Talk:Ionian Islands

Names in English
I have added English alternatives to the list because the section on Italian names implies they are all historic and therefore not in common usage in English. Until I read this article I did not even know that the Greek name for Corfu was ever used in English pages. So I have learnt something BUT the common usage for the Island Corfu is Corfu in English.

Using http://www.google.co.uk


 * about 914,000 English pages for Corfu -Kerkyra
 * about 57,300 English pages for Kerkyra -Corfu
 * about 974,000 English pages for Corfu. So only 60 thousand English  pages out of nearly a million with the word Corfu on it mentions that the local name is Kerkyra.


 * about 38,300 English pages for Paxos
 * about 30,500 English pages for Paxi
 * about 36,900 English pages for Paxos -Paxi
 * about 29,000 English pages for -Paxos Paxi


 * about 73,400 English pages for Lefkada
 * about 76,800 English pages for Lefkas
 * about 2,230 English pages for "Santa Maura"
 * about 64,300 English pages for Lefkada -Lefkas
 * about 66,000 English pages for -Lefkada Lefkas


 * about 50 English pages for "Val di Conspare"
 * about 41,000 English pages for Ithaki
 * about 3,240,000 English pages for Ithaca
 * about 35,400 English pages for -Ithaca Ithaki


 * about 20,300 English pages for Kefallonia
 * about 44,500 English pages for Cephalonia
 * about 43,300 English pages for -Kefallonia Cephalonia
 * about 19,100 English pages for Kefallonia -Cephalonia


 * about 496,000 English pages for Zakynthos
 * about 297,000 English pages for Zante
 * about 323,000 English pages for Zakynthos -Zante
 * about 181,000 English pages for -Zakynthos Zante


 * about 47,100 English pages for Kythira
 * about 7,770 English pages for Cerigo
 * about 46,100 English pages for Kythira -Cerigo
 * about 7,480 English pages for -Kythira Cerigo

--Philip Baird Shearer 12:47, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)


 * I'm surprised you omitted Ithaca, perhaps the best-known of all, at least to those familiar with Homer! I've added it. rossb 13:34, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Added it to the search 3m to 35k even bigger than 900k to 50k. We have a winner! Philip Baird Shearer

Ithaca is mentioned in its proper place, further into the article. What is the copyright status of this new map?

BTW, nobody's going to mind the English names... may I coin the phrase "überjustification of edit"?

FYROM not Macedonia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ionian-Islands.jpg lists FYROM as Macedonia but FYROM is the official name

And the lower portion of the map says "Greece" not "Hellenic Democracy" ; )

(It is in the public domain -- see image page.)

Political District vs. Cultural Region in Blue Map
I am writhing in torment over the discrepancy between the cultural region of the Ionian Islands discussed in the opening paragraphs and the accompanying map which shows, unexplained, only the 6 islands in the political district of the Ionian Islands, and not the southern island of Kythera.

Possible Solutions:

Text label for the map stating it is the political district, Kythera not included (which means reformating the page with a righthand box)?

Graphic edit to the map, highlighting Kythera, and with text indicating part of Attica (ruining the continuity with other Greek region maps)?

Altering article to start with discussion just of modern district, accompanied by map, then going on to historical region?

Switching the positions of the maps (though different from other Greek region pages)?

The Turkish siege of 1716.
About 30,000 Turks tried to conquer Corfu in 1716, when the island was under governor Giovanni Foscarini, supported by general Johann von der Schulenburg. The island was defended by 5,000 soldiers and 3,000 volunteers. On June 25 the Turks landed and fought until August 11, when they left the island. Famous was the naval battle in front of the island (July 8) when 27 Venetian vessels, under admiral Andrea Corner, fought against a Turkish fleet with almost two times the Venetian strength.

Odysseus
Can someone clarify the statement: "Attempts have been made to identify Ithaki with ancient Ithaca, but the geography of the real island cannot be made to fit Homer's description."

I have been to Ithaca/Ithaki myself, and I was amazed by how well the island fits the descriptions in an almost 3000 yr old epic.

