Ionian Islands, Jońskie Wyspy, Jonii Nisi |
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The islands were settled by Greeks at an early date, possibly as early as 1000 BC, and certainly by the 9th century BC. The early Eretrian settlement at Kerkyra was diplaced by colonists from Corinth in 734 BC. The islands were mostly a backwater during Ancient Greek times and played little part in Greek politics. The one exception was the conflict between Kerkyra and its mother-city Corinth in 434 BC, which brought intervention from Athens and triggered the Peloponnesian War.
In the 4th century the islands, like most of Greece, was absorbed into the empire of Macedon. They remained under the control of Macedon and its successor kingdoms until 146 BC, when the Greek peninsula was annexed by Rome. After 400 years of peaceful Roman rule the islands passed to the rule of Constantinople, and remained part of the Byzantine Empire for another 900 years, until the fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade in 1204. In 1809 the British defeated the French fleet in Zakynthos (October 2, 1809) captured Kefallonia, Kythera and Zakynthos, and took Lefkada in 1810. The French held out in Kerkyra until 1814. The Treaty of Paris in 1815 turned the islands into the "United States of the Ionian Islands" under British protection (November 5, 1815). In January 1817 the British granted the islands a constitution, the first in Greek history since ancient times. The islanders elected an Assembly of 40 members, who advised the British High Commissioner. The British greatly improved the islands' communications, and introduced modern education and justice systems. The islanders welcomed most these reforms, and took up afternoon tea, cricket and other English pastimes. Once Greek independence was established after 1830, however, the islanders began to resent foreign rule and to press for enosis - union with Greece. The British statesman William Gladstone toured the islands and recommended that they be given to Greece. The British government resisted, since like the Venetians they found the islands made useful naval bases. They also regarded the German-born king of Greece, King Otto, as unfriendly to Britain. But in 1862 Otto was deposed and a pro-British king, George I, was installed. In 1862 Britain decided to transfer the islands to Greece. On May 2, 1864 the British departed and the islands became three provinces of the Kingdom of Greece though Britain retained the use of the port of Corfu. |
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14. Photos 15. Anthem - sound file |
1. Dependency status: part of the Greek district of Ionioi Nisoi 2. Government type: parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974 (Greece) 3. Location: Southern Europe on Ionian Sea 4. Border Countries: none (islands) 5. Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers6. Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands 7. Area: 2.300 km2 8. Capital: none 9. Administrative divisions: none; The seven are, from north to south: Kerkyra (Corfu), Paxi (Paxos), Lefkada (Lefkas), Ithaki (Ithaca), Kefallonia (Cephalonia), Zakynthos (Zante), Kythira (Cerigo) 10. Population: 191.000 inhabitians (1991) 11. Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French 12. Religions: Greek Orthodox 13. Currency: Euro (EUR) |
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