Bălţi (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈbəltsʲ]; Polish: Bielce, Russian: Бельцы [Bel’tsy] and Бэлць [Bėlts’], Ukrainian: Бєльці [Byel’tsi], Yiddish: בעלץ [Belts]) is a city in Moldova. It is the second largest in terms of area and economic importance after Chişinău, and the third largest in terms of population after Chişinău and Tiraspol. The city is one of the five Moldovan localities having the status of municipalities. Bălţi, sometimes also called "...
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Bălţi (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈbəltsʲ]; Polish: Bielce, Russian: Бельцы [Bel’tsy] and Бэлць [Bėlts’], Ukrainian: Бєльці [Byel’tsi], Yiddish: בעלץ [Belts]) is a city in Moldova. It is the second largest in terms of area and economic importance after Chişinău, and the third largest in terms of population after Chişinău and Tiraspol. The city is one of the five Moldovan localities having the status of municipalities. Bălţi, sometimes also called "the northern capital", is the major industrial, cultural and commercial centre and transportation hub in the north of the country. It is situated 127 kilometres (79 mi) north of the capital Chişinău, and is located on the river Răut, a tributary of the Dniester, on a hilly landscape in the Bălţi steppe.
The word "bălţi" (pl. of Romanian sing. "baltă") means "swamps", "puddles", or "pools". It is believed that the city had been named thus because it was founded on a hill dominating the wetland formed where the creek Răuţel ("Little Răut") falls...
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