Briceni District

Briceni district lies at the northern extremity of the Republic of Moldova, being the country's most northerly district, and is part of the North Development Region. Its seat is the town of Briceni. The district borders Ukraine to the north, Romania to the south-west along the Prut, and internally the districts of Edineț, Dondușeni and Ocnița, which gives it the position of a double frontier, at the meeting point of three states.

Geography

The relief is a plateau, fragmented by valleys with wooded slopes, part of the Dniester Plateau and of northern Moldova. The Prut river forms the south-western border. The district covers approximately 814 km² (about 81.4 thousand hectares), a large part of which is arable land, alongside forests, pastures and water surfaces. According to the 2014 census, the population was about 70,029 inhabitants, with a density of approximately 86 inhabitants per km². The ethnic composition is majority Moldovan/Romanian, with a large Ukrainian community and a Russian minority.

Economy

The district's economy is predominantly agricultural, the fertile chernozem soils of the country's north favouring the cultivation of sugar beet, cereals (wheat, maize, barley), sunflower and industrial crops. Fruit growing and livestock breeding complete the agricultural profile. The agri-food processing industry makes use of the local harvest, and the border position has stimulated cross-border trade.

What to see

The north of the district preserves old churches and monasteries, as well as villages with traditional architecture. The plateau landscapes, the river valleys and the proximity of the Prut offer attractive natural settings, while the limestone north conceals caves and karst formations.

History

The district's settlements are documented from the medieval period, the territory belonging to the northern lands of the Principality of Moldavia and, later, to the Bessarabia Governorate within the Russian Empire. In the interwar period the area was part of Romania, within Hotin County, and after 1944 it was integrated into the Moldavian SSR. The mixed ethnic composition, with a significant Ukrainian community, reflects the proximity of the northern border and the population exchanges in the Hotin area. Situated where the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine meet, Briceni district combines its recognised agricultural vocation with the role of a zone of contact and exchange between the communities of this northern edge of the country.