Crete is the largest island
of Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean.
It has an area of about 8300 sq.km
The island has an elongated shape, 260 km long from east to west and between
15 and 60 km wide. The coastline is over 1000 km long and consists of both
sandy beaches and rocky shores. The high mountains are a characteristic of
the Cretan landscape. They form three mountain complexes, each with its own ‘personality’.
Between the ranges lie semi-mountainous zones which cover the greater part
of the island. There are also a few low lying plains as well as a number of
high plateaux.
Crete has about 600.000 inhabitants, of which over a third live in the towns
of Heraklion, Hania and Rethymnon The rest of the island is sparsely populated,
with large tracts of mountainous areas frequented only by shepherds
Crete is divided into 4 prefectures (Nomos):
Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi. Their respective
capitals are Chania (60.000 inhabitants), Rethymnon (24.000
inhabitants), Heraklion (120.000 inhabitants) and Agios
Nikolaos (7.000 inhabitants)
To see the distances between the main localities
of Crete here.
Of more practical use to visitors we can
also divide Crete into three regions: West Crete,
Central Crete and Eastern Crete. These three regions
have quite distinct characteristics.
East Crete
The East is by far the driest part of the
island although olive trees are planted there as well.
It possesses a mountain range, Thripti, which only rises
to 1500m but is very wild.
The area round the town of Agios Nikolaos and the Mirambello bay has become
a focal point for tourism but the rest of the region is still pretty backwards
compared to many other areas of Crete.
Central Crete
A large proportion of visitors to Crete
arrive in Heraklion, the capital of Central Crete. This
large town is mainly an important economic focal point
in Crete. The hilly hinterland is well known for its abundance
of vineyards.
The region is very important archaeologically, not only because of the Minoan
palace of Knossos. The whole region is dominated by the Ida mountains and Dikti
in the eastern part. In the South the plain of Messara, one of the most fertile
areas of Crete, has become an important center of agricultural production.
Central Crete and essentially the North coast is by far the main tourism center
of Crete with more than half of all the accommodation of the whole island located
there.
West Crete
The West is the greenest and most mountainous
area of Crete. The majestic White Mountains or Lefka Ori
dominate the landscape and rise to almost 2500m. They drop
abruptly into the Libyan sea in the South and are cut by
a number of deep gorges, the most famous one being the
gorge of Samaria.
To the North, hilly areas and some coastal plains provide a fertile ground
for agriculture, mainly olive trees and citrus fruit. The North coast has many
nice beaches and a number of tourist developments. |
