Gulf of Patras
Encyclopedia
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
. On the east, it is closed by the Strait of Rion
Gulf of Corinth
The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece...
between capes Rio, Greece and Antirrio
Antirrio
Antirrio is a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafpaktia, of which it is a municipal unit...
, near the Rio-Antirio bridge
Rio-Antirio bridge
The Rion-Antirion bridge , officially the Charilaos Trikoupis bridge after the statesman who first envisaged it, is the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge...
. On the west, it is bounded by a line from Oxeia
Oxeia
Oxeia is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the chief island in the southern group of the Echinades, part of the Ionian Islands. Oxeia possesses the highest point in the Echinades, 421 m. The mountains of Aitoloakarnania on the mainland are to the northeast...
island to Cape Araxos. It is 40–50 km long, 10–20 km wide, and has an area of 350–400 km².
The Port of Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
lies to the southeast and is the only major port on the gulf. It serves ferries to Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
and Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
along with Kefallonia. Missolonghi also has a port. There are beaches in the south, the east and parts of the north. The old ports of Rio-Antirio lie east of the gulf. The gulf is rich in fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
.
Three battles called the 'Battle of Lepanto' were fought in this gulf: that of 1499, that of 1500
Battle of Lepanto (1500)
The Battle of Modon took place in August 1500 during the war of 1499–1503 between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice. The Ottomans, who had won the Battle of Zonchio the previous year, were again victorious under Admiral Kemal Reis.In December 1499 the Venetians attacked Lepanto with...
and the largest of the three, that of 1571
Battle of Lepanto (1571)
The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic maritime states, decisively defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire in five hours of fighting on the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece...
. Lepanto
Naupactus
Naupactus or Nafpaktos , is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafpaktia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
itself is in the Gulf of Corinth
Gulf of Corinth
The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece...
, not in the Gulf of Patras. A battle of Patras was fought here in 1772 between Russian and Ottoman fleets.
The ship Vivi hit a mine and sank 30 m below sea level on September 11, 1940.
Cities and towns
- RioRio, GreeceRio is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Patras, of which it is a municipal unit. The former municipality had a population of around 13,000.- Geography :...
east, east, beach - PatrasPatrasPatras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
east, port and beaches - Paralia, southeast
- RoitikaRoitikaRoitika is a village that is located in the municipal unit of Paralia, Achaea, Greece. It is south of the village Paralia. The population is around 2,000 and has a train station and a beach which is 200 m away from the highway. The neighboring communities are Paralia to the north, Mintilogli to...
, southeast - MonodendriMonodendriMonodendri may refer to:*Monodendri, Ioannina, a village in Zagori in Ioannina Prefecture, Greece*Monodendri, Achaea, part of the municipality of Vrachneika in Achaea Prefecture, Greece...
, southeast - Tsoukouleika, south southeast
- AlissosAlissosAlissos is a village in Achaea, Greece. The nearby communities are Kato Achaia to the west and Kaminia to the northeast in the municipality of Vrachneika. It is located 20 km southwest of Patras and 78 km northeast of Pyrgos...
, south, beach - Alykes, north of Kato AchaiaKato AchaiaKato Achaia is a town in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality West Achaea, of which it is the seat of administration.-Population history :...
, south - Ioniki Akti, south
- Mavry Myti, southwest
- Cape Araxos, southwest
- Messolonghi Lagoon, northwest
- Missolonghi, north
- AntirrioAntirrioAntirrio is a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafpaktia, of which it is a municipal unit...
, northeast, port
Tributaries
Pukli Moos-
- AchelousAchelousIn Greek mythology, Achelous was the patron deity of the "silver-swirling" Achelous River, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities, every river having its own river spirit. His name is pre-Greek, its meaning unknown...
River - EvenosÉvenosÉvenos is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
River, north - Louros River, north
- a creek
- Glaucos/Glavkos River - Panachaicus mountains to south of Patras
- a creek (near AgyiaAgyiaAgyia is a neighborhood of the city of Patras, Greece. It is located about 3.5 km north of downtown Patras. The community forms the mid-northern part of the city of Patras . Most of the street names are named from rivers. The town includes the St. Constantine church and a street is named...
)
- Achelous
External links
- Gulf of Patras from Space
- Satellite image of the East Ionian and the Gulf of Patras
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14757384&dopt=Abstract
- http://11gym-patras.ach.sch.gr/iv.htm (in Greek)