What are the names of the Ionian islands?

The so called Ionian Islands lie - surpsiingly :-) - in the Ionian Sea. The Ionian Sea is the sea between Greece, the heel and sole of the 'boot' of Italy and Sicily. The Ionian Sea is one of the most seismic areas in the world.

The Ionian Islands are, from north to south:

• Kerkyra usually known as Corfu in English
• Paxi also known as Paxos in English
• Lefkada also known as Lefkas in English
• Ithaki usually known as Ithaca in English
• Kefallonia often known as Kefalonia/Cephalonia/Kefallinia in English
• Zakynthos sometimes known as Zante in English
• Kythira sometimes known as Cerigo in English

The six northern islands are off the west coast of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. The seventh island, Kythira, is off the southern tip of the Peloponnesus, the southern part of the Greek mainland.

The islands themselves are known by a rather confusing variety of names. During the centuries of rule by Venice, they acquired Venetian names, by which some of them are still known in English (and in Italian). Kerkyra was known as Corfù, Ithaki as Val di Compare, Kythera as Cerigo, Lefkada as Santa Maura and Zakynthos as Zante.

A variety of spellings are used for the Greek names of the islands, particularly in historical writing. Kefallonia is often spelled as Cephallenia or Cephalonia, Ithaki as Ithaca, Kerkyra as Corcyra, Kythera as Cythera, Lefkada as Leucas or Leucada and Zakynthos as Zacynthus or Zante. Older or variant Greek forms are sometimes also used: Kefallinia for Kefallonia and Paxos or Paxoi for Paxi.

For further information please see also the related links below.