IONIAN SEA | ITALY

The Ionian Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bordered by southern Italy including the Calabria Region, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and west coast of Greece. 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 , is located in the Ionian Sea. The sea is one of the most seismically active areas in the world.

The International Hydrographic Organization 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, 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.

WHAT TO VISIT ALONG THE IONIAN COASTLINE IN ITALY