Chilia Veche

Chilia Veche
Commune

Location of Chilia Veche
Coordinates: 45°25′N 29°17′E / 45.417°N 29.283°ECoordinates: 45°25′N 29°17′E / 45.417°N 29.283°E
Country  Romania
County Tulcea
Component villages Câşliţa, Chilia Veche, Ostrov Tătaru, Tatanir
Government
 • Mayor Georgeta Ciupitu (since 2004)
Area
 • Total 533.58 km2 (206.02 sq mi)
Population (2002)
 • Total 3,606
 • Density 6.8/km2 (18/sq mi)
Website http://www.cjtulcea.ro/judet/chilia.html (Romanian)

Chilia Veche (pronunciation: /ki.'li.a 've.ke/; meaning Older Chilia; Ukrainian: Stara Kilia) is a commune in Tulcea County, Romania, on the Danube Delta (Dobruja). It gave its name to the Chilia branch of the Danube, which separates it from Ukraine. It is composed of four villages: Câşliţa, Chilia Veche, Ostrov Tătaru and Tatanir.

Founded by the Greek Byzantines, it was given its name after the word for "granaries" - κελλίa, kellia, recorded earliest in 1241 in the works of Persian chronicler Rashid al-Din. Some scholars consider the mediaeval Genoese trade centre known as Lycostomo (Λυκόστομο) was also located here. A town on the other side of the Danube, now in Ukraine, known as Novo Kilia (Romanian: Chilia Nouă) or "Newer Chilia", was built by Stephen the Great of Moldavia in order to counteract the Ottoman Empire (that had taken control of the former town in the 15th century).

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