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Bessarabia (Basarabia in Romanian, Бесарабія in Ukrainian, Бессарабия in Russian, Бесарабия in Bulgarian, Besarabya in Turkish, Bessarabien in German, בעסאַראַביע in Yiddish) is a historical term for the geographic entity in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west. This was the name by which Imperial Russia designated the eastern part of the principality of Moldavia, ceded by the Ottoman Empire (to which Moldavia was a vassal) to Russia in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War, 1806-1812. The western part of Moldavia united with Wallachia in 1859 in what would become the Kingdom of Romania. In 1918, slightly before the end of World War I, Bessarabia declared its independence from Russia and after three months united with the Kingdom of Romania. Bessarabia was occupied by the USSR in 1940 (considered a consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact), but changed hands several times during World War II. The Soviet annexation was internationally recognized in 1947. Its core part was reorganised as the Moldavian SSR, to which parts of the previous Moldavian ASSR were added. At the same time, some smaller parts of Bessarabia, in the south (Budjak) and north, were transferred to the Ukrainian SSR. In 1991, the Moldavian SSR was renamed the Republic of Moldova, and on 27 August the latter declared independence from the USSR. Bessarabia is a historical region and province. Research Tips
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