Ionian Sea

Updated on Oct 13, 2024

Edit

Comment

Location Europe Primary outflows Mediterranean Sea Basin countries Albania, Italy, Greece		Type Sea Primary outflow Mediterranean Sea

Islands Corfu Island, Lefkada, Zakynthos Island, Ithaca, Kythira, Cephalonia, Omfori Settlements Igoumenitsa, Parga, Preveza, Astakos, Patras

Lefkada ionian sea top beaches and places to visit

The Ionian Sea (Greek: Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, [iˈonio ˈpelaɣos], Italian: Mar Ionio, [mar ˈjɔːnjo], Albanian: Deti Jon, [dɛti jɔ:n]) is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and the west coast of Greece.

Map of Ionian Sea

All major islands in the sea belong to Greece. They are collectively referred to as the Ionian Islands, the major ones being Corfu, Zakynthos, Kephalonia, Ithaca, and Lefkada. There are ferry routes between Patras and Igoumenitsa, Greece, and Brindisi and Ancona, Italy, that cross the east and north of the Ionian Sea, and from Piraeus westward. Calypso Deep, the deepest point in the Mediterranean at −5,267 m (−17,280 ft), is located in the Ionian Sea, at 36°34′N 21°8′E. The sea is one of the most seismically active areas in the world.

Zakynthos island ionian sea top beaches and places to visit

Etymology

The name Ionian comes from the Greek language Ἰόνιον (πέλαγος). Its etymology is unknown. Ancient Greek writers, especially Aeschylus, linked it to the myth of Io. In Ancient Greek the adjective Ionios (Ἰόνιος) 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 eponymic legendary figures; according to one version, Ionius was a son of Adrias (eponymic for the Adriatic Sea); according to another, Ionius was a son of Dyrrhachus. When Dyrrhachus was attacked by his own brothers, Heracles, who was passing through the area, came to his aid, but in the fight the hero killed his ally's son by mistake. The corpse was cast into the sea, which thereafter was called the Ionian Sea.