Corfu (city)

Corfu is a city on the island of Corfu in the Ionian Islands of Greece, serving as capital of both its municipality and the wider Ionian Islands region; since 2019 it has formed part of the Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands municipality. Known in antiquity as Kórkyra, the city has played a role in Greek history since ancient times, taking part in the Battle of Sybota that helped precipitate the Peloponnesian War, and the historian Thucydides named it one of the three great naval powers of fifth century BC Greece alongside Athens and Corinth. Venice ruled the city from 1386 to 1797, leaving an architectural imprint and earning it the nickname Kastropolis, meaning Castle City, for its two fortresses; the historian Will Durant noted it was the only part of Greece never conquered by the Ottomans, owing to Venetian defenses. The city proper has about 23,541 residents, with roughly 99,134 across the whole island, and it functions today as a major tourist attraction and regional center.