Transfer of sovereignty
What about something in the infobox about this, from the United Kingdom to Greece? Flosssock1 (talk) 22:13, 12 January 2010 (UTC)

About pronunciation
Pronunciation in greek is not the same because is accented in different positions. I think the whole paragraph should be erased or lessened to a single line.--Κλειδοκράτωρ (talk) 16:25, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

Infobox
I propose to remove the infobox because it contains misleading information. The box indicates the Ionian Islands are a region in Greece. But Kythira, which is also included in the map, is not part of the region of the Ionian Islands, as it is included in Attica. Also, the infobox has no purpose because a good map of all seven island is already in place. —  37  (talk) 05:52, 19 September 2015 (UTC)


 * This is the standard Template:Infobox settlement which is standard for any settlement irrespective of if the settlement is a region or not. As such the infobox should remain and the optional parameter "type" should be removed if the descriptor "region" is disputed. In this case there is explanatory text in the descriptor which is sufficient imo. Δρ.Κ. λόγοςπράξις 06:05, 19 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Please remove the ‘region’-description or remove the infobox completly. It is needlessly confusing to have an infobox that has a map which shows all seven islands as part of a single political subdivision, but has also an extra note saying that one island is actually not part of this subdivision. Someone has mentioned the problem with this infobox on the talk page before. Time to solve this issue! —  37  (talk) 06:46, 19 September 2015 (UTC)


 * As I explained to you before, the map does not need to be removed. This is a map of a settlement. The descriptor "region" could be removed if consensus emerges to do so. But I don't see any such consensus yet. So we have to wait for more community input. Δρ.Κ. λόγοςπράξις 06:53, 19 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Please be bold and remove the descriptor "region" (or let me do this). Community input is not needed only to correct a mistake, and this is the case here: Kythira is not part of the Ionian Islands Region, it's part of Attica. If you insist on keeping the map, that’s just fine.—  37  (talk) 07:07, 19 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Ok. I removed the descriptor. Best regards. Δρ.Κ. λόγοςπράξις 07:21, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

Naming
The various traditional Italian names of the islands are thoroughly discussed in the article, and the traditional Italian nomenclature, "Eptaneso" is included in the first line of the lede. I think that's sufficient. Adding a moder Italian variant that was never in traditional use in the middle of the article is neither due, nor useful. Khirurg (talk) 22:18, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * The Venetian dialect or a language separate from Italian (scholarship has various viewpoints on that) or whatever it is in the linguistic world, the form "Ìxołe Jonie" are what the islands are called in Venetian. Considering that the place was under Venetian rule with even some of the locals adopting the language while that was the case, the name would be appropriate to be cited at least once somewhere in the article. As for the modern Italian name, i agree, no need and differs from its Venetian counterpart.Resnjari (talk) 22:49, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * That's why the traditional Italian (or Venetian) nomenclature, "Eptaneso" is included. The modern day Venetian spelling (using...Venetian Wikipedia as a source) is not used by anyone except maybe the Venetian wikipedia, and is as such totally and utterly irrelevant. Khirurg (talk) 23:12, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * But there are two sections, i,e Geography and Etymology that refer to Italian names of the separate islands, while there is nothing about the whole chain. Another thing on the Venetian aspect is that Italian, or what is called as such today emerged from from Tuscan, the prestige Latinate dialect or language on the Italian peninsula in the medieval era and came to dominate most Latinate states as a formal language of governance and to an extent the upper classes. My point is names of islands that have entered English (some forms that are still prevalent today) come from this Italian or Venetian heritage. If Italian forms are removed, how is a reader supposed to know. This is a catch 22.Resnjari (talk) 23:21, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * But there are two sections, i,e Geography and Etymology that refer to Italian names of the separate islands...while there is nothing about the whole chain You've got to be kidding me. Did you look at the lede? Did you see "Eptaneso" written right in the very top of the lede? Enough. Khirurg (talk) 23:35, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes, i saw that. I also the Geography and Etymology sections. I didn't offer a solution. I said it was a catch 22.Resnjari (talk) 23:41, 21 May 2019 (UTC)