Crete
is the biggest island of Greece, the biggest
island in the Mediterranean and lies on the
southest part of Europe. It covers an area of
8.336 square kilometers and its population is
approximately 537.000. It has the Cretan Sea
on the north, the Libyan Sea on the south, the
south Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean on the
west and the Karpathian Sea on the east. It
is surrounded by three continents and its distance
from them is: 100 kilometers away from Europe,
180 kilometers away from Asia and 270 kilometers
away from Africa.
Crete is divided in 4
prefectures. The prefecture of Chania with the
capital city of Chania, the prefecture of Rethymnon
with the capital city of Rethymnon, the prefecture
of Herakleion with the capital city of Herakleion
and the prefecture of Lassithi with the capital
city of Agios Nikolaos. All around there are
smaller islands which are all uninhabited with
the exception of Gavdos island which lies on
the south. The Cretan land is mostly mountainous.
On the eastern side of
the island, in Vai, one can see the unique forest
of palm trees. Because of its ground morphology,
Crete has many impressive gorges and picturesque
plateaus as well as caves that have a major
archaeological and historical interest.
Crete with its fertile land and its superb climate
(cool summer and normal winter), is one of the
biggest producers in goods such as olive oil,
raisins, wine, fruit and vegetables. Crete is
also famous for some specific qualities of cheese,
which are also quite famous abroad. In general
its products are famous for their quality and
great taste even since the ancient times.
The cities of Crete are
Herakleion, Chania, Rethymnon, Agios Nikolaos,
Ierapetra, Sfakia, Siteia, Tympaki, Kissamos.
Crete also has two of the biggest industrial
centers of Greece. Mostly there are factories
for the process of agricultural goods, and workshops
of sewing, knitting weaving and many others.
The history of Crete
has it’s origins on the Neolithic Ages, according
to the findings. But it seems that it rapidly
developed during the Copper Ages. It’s that
period of the Minoan civilization, during when
the monumental palace of Knossos is built and
Crete evolves as one of the greatest naval powers.
On the 11th c. BC the Dorians invade the island
and the palace is ruined. During the Classical
times, Crete shows no significant signs of cultural
incline, while during the Roman and Byzantine
times it is tormented by the numerous invasions
of the pirates. After the fall of Constantinople,
Crete becomes part of Venice and blossoms as
a great economic and spiritual center.
After years of fighting,
the Turks managed to take over the island in
1669. However during the Revolution of 1821,
the Cretans actively participated on the fights
against the Turks. They managed to reunite with
the rest of Greece on 1913.