Lisa Reiter, age 14, of Monroe, La., for her question:

WHO OWNS THE IONIAN ISLANDS?

The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in the Ionian and Mediterranean seas, to the west of Greece. The islands are owned by Greece.

Originally colonized by the Greeks, the islands later formed part of the Roman and Byzantine empires. The Ionian Islands were held in part or in whole through the years by a succession of foreign countries.

The islands were under the rule of the Venetian Republic from 1386 until taken by the French in 1797. Then in 1799 the Ionian Islands were surrendered to the Russians and the Turks. From 1800 until 1807 the region formed an independent state, but in 1807 the islands reverted to the French, who held them until 1824, when the islands became a British protectorate.

British control lasted until 1864, at which time the islands were incorporated into Greece once and for all.

Major industries are fishing, shipbuilding and soap making.