Chişinău (In Russian: Кишинёв, Kishinev, Romanian: Chişinău), estimated population 735,229 (1996), is the capital of Moldova. The city is located on the Byk River, a tributary of the Dniester. Major industries include consumer and electrical goods, and the manufacture of building materials, machinery, plastics, rubber, and textiles.
Founded in the early 15th century as a monastery town, the city was captured in the 16th century by Turkey and in 1812 by Russia, who made it the center of Bessarabia. Romania held the city from 1918 to 1940, when it was seized by the USSR.
The city is home to a university and the Academy of Sciences of Moldova.