Corfu City

Corfu is without doubt one of the most popular destinations in Greece and it is considered as the most spectacular sceneries in Greece. Geographically it is located the west of Greece, lying within sight of Albania, just off the coast of the Greek mainland and about 75km from the heel of Italy. It is the second largest after Cephalonia of Ionian islands known as the Seven Islands, or Eptanese. Together with the small island of Paxi and others that are still smaller (Antipaxi, Othoni, Erikoussa, Mathraki), Corfu constitutes a separate prefecture. The prefecture is part of the periphery Ionian Islands. It has an area of 592 sq. km, a coastline of 217 km and a population of over 100,000 making it the largest Ionian island in terms of population. The principal city of the island is also named Corfu, or Kerkyra in Greek. The name "Corfu" comes from the word coryphi, which means peak and was used for the acropolis of the capital city. The name Kerkyra is only used in Greece. To the rest of the world the island is known as Corfu. Because of the mild Mediterranean climate and the high rainfalls during winter, Corfu is full of abundant and verdant vegetation and wild plants, approximately 65% of the surface of the island is under cultivation and 59% of this area is covered with olives, cypress trees, citrus fruit trees, fruit trees and vineyards; this makes of Corfu one the greenest islands in Greece. The island of Corfu was one of the first islands in Greece to open itself to tourism and has since become an important international tourism centre attracting many visitors and offering well-equipped and modern touristy facilities. In few words the island will leave the visitors with unforgettable memories, an earthly paradise which has been so generously blessed by God. Usually Corfu is about mostly visited during the spring to autumn periods and best avoided during the winter season as it rains often.