a town of Albania in European Turkey, sandjak of Janina, situated on a river of the same name, and about seven miles from the Gulf of Arta. It has several mosques, a number of Greek churches, a large cathedral, a ruined convent of the ninth century, now a caravansera; a citadel, some good houses and shops; and a fine old bridge over the river, consisting of an arch eighty feet high, and several smaller ones. It has about 8600 inhabitants, with manufactures of coarse cottons and woollens, leather, capotes, and embroidery; and the general trade is considerable. It is surrounded with gardens, orange-groves, and vineyards, and there is much wood in its vicinity. Arta occupies the site of the ancient Ambracia, and traces of its old walls are still to be seen. See AMBRACIA.

GULF OF (the Ambracius Sinus of the ancients), a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Lat. 39° N. Long. 21° E., having on the north Albania, and on the south and east Acarnania. Its length is 25, and its greatest breadth 10 miles, with a depth varying from 13 or 14 to 36 fathoms. Its entrance is only 700 yards across, outside of which is a bar composed of gravel, coarse sand, and sea-weed, with fifteen feet of water when shallowest. The north shore is for the most part low and swampy, and has encroached considerably on the water; the southern shore consists of high land with bold promontories, clothed with rich and extensive forests. It has been long celebrated for its excellent fish, of which the red and gray mullet are the most plentiful; and soles and eels also abound. The famous battle of Actium, which decided the fate of Augustus and Mark Antony, was fought near the entrance of this gulf in B.C. 31.