Tomai, Gagauzia

Tomai Tomay
Commune
Tomai Theoretical Lyceum
Tomai Location of Tomai in Moldova
Coordinates: 46°10′54″N 28°46′03″E
Country	Moldova
Autonomous Region	Gagauzia
Founded	1817
Government
• Mayor	Dmitrii Kyosya
Population  (2024)
• Total	3,026
Ethnicity (2024 census)
• Gagauz people	93.12%
• Moldovans	1.94%
• other	4.94%
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
Climate	Cfb

Tomai (Gagauz: Tomay) is a commune and village in the Ceadîr-Lunga district, Gagauz Autonomous Territorial Unit of the Republic of Moldova. According to the 2024 Moldovan census the commune has 3,026 people, 2,818 (93.12%) of them being Gagauz.

History

The first documentary mentions of the village of Tomai are dated to 1790. The area was settled by the Nogai Tatars, which were expelled by the tsarist government. The new commune was formally founded in 1817 by Gagauz refugees from the Varna region in Bulgaria. After 1820 several Romanian families from the Cahul region followed. Around 1864, the "Dormition of the Mother of God" church was built.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Tomai is twinned with:

• Büyükkarıştıran, Turkey;

Notable people

• Dumitru Topciu (1888–1958), Gagauz Romanian politician and agriculturalist