni was a priest and bishop of several places, including Moldavia from 1792, Kherson and Crimea from 1793-1799, and Kiev and Halych from 1799-1803.

Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni was also the Archbishop of Chişinău from 1812-1821, and was the first head of the church in Bessarabia after the area's annexation by Russia.

Căpriana monastery is located in a village of Moldova, of the same name. It was given royal monastery status in 1429 by Alexander the Good, a "Voivode" (lord or warlord) of Moldavia. There are three churches within the monastery grounds. It is the Church of the Dormition where Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni's tomb lies.

Answer: Comrat

Gagauzia and its capital, Comrat, are located in the south of Moldova. The Gagauz people are mainly spread throughout the south of Moldova, and the south-west of Ukraine. Their Gagauz language (in the Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages, a branch which also includes Azerbaijani, Turkish, etc) is in danger of dying out, with most of the schools in the area being taught in Russian. UNESCO classifies the language of Gagauz as "critically endangered."

Located in the south of Moldova, Comrat is located on the Ialpug River, which flows through Moldova and the Odessa Oblast in Ukraine.

Answer: Ciuflea Monastery

Located in Chișinău, the Ciuflea Monastery was consecrated in 1858. It has a striking blue exterior, and beautiful domes. It is one of the newest monasteries in Moldova, and the only one situated in the capital.

Saint Theodore of Amasea is a saint of both the Orthodox and Catholic faiths. There are several legends associated with his life; he has been depicted in some paintings across the world as slaying a dragon. What is known for certain about his mysterious life is that he was martyred in Turkey in the early 4th century.