Venetian rule in the Ionian Islands to south, including their Greek and Italian names in parentheses: Cythera and Lefkada were additionally called ' or ' and " respectively by the Ottomans. During the Roman Empire, the Ionian Islands were variously part of the provinces of Achaea and Epirus vetus. These would form, with the exception of Cythera, the Byzantine theme of Cephallenia in the late 8th century. From the late 11th century, the Ionian Islands became a battleground in the Byzantine–Norman Wars. The island of Corfu was held by the Normans in 1081–1085 and 1147–1149, while the Venetians unsuccessfully besieged it in 1122–1123. The island of
Albanian Ionian Sea Coast impacted by various environmental factors, many of which are with conservation of national significance. In terms of phytogeography, the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast belongs to the illyrian province of the circumboreal region within the boreal kingdom. It falls entirely within the illyrian deciduous forests terrestrial ecoregion of the palearctic mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub. The vegetation is predominantly represented by evergreen and decidious shrubs associated with the mediterranean sea. The woodlands, close to freshwater habitats, are represented by the alluvial, mixed and conifer forests but also coastal woods. The forests, at higher elevations, contain various pine, oak, beech and fir