Crete

Crete (Cretica, Greek Κρητη) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea.

It has an area of 8,300 square kilometres, a coastline of 1,040 kilometres, and a population of over 500,000. It is divided administratively in four prefectures: Chania, Rethimno, Heraklion and Lasithi[?]. It has two significant airports, Nikos Kazantzakis at Heraklion, and Daskalogiannis[?] at Chania.

Among its principal cities are Heraklion (Iraklion), Chania, Rethimno, Agios Nikolaos[?].

Tourist attractions: archeological site at Knossos, archeological site at Festos[?] (Phaistós), the Venetian castle Fortetsa in Rethimno, the Samaria Gorge and many other minor gorges (Agia Irini, Aradena, etc).

Crete was the location of Minoan civilization (3000-1400 BC) one of the first civilizations in Europe.

See also:

• Geography of Crete[?], History of Crete

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Crete is also the name of a place in the State of Illinois in the United States of America. See Crete, Illinois.