Corfu

Corfu, the most northerly and largest of the Ionian Islands, at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea, separated from the coast of Albania by a channel from 2 to 12 miles broad, is 40 miles long from north-west to south-east by $3\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ to 20 miles broad; area, 270 sq. m.; pop., mostly Greeks, 78,024. The island is traversed by mountains, bare and rocky in their upper slopes, culminating in Pantocrator, 2997 feet high, at the north-east end. The surface is largely covered with luxuriant groves of olive, cypress, and ilex. The winters are rainy, the summers hot and dry. The principal products are olives and wine, oranges, citrons, figs, carob, silk, and honey. Maize is the chief cereal, but yields only about a quarter of the consumption. Goats are numerous, but there are no cattle and so no butter, the substitute for which is olive-oil, the principal export of Corfu. Wine is also exported to Austria-Hungary and Italy. There is no proper agriculture. Fishing, too, is left to the Albanians and Italians. The minerals are sulphur, salt, coal, and marble. The principal town, Corfu, having 26,515 inhabitants, is finely situated on the east coast, and has a good harbour in direct steam communication with Alexandria, Athens, Trieste, Italy, and England. Corfu is the seat of a Greek archbishop and of a Catholic bishop, and has a royal palace, an Ionian academy, founded by Lord Guildford in 1823, with a library of 35,000 volumes, a gymnasium, theatre, &c. The town underwent great improvements during the British protectorate, but there is still room for improvement. The ancient name of the island is Corcyra, but from its shape it was also called Drepane, or 'sickle.' It has been incorrectly identified with the Homeric Scheria. About 734 B.C. the Corinthians planted a colony here, which, by its commerce, growing rich and powerful, fought with the mother-country (665 B.C.) the first sea-battle on record. After many vicissitudes, Corfu fell under the Roman dominion (229 B.C.). For the more modern history, see IONIAN ISLANDS.