gulf of Taranto

{{Short description|Bay of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy.}}

{{single source|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox body of water

| name = Gulf of Taranto

| native_name = {{plainlist|

• {{native name|it|Golfo di Taranto}}
• {{native name|nap|Gurfe de Tarde}}
• {{native name|scn|Gulfu di Tàrantu}}}}

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| image = Coastal panorama (4751155837).jpg

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| caption = Gulf of Taranto in Lecce province

| image_bathymetry = Gulf of Taranto map.png

| alt_bathymetry =

| caption_bathymetry = Map of the Gulf of Taranto

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| coordinates ={{coord|39|53|06|N|17|16|37|E|region:IT_type:waterbody|display =inline,title}}

| type = gulf

| etymology = after the city of Taranto

| part_of = Ionian Sea

| inflow = Agri, Basento, Sinni, Calandro River

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| outflow = Mediterranean Sea

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| basin_countries = Italy

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| islands = Cheradi

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| cities = Taranto, Gallipoli, Crotone

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The Gulf of Taranto ({{langx|it|Golfo di Taranto}}; Tarantino: {{lang|nap|Gurfe de Tarde}}; {{langx|la|Sinus Tarentinus}}) is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy.

The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, {{convert|140|km|abbr=on}} long and wide, making it the largest gulf in Italy, and it is delimited by the capes Santa Maria di Leuca (to the east, in Apulia) and Colonna (the ancient Lacinium, to the west, in Calabria), encompassed by the three regions of Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria. The most important rivers are the Basento, the Sinni, and the Agri.

File:Golfo di Taranto map.png

The main cities on the gulf are Taranto and Gallipoli. Also the Greek colonies (Magna Graecia) of Kroton, Heraclea, Thurii, and Sybaris were founded on the Gulf of Taranto.

Italy claims the whole gulf as national waters, thus closed to international traffic. This position, which is similar to that of Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, is not recognized by some other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=o20TToWpNYIC&q=Gulf+of+Taranto+united+states&pg=PA353 |title= Naval Policy and Strategy in the Mediterranean: Past, Present, and Future |first= John B. |last= Hattendorf |publisher= Frank Cass Publishers |year= 2000 |page= 353 |isbn= 9780714680545 }}