Isthmus of Corinth

Corinth, Isthmus of,

c.20 mi (32 km) long and 4–8 mi (6.4–12.9 km) wide, connecting central Greece (Attica and Boeotia) with the PeloponnesusPeloponnesus
or Pelopónnisos
, formerly Morea
, peninsula (1991 pop. 1,086,935), c.8,300 sq mi (21,500 sq km), S Greece. It is linked with central Greece by the Isthmus of Corinth, and it is washed by the Aegean Sea on the east and southeast, by the
..... Click the link for more information. , between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. It is crossed by the Corinth Canal, built between 1881 and 1893, which connects the Aegean and the Adriatic seas. Parallel to the canal are ruins of the ancient Isthmian Wall, which was restored (3d–6th cent. A.D.) by Byzantine emperors to defend the Peloponnesus. Near the eastern end of the wall are ruins of the sanctuary of Poseidon where the Isthmian gamesIsthmian games
, athletic events organized c.581 B.C. They were held at Corinth in the spring of the first and third years of the Olympiad, and they honored Palaemon as well as Poseidon.
..... Click the link for more information. were played.

Corinth, Isthmus of

an isthmus joining the Peloponne-sian Peninsula with the regions of central Greece, between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. It is 42 km long, and varies in width from 6.3 to 16 km. The greater part of the isthmus is taken up by the limestone ridge of Geraneia. The land is primarily semidesert. A railroad and highway that link Athens and Corinth run along the isthmus. The Corinth Canal cuts across it.