Taranto (Bay)

The bay is located in the sea between the "heel of the Italian boot" in the east ( Apulia region) and its "toe" in the west ( Calabria region), the coast and areas of the northern part of the bay belong to the Italian region of Basilicata . The largest city and port is Taranto . The extreme points are the cape near the faction in the east and in the west ^[3] . The coast of the bay is 140 kilometers long, its waters are transparent and rich in fish. In the central part of the bay is the Taranto Depression, the depth of which is 1000-1500 meters ^[3] and reaches 2657 meters. On the shore grow groves of pine and cypress . In the bay are the islands of Cheradi .

The shores of the bay in ancient times were part of Great Greece , on its shores were the Greek colonies of Tarento ( Taranto ), Metapont , Heraclea , Sybaris , Turia, Croton ( Crotone ) ^[2] . The Greeks called the Gulf of Ionian ( Greek Ionios Kolpos ), and the region adjacent to it became known as Great Greece . In the III — II centuries BC. e. this territory was subordinate to the Romans , who came up with the modern name Tarentinus Sinus . After the fall of Rome in the V century, the region came under the rule of Byzantium , then the Arabs and Normans . In the late Middle Ages and modern times, the territories around the bay were part of the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of both Sicilies , in the 19th century they became part of a united Italy. During the First World War, the Gulf of Trent was closed to shipping.

On April 26, 1977, by a special presidential decree, the entire water area of ​​the gulf was declared the "Inland Sea" of Italy, its "historical heritage", as a result of which the gulf is under the full jurisdiction of the Italian state. Such a decision was initially disputed by the United States , Great Britain and Malta , however, at present this issue is practically not touched ^[4] .

In the bay is a large NATO naval base .