The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
of the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
. It is connected to the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...
to the north, and is bounded by
Southern Italy, including
Calabria,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, and the
Salento peninsula to the west, southern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...
(and western
Apulia, Italy) to the north, and the west coast of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
, including the
Peloponnese.
All major islands in the sea, which are located in the east of the sea, belong to
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. They are collectively named the
Ionian Islands, the main ones being
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
,
Kefalonia,
Zakynthos,
Lefkada, and
Ithaca
Ithaca most commonly refers to:
*Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey''
*Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca
*Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
Ithaca, Ithaka ...
.
There are
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...
routes between
Patras and
Igoumenitsa, Greece, and
Brindisi and
Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...
, Italy, that cross the east and north of the Ionian Sea, and from
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...
westward.
Calypso Deep, the deepest point in the Mediterranean at , is in the Ionian Sea, at . The sea is one of the most
seismically active
An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,0 ...
areas in the world.
Etymology
The name ''Ionian'' comes from the Greek word . Its etymology is unknown. Ancient Greek writers, especially
Aeschylus
Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Gree ...
, linked it to the myth of
Io. In
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
the adjective ''Ionios'' () was used as an
epithet for the sea because Io swam across it.
According to the ''
Oxford Classical Dictionary'', the name may derive from
Ionians who sailed to the West.
There were also narratives about other
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ic legendary figures;
according to one version, ''Ionius'' was a son of ''Adrias'' (eponymic for the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...
); according to another, ''Ionius'' was a son of ''
Dyrrhachus''.
When Dyrrhachus was attacked by his own brothers,
Heracles
Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...
, who was passing through the area, came to his aid, but in the fight the hero killed his ally's son by mistake. The body was cast into the water, and thereafter was called the Ionian Sea.
In local Albanian dialects, the sea is knows as "Fusha e zonjës", translated as "the lady's domain"
Geography
Extent
The
International Hydrographic Organization
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental organisation representing hydrography. , the IHO comprised 98 Member States.
A principal aim of the IHO is to ensure that the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters ...
defines the limits of the Ionian Sea as follows:
::''On the North.'' A line running from the mouth of the
Butrinto River (39°44'N) in
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...
, to Cape Karagol in
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
(39°45'N), along the North Coast of Corfu to Cape Kephali (39°45'N) and from thence to
Cape Santa Maria di Leuca in Italy.
::''On the East.'' From the mouth of the Butrinto River in Albania down the coast of the mainland to
Cape Matapan.
::''On the South.'' A line from Cape Matapan to
Cape Passero, the Southern point of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
.
::''On the West.'' The East coast of Sicily and the Southeast coast of Italy to Cape Santa Maria di Leuca.
Places
From south to north in the west, then north to south in the east:
*
Syracuse, port, W
*
Catania, port, W
*
Messina, port, W
*
Taranto
Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important comme ...
, port N
*
Himara, small port, NE
*
Saranda, port and a beach, NE
*
Kerkyra, port, E
*
Igoumenitsa, port, E
*
Parga
Parga ( el, Πάργα ) is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the regional unit of Preveza in Epirus, northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Kanallaki. Parga lies on the Ionian coast between the ...
, small port, E
*
Preveza, port, E
*
Astakos
Astakos ( el, Αστακός, meaning "lobster") is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Xiromero, of which it is a municipal unit. , port, E
*
Argostoli
Argostoli ( el, Αργοστόλι, Katharevousa: Ἀργοστόλιον) is a town and a municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is one of the three municipalities on the isl ...
, port, E
*
Patra, port, E
*
Kyparissia
Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal uni ...
, port, E
*
Pylos, port, E
*
Methoni, small port and a beach
*
Ionian Islands
Gulfs and straits
*
Strait of Messina, W
*
Gulf of Catania, W
*
Gulf of Augusta, W
*
Gulf of Taranto, NW
*
Gulf of Squillace, NW
*
Ambracian Gulf
The Ambracian Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Arta or the Gulf of Actium, and in some official documents as the Amvrakikos Gulf ( el, Αμβρακικός κόλπος, translit=Amvrakikos kolpos), is a gulf of the Ionian Sea in northwestern Gre ...
, E
*
Gulf of Patras, connecting the
Gulf of Corinth, ESE
*
Gulf of Kyparissia, SE
*
Messenian Gulf
The Messenian Gulf (, ''Messiniakós Kólpos'') is a sea that is part of the Ionian Sea. The gulf is circumscribed by the southern coasts of Messenia and the southwestern coast of the Mani peninsula in Laconia. Its bounds are Venetiko Isla ...
, SE
*
Laconian Gulf, ESE
Islands
*
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
*
Kefalonia
*
Ithaca
Ithaca most commonly refers to:
*Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey''
*Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca
*Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
Ithaca, Ithaka ...
*
Zakynthos
*
Lefkada
*
Paxi
*
Kythira
Kythira (, ; el, Κύθηρα, , also transliterated as Cythera, Kythera and Kithira) is an island in Greece lying opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is traditionally listed as one of the seven main Ionian Islands ...
Islets
*
Antikythera
Antikythera or Anticythera ( ) is a Greek island lying on the edge of the Aegean Sea, between Crete and Peloponnese. In antiquity the island was known as (). Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Kythira isla ...
*
Antipaxi
*
Arkoudi
*
Atokos
*
Kalamos
*
Kastos
*
Ksamil Islands
* Kravia
* Kythros
*
Lazareto (Ithaca)
*
Lazaretto (Corfu)
*
Meganisi
*
Navtilos
*
Pontikonisi
*
Proti
*
Sphacteria
*
Skorpios
* Sparti (Lefkada)
*
Strofades
*
Vido
History
The Sea was the location of the famous
naval battle between
Octavian and
Marc Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the auto ...
known as
The Battle of Actium, a war fought in 31 BC, and is also famous for the hero from Ancient Greek mythology named Odysseus, who was from the island of Ithaca.
See also
*
Calypso Deep
References
External links
The Ionian-Puglia Network of Ground Meteorological Stations (real-time weather observations)
{{Authority control
Seas of Italy
Seas of Greece
Seas of Albania
Albania–Greece border
Marginal seas of the Mediterranean
European seas
Landforms of Corfu (regional unit)
Landforms of the Ionian Islands (region)
Landforms of Thesprotia
Landforms of Epirus (region)
Landforms of Preveza (regional unit)
Landforms of Aetolia-Acarnania
Landforms of Western Greece
Landforms of Cephalonia
Landforms of Achaea
Landforms of Messenia
Landforms of Peloponnese (region)
Geography of Southern Europe