The
Messenian Gulf (,
Messiniakós Kólpos) is a sea that is part of the
Ionian Sea. The gulf is circumscribed by the southern coasts of
Messenia and the southwestern coast of the
Mani peninsula in
Laconia. Its bounds are Venetiko Island to the west and
Cape Tainaron to the southeast. The western shores are mostly low-lying, fertile and well-developed, while the eastern shore is dominated by the southern foothills of the
Taygetos and comparatively rocky and inaccessible, with few settlements.