Corfu (Gk Κέρκυρα) is the westernmost island of Greece located in the
north Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian islands separated from Epirus
and the Albanian gulf of Sarande, by straights from 3 to 23 km wide. Its distance from the Italian
peninsula is 102 km. Corfu is about 58 km long and 27 km at its widest breadth. It is is almost completely of
a limestone formation, naturally divided into a northern mountainous region, a central undulating, and a
southern low lying region. There are two principal ranges, one stretching from St. Angelo to St. Stefano,
with highest peak "Παντοκράτωρ" (Pantokrator) (2,972 ft), and the second culminating at "Άγιοι Δέκα"
(St. Decca - Ten Saints). Corfu is fertile, covered by olive trees, and is considered by many one of the most beautiful
of the Greek isles. The capital city of Corfu is also called Kerkyra (Corfu) and is located at the
eastern middle region of the island. The island is steeped in legend from the earliest sources of written and
unwritten record. In Greek mythology, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Κόρκυρα (Korkyra), daughter
of river-god Ασωπός (Asopos) and river-nymph Μετόπη (Metope), abducted Korkyra, brought her to the unnamed island
and, in marital bliss, offered
her name, to the isle. Korkyra’s inhabitants became known as Φαίακες (Phaiakes) from the name of Poseidon’s and
Korkyra’s child Φαίαξ, (Phaiax). Our Homeric Odyseus, shortly before ending his tumultuous 20 year wanderings,
landed on Korkyra, and later, having recovered from his amnesia, returned to Ithaka, just a bit over 100 kilometers
south, to reclaim his kingdom. The island’s name Korkyra eventually evolved to Kerkyra (Doric).
Quoting Wikipedia: "The island's history is laden with battles and conquests, indicative of Corfu's turbulent
position in a historical vortex lasting until the modern period, at which time unification with modern Greece
from 1864 made the island's history one with that of the mainland, with no further foreign intervention. The
legacy of these struggles is visible in the form of castles punctuating strategic locations across the island.
Two of these castles enclose its capital, which is the only city in Greece to be surrounded in such a way. As a
result, Corfu's capital has been officially declared a Kastropolis (City of Castles) by the Greek Government.
In 2007, the city's old town was named on the UNESCO World Heritage List, following a recommendation by the
"International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)."
Telephone: (561) 297-0274
Fax: (561) 297-2436
spyros@fau.edu
