TheGulf of Corinth or theCorinthian Gulf (Greek:Κορινθιακός Κόλπος,romanized: Korinthiakós Kólpos,Greek pronunciation:[koɾinθiaˈkosˈkolpos]) is a deepinlet of theIonian Sea, separating thePeloponnese from western mainlandGreece. It is bounded in the east by theIsthmus of Corinth which includes the shipping-designedCorinth Canal and in the west by the Rion Strait which widens into the shorterGulf of Patras (part of theIonian Sea) and of which the narrowest point is crossed since 2004 by theRio–Antirrio bridge. The gulf is bordered by the large administrative divisions (regional units):Aetolia-Acarnania andPhocis in the north,Boeotia in the northeast,Attica in the east,Corinthia in the southeast and south andAchaea in the southwest. The tectonic movement across the gulf is comparable to parts ofIceland andTurkey, growing by 10 mm (0.39 in) per year.
In theMiddle Ages, the gulf was known as theGulf of Lepanto (the Italian form ofNaupactus).
Shipping routes between the Greek commercial portPiraeus (further away from ultimate destinations but larger and better connected to the south than the north-western Greek port ofIgoumenitsa) to western Mediterranean and hemisphere ports pass along this gulf. A ferry crosses the gulf to linkAigio andAgios Nikolaos, towards the western part of the gulf.[2]
Gulf of Corinth as seen from the mountains near upper Ziria. To the right of the photo we can see theTrizonia island
The gulf was created by the expansion of a tectonicrift due to the westward movement of the Anatolian Plate, and expands by 10 mm (0.39 in) per year.[3] The surroundingfaults can produce earthquakes up to magnitude around 6.5, though they are relatively uncommon. On June 15, 1995, anearthquake of magnitude 6.2 occurred near the city of Aigion. A large part of the northern margin of the gulf is characterized by gentle gradients (between 10 and 20 degrees). The southern margin of the gulf is largely characterized by steep gradients (between 30 and 40 degrees).[4]
