Kiliia in the context of "Kiliia urban hromada"

The Chilia branch (Romanian: Brațul Chilia; Ukrainian: Кілійське гирло, romanized: Kiliiske hyrlo) is one of three main distributary channels of the river Danube that contribute to forming the Danube Delta. Lying at the northernmost area of the delta, the distributary creates a natural border between Romania and Ukraine (see Romania-Ukraine border) and is named after the two towns carrying the same name, located across from one another on both banks: Kiliia, on the northern, Ukrainian bank and Chilia Veche (Old Chilia) on the southern, Romanian bank.

The other two main branches of the Danube are the Sulina branch and the Sfântu Gheorghe branch.

Chilia Veche (Romanian pronunciation: /kiˈlija ˈveˈke/; meaning Old Chilia) is a commune in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja, Romania, in the Danube Delta. It gave its name to the Chilia branch of the Danube, which separates it from Ukraine. It is composed of four villages: Câșlița, Chilia Veche, Ostrovu 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 Nova Kiliia (Romanian: Chilia Nouă) or "New 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).