A little island knowledge

NATURE & LAND

Location – Climate – Mountains – Flora – Fauna

Crete occupies an important geographical position in the eastern Mediterranean basin, amidst the three continents of the Old World lying about 100kms from mainland Europe, 180 from Asia and about 270 from Africa. Its unique geographic position guarantees Crete a Mediterranean climate, among the mildest in Europe. The island is set between the Cretan, Ionian and Libyan Seas. It is the largest of all the Greek islands, with an area of 8,336 sq. kms, and this is the reason many call Crete “small Greece”. According to the 1981 census it has a population of 500,000. It is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica.

Crete has a well-developed infrastructure: there is a good road network and the National Highway runs the length of the island from East to West Crete. The education level of Crete is already advanced, a foundation built from the University of Crete. Both public and private schooling is available and 70% of the population is English speaking. The island also has two of the most advanced research hospitals in Greece.

Crete is divided into four prefectures, which themselves are divided into districts, and then into boroughs and finally into communities: Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lasithi.

The coastline of Crete has a total length of 1,046.4kms that exhibits a rare diversity of form and consists of sandy beaches, picturesque coves, little harbours and steep cliffs.

The island is largely mountainous and is crossed, from west to east, by the massifs of the White Mountains (2,452m), Mt Ida or Psiloritis (2,456m), Mt Kikti (2,155m), and other, lower mountains. In former times, the greater parts of these mountains were covered by dense forest.

Today, there are only two forests left, Rouva on the southern slopes of Mt Ida and Selecano on the Southern slopes of Mt Dikti.

At Vai, on the eastern extremity of Crete, is a unique palm tree forest, which was the setting for the “first” Bounty Chocolate Advertisement!