Venetian rule in the Ionian Islands 1809, Great Britain took possession of all the islands with the exception of Corfu and Paxos, which was only surrendered in 1814. In 1815, the Ionian Islands became a British protectorate under the name United States of the Ionian Islands. The civil and military governor of the Ionian Islands was the "Provveditore generale da Mar", who lived on Corfu and had the supreme peacetime command of the Venetian navy. In wartime, due to his absence at the head of the fleet, he was sometimes replaced by a "Provveditore generale delle Tre Isole" ("Superintendent general of the Three Islands"), referring to
Albanian Ionian Sea Coast the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea is now seen as a separate body of water. Traditionally, the region represents the most valuable tourist resource for the country, especially due to the unspoilt natural and cultural beauty expressed in the region's architecture, cuisine and tradition. Its most considerable attraction is the ancient city of Butrint, that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because it provides valuable remains of ancient civilizations. The region is populated by more than 50.000 people with the largest city being the seaport city of Sarandë, one of the most appreciated tourist destinations in the Ionian