ancient region in W Asia Minor, including a coastal strip & the islands of Samos & Khíos: colonized by the Greeks in the 11th cent.
See Ionia in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(ī-ōˈnē-ə)
An ancient region of western Asia Minor along the coast of the Aegean Sea. Greek settlers established colonies here before 1000 B.C. The seaports of Ionia flourished from c. 8th century B.C. until the Turkish conquest of the 15th century A.D.