Ionian Islands (Ιόνια νησιά), Greece

The Ionian Islands Periphery (Ιόνια νησιά) is a region of Greece encompassing all the Ionian Islands except the island of Kythera, which is within the Attica Periphery.

The Ionian Islands are a group of islands on the western coast of Greece. They are traditionally known as the "Seven Islands", or Heptanese, as there are seven main islands, along with numerous smaller ones. The six Ionian Islands on the west coast of Greece is administered under the periphery of the Ionian Islands while Kythira, located off the southern tip of Peloponnese, is administered by the periphery of Attica.

Navagio Bay, Zakynthos, Greece
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coastline_near_Navagio_Bay,_Zakynthos,_Greece_07.jpg
Author: Christaras A


The Ionian Islands have seen human settlement going back to as early as 1200 BC. Some of the earliest people to settle there were the Eretrians. They were replaced by colonists from Corinth in 734 BC. By the 4th century BC, they were made part of the Macedon empire.Gradually the Romans took over the island, and by 146 BC, the whole Greek peninsula was under Roman rule, while lasted for the next 400 years.

The Ionian Islands then passed on to the Eastern Roman Empire, and was part of the Byzantine Empire for another 900 years. When Greeks retook Constantinople in 1261, the Ionian Islands were under the increasing power of the Venetians, which began by controlling Corfu (Kerkyra) and then extended their rule to all the Ionian Islands. From then on, control over the islands passed to the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte, to the British, and finally to Greece.

Spartochori, Meganisi, Ionian Islands
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meganisi-Spartochori.jpg
Author: Panayotis Vryonis


Today the Ionian Islands depend on tourism as their main source of income, having seen much of their population moving elsewhere and their traditional industries in decline.

Ionian Islands Periphery
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ionian_Islands.svg
Author: IMeowbot

The Ionian Islands

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