The
Echinades (;
Greek: per
Herodotus,
Thucydides, and
Strabo, per
Homer Echinae (, ) are a group of islands in the
Ionian Sea, off the coast of
Acarnania,
Greece. The archipelago is commonly subdivided into three groups: the Drakoneres in the north, the Modia in the middle and the Ouniades in the south. Administratively, the Echinades form part of two regional units:
Ithaca and
Cephalonia. Six of the islands, including
Oxeia the largest, are owned by
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the
emir of Qatar, who purchased them for a reported £7.3 million sterling. The
Battle of the Echinades in 1427 and the
Battle of Lepanto in 1571 were fought at or near the islands.