Gulf of Taranto

The Gulf of Taranto (Italian: Golfo di Taranto; Tarantino: Gurfe de Tarde; Latin: Sinus Tarentinus) is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy.

Gulf of Taranto
Golfo di Taranto (Italian) Gurfe de Tarde (Neapolitan) Gulfu di Tàrantu (Sicilian)
Gulf of Taranto in Lecce province
Map of the Gulf of Taranto
Coordinates	39°53′06″N 17°16′37″E
Type	gulf
Etymology	after the city of Taranto
Part of	Ionian Sea
Primary inflows	Agri, Basento, Sinni, Calandro River
Primary outflows	Mediterranean Sea
Basin countries	Italy
Islands	Cheradi
Settlements	Taranto, Gallipoli, Crotone

The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, 140 km (87 mi) long and wide, making it the largest gulf in Italy, and it is delimited by the capes Santa Maria di Leuca (to the east, in Apulia) and Colonna (the ancient Lacinium, to the west, in Calabria), encompassed by the three regions of Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria. The most important rivers are the Basento, the Sinni, and the Agri.

Topographic map of the Gulf of Tarent

The main cities on the gulf are Taranto and Gallipoli. Also the Greek colonies (Magna Graecia) of Kroton, Heraclea, Thurii, and Sybaris were founded on the Gulf of Taranto.

Italy claims the whole gulf as national waters, thus closed to international traffic. This position, which is similar to that of Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, is not recognized by some other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.^[1]

References

1. Hattendorf, John B. (2000). Naval Policy and Strategy in the Mediterranean: Past, Present, and Future. Frank Cass Publishers. p. 353. ISBN 9780714680545.