Moldova

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Country Name

Moldova or officially the Republic of Moldova.

Location

Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south.

Capital

Chișinău.

Reason for Naming

The name Moldova is derived from the Moldova River; the valley of this river served as a political center at the time of the foundation of the Principality of Moldavia in 1359.

The origin of the name of the river remains unclear. According to a legend recounted by Moldavian chroniclers Dimitrie Cantemir and Grigore Ureche, Prince Dragoș named the river after hunting an aurochs: following the chase, the prince's exhausted hound Molda drowned in the river. The dog's name, given to the river, extended to the Principality.

Flag

The flag of Moldova was adopted on 6 November 1990. The flag consists of a vertical stripes tricolor of blue, yellow, and red; charged with the Coat of Arms centered on the yellow stripes, and features a dark golden eagle holding an Orthodox Christian cross in its beak, instead of a sword, the eagle is holding an olive branch, symbolizing peace. The eagle is borrowed from the old Romanian coat of arms. The blue color represents liberty, the yellow color represents justice and the red color represents fraternity. The colors are similar to the national colors of Romanians symbolizing common origin. The blue, red, and yellow tricolor of Moldova is identical to the flag of Romania, The olive branch on the court of arms represents sovereignty and peace while the blue and red shield on the eagle’s chest is the traditional symbol of Moldova. the auroch head represents the strength, pride, and independence of The Republic of Moldova. The cross has Christian meaning and is believed to be an Orthodox Christian church cross.

* Flag facts:

- The flags of Chad, Romania, Andorra, and Moldova ​all share a very similar color scheme of blue, yellow, and red in the design. - The difference between the four flags is that the two flags of Moldova and Andorra feature their coat of arms in the middle of the yellow stripe.</