Galați (UK: /ɡæˈlæts/ gal-ATS, US: /ɡɑːˈlɑːts(i)/ gah-LAHTS(-ee),[5][6][7] Romanian: [ɡaˈlatsʲ] ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River.[8][9] and the sixth largest of all cities on the Danube river. According to the 2021 census it is the 8th most populous city in Romania.[3][10] Galați is an economic centre based around the port of Galați, the naval shipyard, and the largest steel factory in Romania, Galați steel works.
The name Galați is derived from the Cuman word galat. This word is ultimately borrowed from the Persian word کلات kalat, "fortress". Other etymologies have been suggested, such as the Serbian galac. However, the galat root appears in nearby toponyms, some of which show clearly a Cuman origin, for example Gălățui Lake, which has the typical Cuman -ui suffix for "water". Another toponym in the region is Galicia, with its town of Halych, locally associated with the jackdaw (Kawka, Halka). Before the Mongol invasion of Rus, Galați was known as Malyi Halych (Little Halych) as part of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia.[11][12] Other similar place names are Galich, Russia and Galatia in Turkey. Galați has several exonyms: Greek: Γαλάτσι, romanized: Galátsi; ‹See Tfd›German: Galatz (also an archaic English term); Hungarian: Galac; Polish: Gałacz; Turkish: Kalas; Bulgarian: Галац, romanized: Galac; Ukrainian: Галац, romanized: Halac; and Russian: Галац, romanized: Galac.
Moldavia 1408–1859
Archeological evidence points to occupation of the region in the neolithic period. For example, north west of the town of Galați, on the eastern shores of the Malina marshes, fragments of ceramic-type Stoican
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