The Ionian Sea is located between the countries of Italy, Greece and Albania and forms part of the Mediterranean Sea. In the north, this sub-sea is separated from the Adriatic Sea by the Strait of Otranto. In the south it passes directly into the Libyan Sea. On the coasts of the Ionian Sea are Catania, Messina, Syracuse and Taranto on the Italian side, and the Greek town of Patras, several large cities. The largest island of the sea is Kefalonia in Greece. Just like the popular vacation island of Corfu, it belongs to the Ionian Islands, which form the largest group of islands in the Ionian Sea.