The city of Cahul is believed to have been inhabited for many centuries, although it has had a number of different names over the years – the name Scheia was recorded in 1502, and the name Frumoasa was recorded in 1716. The modern name was given to the settlement after the Battle of Kagul, which was fought nearby.
History
The city's location had made it a frequent battleground for a number of armies, with possession of frequently switching between countries such as Principality of Moldavia, Russian Empire, Ottoman Empire. The city was a part of the Moldavia before 1812, then Russia from 1812 to 1856, then again Moldavia/Romanian Principalities, then Russia again, then Romania again, then the Soviet Union, then again Romania, the Soviet Union again and finally Moldova. Apart from the battles that have been fought over it, Cahul is also known for its thermal spas and for its folk music.
Climate
Cahul has a humid continental-type climate with four distinct seasons. Average monthly precipitation ranges from about 28 mm in October to 76 mm in June.
Demographics
As of 1920, the population was estimated to be 12,000. Groups settled in the area included Romanians, Jewish, Germans, Bulgarians, and Greeks. In 2004 there were 35,488 people living within the city of Cahul and 1,317 people within Cotihana. Of the 30,018 living in the city according to the 2014 Moldovan Census, 56.1% are Moldovans, 10.7% Russians, 6.8% Ukrainians, 4.9% Bulgarians, 4.4% Romanians and 2.1% ethnic Gagauz.
Culture
Cahul is home to the Cahul Musical-Drama Theatre, Cahul History Museum, and other public institutions and monuments. Every two years, at the beginning of July, in Cahul takes place an important folk music festival, "Nufărul Alb".
Cahul is home to the State University of Cahul, opened in 1999 and named after Romanian writer and philologist Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu. The university is made up of 3 faculties with around 2,150 students.
In Cahul is located one of the two Consulates General of Romania in Moldova. On 2 November 2009 the President of RomaniaTraian Băsescu has signed the decrees on opening of Romanian general consulat in Cahul. "The opening of the Romanian consulates in Bălți and Cahul will be beneficial for the Moldovan people, who have encountered economic and time-related problems as they have to travel to the consulate in Chișinău," Moldova's Foreign MinisterIurie Leancă said, commenting on the Băsescu's decree. Romania asked the approval for the opening of the consulate as early as in 2006, in order to easy thus the process of granting visas to the Moldovan citizens more easily, after Romania's accession with the European Union on 1 January 2007. Initially, the communist authorities in Chişinău gave their approval for the opening of the two consular offices, but they later came with the condition Romania to accept two consular offices of the Republic of Moldova on its territory too, in Iaşi and Constanţa. Moreover, the former communist rule in Chişinău conditioned the signing of the small border traffic agreement on the signing of the Basic Political Treaty between the two countries and also of the agreement referring to the delimitation of the border. On 28 January 2010, Traian Băsescu visited the future headquarters of the Romanian consulate in Cahul. Speaking about the opening of the two Romanian consulates in Bălți and Cahul, Băsescu said that the consulate in Cahul could be opened in 2–3 weeks. The consulate has 17 employees: Consul General, two consuls, two main consular officers, six major referers, two drivers, two skilled workers and two guards. The Consul General is Ms. Anca Corfu.
