Editing Ionian Sea (section)

== Geography ==

The western side of the Ionian Sea is bordered by eastern [[Sicily]], [[Calabria]], and the Salento Peninsula in southern Italy. Calabria lies between the Ionian Sea to the east and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west.<ref name="calabria-geography"/> The northeastern coast follows southern Albania from the area around [[Vlorë]] to the Greek border. South of Vlorë, the Albanian coastline becomes narrower and more mountainous as it faces the Ionian Sea.<ref name="albania-geography"/>

The eastern shore includes western mainland Greece and the western coast of the [[Peloponnese]]. The Greek islands within the sea include [[Corfu]], Paxos, [[Lefkada]], [[Ithaca]], [[Kefalonia]], and [[Zakynthos]]. These islands form most of the Ionian Islands group and extend along the western coast of Greece.<ref name="greece-geography"/>

The Strait of Otranto forms the northern entrance to the sea between southeastern Italy and Albania. The Strait of Messina passes between Sicily and Calabria and connects the Ionian Sea with the Tyrrhenian Sea. To the south, the Ionian basin opens into the central Mediterranean.

Major coastal inlets include the [[Gulf of Taranto]] and Gulf of Squillace in Italy, and the Ambracian Gulf, Gulf of Patras, Gulf of Kyparissia, Messenian Gulf, and Laconian Gulf in Greece. The Gulf of Patras provides access to the [[Gulf of Corinth]] through the Strait of Rion.

The southern Ionian Sea contains the Calypso Deep, the deepest known point of the Mediterranean Sea, at approximately 5,122 metres below sea level. It lies within the Hellenic Trench southwest of the Peloponnese. The surrounding area is tectonically active because of movement between the African and Eurasian plates.

The coastal environment includes deep offshore basins, narrow continental shelves, rocky shores, beaches, bays, wetlands, and island channels. Marine habitats support fish, marine mammals, seabirds, seagrass meadows, and other Mediterranean species. Coastal development, fishing, shipping, marine pollution, and rising water temperatures affect parts of the sea.