Fălești

Fălești (Romanian pronunciation: [fəˈleʃtʲ]) is a city in Moldova. It is located in the north-western part of the country, in the old Bessarabia region. It is the largest city and administrative center of Fălești District. Spread across an area of 7.9 km² (3.1 sq mi), the town had a population of 12,074 inhabitants in 2014.

Fălești
City
Flag Coat of arms
Fălești Location in Moldova
Coordinates: 47°34′20″N 27°42′50″E
Country	Moldova
District	Fălești District
Government
• Mayor	Alexandr Severin (PN)
Area [1]
• Total	7.9 sq mi (20.5 km2)
Population  (2014)[2][3]
• Total	12,074
• Density	1,500/sq mi (590/km2)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Climate	Dfb

Geography

Falesti is located in Fălești District of Moldova. It is located in the southeastern Europe and in the north-western part of Moldova.^[4] Spread across an area of 7.9 km² (3.1 sq mi), it is one of 33 sub-divisions (city of Falesti and 32 communes) in the district.^[1] It is part of the Bessarabia region.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1930 6,278 —     1959 7,964 +26.9% 1970 9,251 +16.2% 1979 10,715 +15.8%

Year Pop. ±% 1989 14,043 +31.1% 2004 14,931 +6.3% 2014 12,074 −19.1%

According to the 2014 census, Falesti had a population of 12,074 inhabitants, a decrease compared to the previous census in 2004, when 14,931 inhabitants were registered. Of these, 5,644 were men and 6,430 were women.^[6] About 2,102 inhabitants were under the age of fourteen.^[1] About 93.5% of the population lived in urban areas. The town had an expatriate population of 489 individuals.^[1]

Moldovans formed the major ethnic group (76.6%), with Ukrainians (13.2%), Russians (5.4%) and Romanians (3.8%) forming a significant minority.^[2] The town had a significant Jewish population before the Second World War. The Jews numbered almost half of the town's population.^[7] However, a large majority of the Jewsish population was extirpated during the Holocaust and the subsequent emigration.^[8][9] Moldovan language was the most spoken language, spoken to by 9,209 inhabitants.^[1]

Ethnic composition of Fălești (2014)^[10]

1. Moldovans^[a] (76.6%)
2. Ukrainians (13.2%)
3. Russians (5.37%)
4. Romanians (3.81%)
5. Others (0.97%)

:Linguistic composition of Fălești (2014)^[11]

1. Moldovan^[b] (63.0%)
2. Romanian (14.1%)
3. Russian (16.7%)
4. Ukrainian (5.80%)
5. Other (0.28%)

1. There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.
2. Moldovan language is one of the two local names for the Romanian language in Moldova. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence,^[12] thus giving official status to the name Romanian.^[13][14]

Climate

On 7 August 2012, Fălești recorded a temperature of 42.4 °C (108.3 °F), which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Moldova.^[15]

Climate data for Fălești (1991–2020, extremes 1957–2021)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	15.1 (59.2)	22.0 (71.6)	26.4 (79.5)	32.5 (90.5)	35.0 (95.0)	40.1 (104.2)	40.4 (104.7)	42.4 (108.3)	38.6 (101.5)	32.7 (90.9)	26.3 (79.3)	17.2 (63.0)	42.4 (108.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	1.0 (33.8)	3.4 (38.1)	9.6 (49.3)	17.1 (62.8)	23.0 (73.4)	26.6 (79.9)	28.7 (83.7)	28.6 (83.5)	22.6 (72.7)	15.6 (60.1)	8.2 (46.8)	2.4 (36.3)	15.6 (60.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−2.1 (28.2)	−0.3 (31.5)	4.5 (40.1)	11.3 (52.3)	16.8 (62.2)	20.5 (68.9)	22.4 (72.3)	22.2 (72.0)	16.7 (62.1)	10.6 (51.1)	4.7 (40.5)	−0.6 (30.9)	10.5 (50.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−4.7 (23.5)	−3.3 (26.1)	0.5 (32.9)	6.3 (43.3)	11.4 (52.5)	15.2 (59.4)	17.0 (62.6)	16.6 (61.9)	11.9 (53.4)	6.7 (44.1)	2.0 (35.6)	−2.8 (27.0)	6.4 (43.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−27.5 (−17.5)	−23.2 (−9.8)	−19.0 (−2.2)	−9.8 (14.4)	−0.4 (31.3)	3.1 (37.6)	8.6 (47.5)	5.6 (42.1)	−1.8 (28.8)	−5.7 (21.7)	−15.9 (3.4)	−26.3 (−15.3)	−27.5 (−17.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	30 (1.2)	28 (1.1)	34 (1.3)	40 (1.6)	58 (2.3)	75 (3.0)	78 (3.1)	54 (2.1)	57 (2.2)	42 (1.7)	38 (1.5)	32 (1.3)	566 (22.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	6	6	6	7	8	8	8	6	6	6	5	6	79
Average relative humidity (%)	84	81	74	65	63	66	66	64	68	73	83	85	73
Source 1: NOAA[16]
Source 2: Serviciul Hidrometeorologic de Stat (extremes, relative humidity)[17]