The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay 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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. It is connected to the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata,

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, and the

Salento Salento (; Salentino dialect, Salentino: ''Salentu''; Griko language, Salento Griko: ) is a Cultural area, cultural, List of historical states of Italy, historical, and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apuli ...

peninsula to the west, southern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

(and western

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, Italy) to the north, and the west coast of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, including the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

. All major islands in the sea, which are located in the east of the sea, belong to

. They are collectively named the Ionian Islands, the main ones being

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

, Kefalonia,

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...

Lefkada Lefkada (, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island in the Ionian Sea on the ...

, and Ithaca. There are

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

routes between Patras and Igoumenitsa, Greece, and

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

and

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

, Italy, that cross the east and north of the Ionian Sea, and from Piraeus 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 areas in the world.

Etymology

The name ''Ionian'' comes from the Greek word . Its etymology is unknown. Ancient Greek writers, especially

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

, 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 classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

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, however the word for Ionians is spelled with an omega ( Ἴωνες) rather than an omicron as in the word for the Ionian Sea. There were also narratives about other

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ic legendary figures; according to one version, ''Ionius'' was a son of ''Adrias'' (eponymic for the

); according to another, ''Ionius'' was a son of ''Dyrrhachus''. When Dyrrhachus was attacked by his own brothers,

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

, 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.

Geography

Extent

The

International Hydrographic Organization The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) (French: ''Organisation Hydrographique Internationale'') is an intergovernmental organization representing hydrography. the IHO comprised 102 member states. A principal aim of the IHO is to ...

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

, to Cape Karagol in

(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

. ::''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 * Augusta, port, W *

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

, port, W *

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

, port, W * Taranto, port N * Himara, small port, NE * Saranda, port and a beach, NE * Kerkyra, port, E * Igoumenitsa, port, E * Parga, small port, E *

Preveza Preveza (, ) is a city in the region of Epirus (region), Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula of the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the Preveza (regional unit), regional unit of Preveza, which is the s ...

, port, E * Astakos, port, E * Argostoli, port, E * Patra, port, E * Kyparissia, port, E *

Pylos Pylos (, ; ), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of ...

, port, E * Methoni, small port and a beach * Koroni smal port * Kalamata,port, E * 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, E * Gulf of Patras, connecting the Gulf of Corinth, ESE * Gulf of Kyparissia, SE * Messenian Gulf, SE * Laconian Gulf, ESE

Islands

* Kefalonia * Ithaca *

* Paxi * Kythira

Islets

* Antikythera * Antipaxi * Arkoudi * Atokos * Kalamos * Kastos * Ksamil Islands * Kravia * Kythros * Lazareto (Ithaca) * Lazaretto (Corfu) * Meganisi * Navtilos * Pontikonisi * Proti * Sphacteria * Skorpios * Sparti (Lefkada) * Stillo * Strofades * Tongo * Vido

History

The sea is famous for the seafaring adventures of the Ancient Greek hero

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

, the warrior-king of the island of Ithaca. The Ionian Sea was regularly crossed since at least the 8th century BC, by ancient Greek colonizers who were establishing colonies in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. During the Roman period, the Sea was the location of the famous naval battle between Octavian and Marc Antony known as The Battle of Actium, a war fought in 31 BC. A number of major naval engagements would be fought over the sea and its islands throughout the modern era, culminating in its control by the modern state of Greece.

Notes

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 Europe