Congaz () is a commune and village in the Comrat district, Gagauz Autonomous Territorial Unit of the Republic of Moldova. It is the largest village in Gagauzia, with a population of around 8,269, 7,892 (95.44%) of which being Gagauz.https://statistica.gov.md/en/statistic_indicator_details/60 Final Results of the Population and Housing Census 2024 - Population and Housing Census 2024: Demographic characteristics
History Name of the village is assumed to have a Turkic toponym. It has been considered to be a combination of Kon - "to sit" and kaz/kaaz - goose in Gagauz. This is thought to be derived from a legend, the present-day area of the village supposedly being a resting site for geese.https://repository.utm.md/bitstream/handle/5014/6128/Conf_StiinteSocioUmanist_2013_pg148-152.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y "К ВОПРОСУ О ПРОИСХОЖДЕНИИ ТОПОНИМА КОНГАЗ" Petru Furtună, Institutului de Relații Internaționale din Moldova (in Russian)
During the bronze age, a settlement existed 3km from the present-day village, in an area which is now called Kara-Su. The settlement was found by archeologists in 2012, during excavations ceramics and ornaments have been found.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities Congaz is twinned with:
Vynohradivka, Bolhrad Raion, Ukraine; Selçuklu, Turkey;
Notable people People from Congaz include these individuals: (born 1966), Gagauz-Moldovan politician Zinovia Dushkova (born 1953), Russian author and historian (born 1950), Gagauz politician Mihail Kendighelean (born 1941), Gagauz-Moldovan politician (1954–2016), Russian geologist (1851–1927), figure in the Bulgarian revival in Macedonia Oleksandr Tkachenko (born 1984), Ukrainian politician Todur Zanet (born 1958), Gagauz journalist, folklorist and poet Gavril Zanetov (1874–1934), Bulgarian-Gagauz lawyer and historian
References