Ionian Islands in Venetian hands since 1238. The islands thus became the only part of the Greek-speaking world to escape Ottoman rule, which gave them both a unity and an importance in Greek history they would otherwise not have had. Corfu was the only Greek island never conquered by the Turks. Under Venetian rule, many of the upper classes spoke Italian (or Venetian in some cases) and converted to Roman Catholicism, but the majority remained Greek ethnically, linguistically, and religiously. In the 18th century, a Greek national independence movement began to emerge, and the free status of the Ionian islands made them
2018 Ionian Sea earthquake 2018 Ionian Sea earthquake A strong earthquake measuring magnitude occurred in the Ionian Sea near the coasts of Greece during the night between 25 and 26 October 2018 at 22:54:51 UTC (01:54:51 in Greece). Sea level changes were predicted, and a tsunami advisory was issued. Reports of sea level change of up to 20 centimeters were reported in Greece and Italy. The epicenter was located about 133 km from Patras. The earthquake occurred 14km below the surface. Power outages were reported on the island of Zakynthos, and a 15th century monastery was also damaged on the islands of Strofades. The