 Corfu is located in a volatile historical region which has faced many wars, battles and conquests over the centuries. As such it is no surprise that Corfu has been occupied by so many different cultures and forces, and why it remains an incredibly rich and diverse island within the Ionian chain.
In Greek mythology, Corfu earned it's place as the location for a great love story – that of the marriage between Poseidon, the god of the sea, and a nymph named Korkyra (the original uncorrupted Greek spelling of Kerkyra – Corfu). Poseidon abducted Korkyra from her parents after falling in love with her on sight, and spirited her away to the island now known as Corfu. They remained on the island, parenting many children (the ancestors of the Corfu residents of today) who were known as the Phaiax, a name which later evolved into 'Phaeacians'.
In later years, Corfu was occupied by the Romans (Marc Antony used it as a military base); attacked by the Sicilians; occupied by the Genoese; taken over by the French house of Anjou; placed under the protection of the Venetians; attacked by the Turks; ceded to the French; given self-government by the Ottomans; returned to the French; placed under British protection; and then finally united with Greece. During World War I Corfu became a haven for the Serbian army, whilst the Second World War saw the island come under Italian, and later German occupation. British forces liberated Corfu and it was returned to its union with Greece.
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