Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and the west coast of Greece, including the Peloponnese.
All major islands in the sea, which are located in the east of the sea, belong to Greece. They are collectively named the Ionian Islands, the main ones being Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada, and Ithaca.
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, 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 Ionion . Its etymology is unknown. Ancient Greek writers, especially Aeschylus, linked it to the myth of Io. In ancient 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 rather than an omicron as in the word for the Ionian Sea. There were also narratives about other eponymic legendary figures: according to one version, Ionius, son of Adrias ; according to another, Ionius, 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 body was cast into the water, which thereafter was called the Ionian Sea.Geography
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Ionian Sea as follows:Places
From south to north in the west, then north to south in the east:Gulfs and straits
Islands
Islets
History
The sea is famous for the seafaring adventures of the Ancient Greek hero Odysseus, 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.
During the Roman period, it was the location of the Battle of Actium between Octavian and Mark Antony in 31 BC.
A number of major naval engagements would be fought over the eastern section of the sea and its islands throughout the modern era, culminating in its control by the modern state of Greece. The western section of the Ionian Sea has been controlled by Italy since 1861.