20 Interesting Facts About Corfu

The picturesque island of Corfu, part of Greece, is quite different from much of the Mediterranean. While the region is often characterized by a yellow-brown color palette with sparse greenery, Corfu stands out with its lush vegetation, teeming with flowers, trees, and shrubs. It’s a place that captures the hearts of almost everyone who visits.

Facts About Corfu:

1. Greece is predominantly an Orthodox Christian country, but Easter is celebrated differently in this region. Instead of painting eggs, locals smash water-filled clay pots on the ground.
2. Corfu has its own airport, but pilots tend to dislike it. The reason is simple—the runway is shorter than any other in Europe, making takeoffs and landings more challenging.
3. Every year, the island hosts the “Carnavalia” costume festival, which closely resembles the famous carnival in Venice. This tradition is a remnant of the time when Venice was an independent state and Corfu was under Venetian control.
4. In Greece, the island is known by another name. The locals call it “Kerkyra.” However, in English, it is still referred to as “Corfu.”
5. The capital of the island is also named Corfu. Its historic center features an ancient Byzantine fortress built before the Venetian rule in the 13th century.
6. Kumquats, small citrus fruits that resemble miniature oranges, grow abundantly on Corfu. These fruits, originally from China, have not taken root anywhere else in Europe except here.
7. Corfu is rightly called the “Green Island.” It is lush with greenery, surrounded by trees and flowers. The island is home to around 55 different species of wild orchids.
8. The island produces a significant olive harvest each year. There are about 4 million olive trees on Corfu, vastly outnumbering the human population.
9. One of the James Bond movies, “For Your Eyes Only,” was primarily filmed on Corfu.
10. Corfu remained unconquered during the difficult times when much of Greece was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans never managed to take control of the island.
11. The first opera house in all of Greece was established here.
12. Singing is a popular pastime among the locals. Unlike other regions of the country, it’s common to see people walking down the street singing to themselves.
13. The Venetians held control over Corfu for four centuries. Initially, they tried to buy the island, offering vast sums of money, but after being repeatedly refused, they took it by force.
14. There are no straight stretches of road longer than a few hundred meters on Corfu.
15. The total length of the coastline is 217 kilometers, nearly twice the length of Moscow’s MKAD ring road.
16. According to ancient legend, the Argonauts, who stole the Golden Fleece in Colchis, found refuge on Corfu.
17. You can reach Italy by ferry in just a few hours from Corfu. On a clear day, you can even see the Italian coast on the horizon without binoculars.
18. The island’s national hero is Russian Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, who liberated Corfu from French occupation in 1799. Even today, more than two centuries later, the locals remember this and celebrate an annual festival in his honor.
19. Some locals take vacations in neighboring Albania, just 2,500 meters across the water from Corfu. The Albanian coast offers excellent resorts, and prices in Albania are notably lower.
20. During World War II, Corfu’s historical heritage suffered significant damage. Many ancient buildings were destroyed by German air raids.