The Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands lie off the west coast of Greece; they are part of Greece.Ionian Islands, a group of seven large islands and many islets. Six of the islands—Corfu, Paxos, Leukas (Levkas), Ithaca, Zante, and Cephalonia—are in the Ionian Sea, off the west coast of Greece and Albania. Cerigo (Cythera) is south of the Peloponnesus. The total land area of the islands is about 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2). After centuries under Venetian rule, the islands formed an independent republic, 1800–07, but were made a British protectorate in 1815. In 1864 they were ceded to Greece.