Rîșcani

For the sector of the capital Chișinău, see Sectorul Rîșcani.

Rîșcani (Romanian pronunciation: [rɨʃˈkanʲ], also spelled Râșcani) 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 Riscani District. Spread across an area of 52.4 km² (20.2 sq mi), the town had a population of 9,259 inhabitants in 2014.

Rîșcani
Rîșcani Location in Moldova
Coordinates: 47°57′26″N 27°33′14″E
Country	Moldova
District	Rîșcani District
Government
• Mayor	Victor Bogatico (PN)
Area [1]
• Total	52.4 km2 (20.2 sq mi)
Population  (2014)[2][3]
• Total	9,259
• Density	180/km2 (460/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	5600
Area code	256
Website	riscani.com

Geography

Rîșcani is located in Rîșcani District of Moldova.^[1] It is located in the southeastern Europe and in the north-western part of Moldova.^[4] Spread across an area of 52.4 km² (20.2 sq mi), it is the largest center of the district. It is one of 27 sub-divisions (two cities and 25 communes) in the district.^[5] It is part of the Bessarabia region.^[6]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1959 3,771 —     1970 10,869 +188.2% 1979 14,318 +31.7%

Year Pop. ±% 1989 17,650 +23.3% 2004 12,117 −31.3% 2014 9,259 −23.6%

According to the 2014 census, the population of Rîșcani amounted to 9,259 inhabitants, a decrease compared to the previous census in 2004, when 12,117 inhabitants were registered. Of these, 4,318 were men and 4,941 were women.^[7] The population is further projected to reduce over the next few decades.^[8] The city had a Human Development Index of 0.699 in 2015.^[8] About 1,554 inhabitants were under the age of fourteen, and 1,242 inhabitants were above the age of 65 years.^[1] About 91.3% of the population lived in urban areas. The town had an expatriate population of 598 individuals, of whom 22 belonged to the European Union and 486 belonged to the Commonwealth of Independent States.^[1] Moldovans formed the major ethnic group (53%), with Ukrainians (31%) forming a large minority. Others include Russians (7.3%), and Romanians (4.6%).^[2] The town had a significant Jewish population before the Second World War.^[6] Moldovan language was the most spoken language, spoken to by 3,828 (41.8%) inhabitants, with Russian (28.6%) and Ukrainian (18.2%) spoken by significant minorities.^[1] About 96.6% of the population followed Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and 3.4% of the population followed other religions.^[1]

Ethnic composition of Rîșcani (2014)^[9]

1. Moldovans* (53.0%)
2. Romanians (2.98%)
3. Ukrainians (31.0%)
4. Russians (7.27%)
5. Romani (4.63%)
6. Others (1.15%)

:Linguistic composition of Rîșcani (2014)^[10]

1. Moldovan* (41.7%)
2. Romanian (10.9%)
3. Russian (24.6%)
4. Ukrainian (18.2%)
5. Romani (4.26%)
6. Other (0.28%)

Footnotes:

* There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.

* 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,^[11] thus giving official status to the name Romanian.^[12][13]