Bălți (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈbəlt͡sʲ]; Polish: Bielce, Russian: Бельцы, Belʹtsy and Бэлць, Bėltsʹ, Ukrainian: Бєльці, Byelʹtsi, Yiddish: בעלץ‎ Belts) is a city in Moldova. It is the second largest in terms of area and economic importance after Chișinău, and the third largest in terms of population after Chișinău and Tiraspol. The city is one of the five Moldovan municipalities. Sometimes also called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cultural and commercial centre and transportation hub in the north of the country.