Dictionary Home »
Dictionary Definitions » Venice
Venice
(ven′is)
- seaport in N Italy built on more than 100 small islands in the Lagoon of Venice: formerly a maritime city-state extending over most of Venetia & Dalmatia: pop. 306,000
- N end of the Adriatic: c. 60 mi (97 km) wide
- arm of this gulf, on the coast of Veneto: c. 180 sq mi (466 sq km)
See Venice in American Heritage Dictionary 4
A city of northeast Italy on islets within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice, a wide inlet of the northern Adriatic Sea. Founded in the 5th century A.D. by refugees fleeing the Lombard invaders who had gained control of the mainland, it became a major maritime power by the 13th century and spread its influence over northern Italy and the eastern Mediterranean by the 15th century. Its territories were gradually lost to the Turks, and in 1797 it passed to Austria. Venice was ceded to Italy in 1866. It is a tourist and commercial center known for its canals. Population: 269,000.
Learn more about Venice
