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Crete Greece: basic information and facts
Steeped in Homeric history and culture, scented by wild fennel and basil, Greece's largest island now hosts a quarter of all visitors to Greece. The north is overdeveloped, but it's still possible to find some peace by visiting the west and south coasts or the ruggedly mountainous interior.
The relatively small island of Crete has given the world some pretty big potatoes, not least of which is a traditional costume of baggy pants tucked into high boots which the New Romantic movement foisted on an unsuspecting public back in the 1980s. Other accomplishments include Europe's first advanced civilisation; the mythical Minotaur and its labyrinth; King Minos himself (the semi-fictitious sacrificer of maidens and youths); the palace of Knossos; El Greco; an enduring linguistic mix-up between Cretans and cretins; and the ultimate definition of 'family vendetta'. Country: Greece Main city: Iraklio Population: 550,000 Area: 8259 sq km (3038 sq mi) Time: GMT/UTC +2 hours 
Events in Crete, Greece
The Greek year is a succession of festivals and events. There are cultural and wine festivals throughout Crete during summer and each town celebrates the day allocated to their patron saint. The most important cultural festivals include: the Renaissance Festival in Rethymno, the Kyrvia Festival in Ierapetra, Sitia's Kornaria Festival, Iraklio's Summer Arts Festival and the Lato Festival in Agios Nikolas. Easter is taken much more seriously than any other religious holiday throughout Greece. Try to attend a Palm Sunday ceremony, which ends with fireworks and a candle-lit procession. Other holidays of significance include: Epiphany on 6 January, Independence Day on 25 March, Labour Day on 1 May (when everyone seems to go into the countryside for picnics), The Battle of Crete during the last week of May and Assumption Day on 15 August, which is celebrated with family reunions Environment of Crete, Greece
Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean. A long, slug-like island of some 260km (161mi) in length, Crete is Greece's most southerly point, with its largest city and capital, Iraklio, situated in the middle of the north side of the island. Most of the tourist developments lie either side, and the south and west coasts remain largely untouched.
Although the island is formally divided into four prefectures (Hania, Rethimnon, Heraklion and Lassithi), it's more readily divided into east, west and central Crete. The east is by far the driest part of the island, studded with the ubiquitous olive tree and a rather stunted, albeit feral, mountain range, Thripti. A bit of tourism goes on around the towns of Nikolaos and Mirambello Bay but by and large it's a fairly untouched area of Crete. The central area of Crete crawls with tourists and vineyards, a not altogether unhappy mix. Apart from containing the capital, Iraklio, the central area of Crete is also famous for its archaeological ruins and rabidly fertile plain of Mesara that produces crops of olives, oranges and pretty-as-a-picture windmills in equal measures. Located on the border of the centre and the eastern areas is the Lasithi Plain and cave-riddled Mt Dikitu. It is said that Zeus was born in one of these caves, the Dikteon Andron. Ideon Cave, another famous cave a little to the east of here (around Mt Psiloritis), is alleged to be the spot where the newborn Zeus was hidden by his mother Rhea from his cannibalistic father, Kronos. The western areas of Crete are the greenest and most mountainous; the White Mountains or Lefka Ori dominate the landscape, rising to a height of almost 2500m (8200ft) before plunging in spectacular fashion into the Libyan sea in the south. This sudden geomorphic freefall gives rise to a number of deep gorges, including the famous gorge of Samaria. Most of the wild animals in Crete these days are of the two-footed Le Tan'n'Party kind but occasionally you may spot a 'kri-kri' or wild goat amongst the shrubbery, a few snakes amongst the rocks, and more snails than you could possibly be interested in on the ground. Ironically for a littoral people, for whom the sea represents a potent cultural, mythological and historical symbol (not to mention a traditional livelihood), the seas around Greece have been severely depleted of marine life. Overfishing and dynamite-fishing have contributed to this state of affairs, as has petroleum pollution from boats. Steps are only now being taken to rectify the dire situation. |
