Part of the Mediterranean Sea south of the Adriatic Sea
Ionian Sea
Location
Southern Europe Coordinates
38°N 19°E / 38°N 19°E / 38; 19
Type
Sea
Primary outflows
Mediterranean Sea
Basin countries
Albania ,
Greece , and
Italy
Islands
List of islands in the Ionian Sea Settlements
Igoumenitsa ,
Parga ,
Preveza ,
Astakos ,
Patras ,
Kerkyra ,
Lefkada ,
Argostoli ,
Zakynthos ,
Kyparissia ,
Pylos ,
Kalamata ,
Himarë ,
Sarandë ,
Syracuse ,
Catania ,
Taormina ,
Messina ,
Catanzaro ,
Crotone ,
Taranto
The Ionian Sea, view from the island
Kefalonia ,
Greece
The Ionian Sea, as seen from
Corfu Island,
Greece , and with
Saranda , Albania in the background
The Ionian Sea (
Modern Greek : Ιόνιο Πέλαγος ,
romanized : Iónio Pélagos , IPA:
[iˈoni.o ˈpelaɣos] ;
[a]
Italian : Mar Ionio or Mar Jonio , IPA:
[mar ˈjɔːnjo] ;
[b]
Albanian : Deti Jon , IPA:
[ˈdɛti ˈjɔn] ) 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 (and western
Apulia , Italy) 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 5,109 m (16,762 ft), is in the Ionian Sea, at
36°34′N 21°8′E / 36.567°N 21.133°E / 36.567; 21.133 .
[1]
[2] The sea is one of the most
seismically active areas in the world.
Etymology
The name Ionian comes from the Greek word Ionion (Ἰόνιον) . Its etymology is unknown.
[3] 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.
[4]
[5]
[6] According to the
Oxford Classical Dictionary , the name may derive from
Ionians who sailed to the West,
[7] 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
eponymic legendary figures;
[8] according to one version, Ionius was a son of Adrias (eponymic for the
Adriatic Sea ); according to another, Ionius was a son of
Dyrrhachus .
[9] 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, and thereafter was called the Ionian Sea.
[9]
In the
Cham Albanian dialect , the sea is known as "Fusha e zonjës", translated as "the lady's domain.
[10]
Geography
Extent
The
International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Ionian Sea as follows:
[11]
On the North. A line running from the mouth of the
Butrinto River (39°44'N) in
Albania , to Cape Karagol in
Corfu (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 .
On the West. The East coast of Sicily and the Southeast coast of Italy to Cape Santa Maria di Leuca.
Places
Gjipe in the south of
Albania where the Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea, view from the island
Lefkada , Greece
Cape Drastis and the Ionian Sea,
Corfu Island
From south to north in the west, then north to south in the east:
Syracuse , port, W
Catania , port, W
Messina , 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 , port, E
Astakos , port, E
Argostoli , port, E
Patra , port, E
Kyparissia , 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 , E
Gulf of Patras , connecting the
Gulf of Corinth , ESE
Gulf of Kyparissia , SE
Messenian Gulf , SE
Laconian Gulf , ESE
Islands
Islets
History
This section
needs expansion . You can help by
adding to it .
(November 2020 )
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,
[12] and is also famous for the hero from Ancient Greek mythology named Odysseus, who was from the island of
Ithaca .
[13]
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Ionian Sea .
Notes
References
^ Gade, Martin (March 15, 2008).
"The European Marginal and Enclosed Seas: An Overview" . In Barale, Vittorio (ed.).
Remote Sensing of the European Seas .
Springer Science+Business Media . pp. 3–22.
ISBN
978-1-4020-6771-6 .
LCCN
2007942178 . Retrieved August 28, 2009 .
^
"NCMR - MAP" .
National Observatory of Athens . Archived from
the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2018 .
^ Babiniotis, Lexiko tis Neoellinikis Glossas .
^ Jakub Pigoń (18 December 2008).
The Children of Herodotus: Greek and Roman Historiography and Related Genres . Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 114.
ISBN
978-1-4438-0251-2 .
^ Liddel & Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon
Ἰόνιος .
^ John Freely (30 April 2008).
The Ionian Islands: Corfu, Cephalonia and Beyond . I.B.Tauris. p. 10.
ISBN
978-0-85771-828-0 .
^ John Keahey (15 July 2014).
A Sweet and Glorious Land: Revisiting the Ionian Sea . St. Martin's Press. p. 116.
ISBN
978-1-4668-7603-3 .
^ Charles Anthon (1869).
A Classical Dictionary Containing an Account of the Principal Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors [and Intended to Elucidate All the Important Points Connected with the Geography, History, Biography, Mythology, and Fine Arts of the Greeks and Romans: Together with an Account of Coins, Weights, and Measures, with Tabular Values of the Same] . Harper [& Brothers]. p.
679 .
^
a
b Gocha R. Tsetskhladze (2008).
Greek Colonisation: An Account of Greek Colonies and Other Settlements Overseas . BRILL. p. 157.
ISBN
978-90-04-15576-3 .
^ Fatos Mero Rrapaj (1995). Fjalori Onomastik i Epirit. Eurorilindja. page 144–145. "Deti Jon:.....Fusha e Zonjës, siç e quan populli çam"
^
Limits of Oceans and Seas (PDF) (3rd ed.).
Organisation hydrographique internationale . 1953. Archived from
the original (PDF) on October 8, 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2020 .
^
"Battle of Actium | ancient Roman history | Britannica" . 2 June 2023.
^
"Odysseus | Myth, Significance, Trojan War, & Odyssey | Britannica" . 29 April 2023.
External links
Basins Bays Channels Gulfs Seas
International National Geographic