1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Akkerman
|←Akkad||1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 1
|See also Akkerman on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.|
AKKERMAN (in old Slav. Byelgorod, "white town"), a town, formerly a fortress, of south-west Russia, in the government of Bessarabia, situated on the right bank of the estuary (limari) of the Dniester, 12 m. from the Black Sea. The town stands on the site of the ancient Milesian colony of Tyras. Centuries later it was rebuilt by the Genoese, who called it Mauro Castro. The Turks first acquired possession of it in 1484. It was taken by the Russians in 1770, 1774 and 1806, but each time returned to the Turks, and not definitely annexed to Russia until 1881. A treaty concluded here in 1826 between Russia and the Porte secured considerable advantages to the former. It was the non-observance of this treaty that led to the war of 1828. The harbour is too shallow to admit vessels of large size, but the proximity of the town to Odessa secures for it a thriving business in wine, salt, fish wool and tallow. The salt is obtained from the saline lakes (limans) in the neighborhood. The town, with its suburbs, contains beautiful gardens and vineyards. It is surrounded by ramparts, and commanded by a citadel. Pop. (1900) 32,470.