Thesaurus

Bessarabia is a region in Eastern Europe that has changed hands successively over many centuries among several nations and empires, from Moldavia to the Ottoman Empire to the Soviet Union, among others. It borders the Prut River on the west, the Dniester River on the north and east, the Black Sea on the southeast, and the Chilia arm of the Danube River delta on the south. The area contains the remains of ancient Greek and Roman towns, a wall built by the Roman emperor Trajan, and fortifications built by the Genoese in the 1300s. Today it is divided between Moldova and the Ukraine, and it is highly productive farming region, producing fruit, wine, and cereals.