Crete 6591 226018490 2008-07-16T13:42:18Z El Greco 1876487 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/72.79.86.173|72.79.86.173]] ([[User talk:72.79.86.173|talk]]) to last version by El Greco {{otheruses}} {{Infobox Peri GR |name = Crete |name_local = Περιφέρεια Κρήτης |image_map = GreeceCrete.png |prefec = [[Chania Prefecture|Chania]]<br>[[Heraklion Prefecture|Heraklion]]<br>[[Lasithi]]<br>[[Rethymno Prefecture|Rethymno]] |capital = [[Heraklion]] |population = 623666 |population_as_of = 2005 |area = 8336 |website = http://www.crete-region.gr }} '''Crete''' ([[Romanization of Greek|transliteration]] ''Krētē'', modern transliteration ''Kriti'') is one of the thirteen [[peripheries of Greece]]. It is also the largest of the [[Greek islands]] at 8,336 km² (3,219 square miles) and the [[List of islands in the Mediterranean|fifth]] largest [[island]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]]. Crete is a location of significant ancient history and a popular [[tourism|tourist]] destination; its attractions include the [[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] sites of [[Knossos]] and [[Phaistos]], the classical site of [[Gortys]], the Venetian castle at [[Rethymno]], and the [[Samaria Gorge]], as well as many other natural sites, monuments, and beaches. Crete was the centre of the [[Minoan civilization]] (ca. [[26th century BCE|2600]]–1400 BC), the oldest form of Greek and hence European [[civilization]]. For centuries it was known by its Italian name Candia, from the medieval name of its capital Heraklion, ''Chandax'' (Greek: Χάνδαξ or Χάνδακας, "moat"). In [[Classical Latin]] it was called ''Creta'' and in Turkish ''Kandiye'' or ''Girit''. ==History== {{main|History of Crete}} [[Image:Crete typical landscape.jpg|thumb|left|Typical summer landscape of Crete]] The first [[human settlement]]s on the island, dating to the [[aceramic]] Neolithic, used [[cattle]], [[Domestic sheep|sheep]], [[Domestic goat|goat]]s, [[pig]]s, and [[dog]]s, as well as domesticated [[cereal]]s and [[legume]]s; ancient [[Knossos]] was the site of one of these major Neolithic (then later [[Minoan]]) sites.<ref>[http://letmespeaktothedriver.com/site/10854/knossos.html#fieldnotes C. Michael Hogan, ''Knossos fieldnotes'', Modern Antiquarian (2007)]</ref> Crete was the center of [[Europe]]'s most ancient civilization; the [[Minoan Civilization|Minoan]]. Little is known about the rise of ancient Cretan society, as very limited written records remain, and many are written in the undeciphered language in the script known as [[Linear A]]. This contrasts with the superb houses, palaces, roads, paintings and sculptures that do remain. Early [[Cretan]] history is replete with legends such as those of [[Minos|King Minos]], [[Theseus]], [[Minotaur]], [[Daedalus]] and [[Icarus]] passed on orally via poets such as [[Homer]]. Crete was involved in the [[Mithridatic Wars]], initially repelling an attack by Roman general [[Marcus Antonius Creticus]] in 71 BC. Nevertheless, a ferocious three-year campaign soon followed under [[Quintus Caecilius Metellus]], equipped with three legions, and Crete was finally conquered by Rome in 69 BC, earning for Metellus the title "Creticus". [[Gortyn]] was made capital of the island, and Crete became a Roman province, along with [[Cyrenaica]]. Crete was under [[Byzantine empire]]'s, control when it fell into at hands of Iberian Muslims led by [[Abo Hafs Omer Al-Baloty]] <ref name="Iberia">Reinhart Dozy, ''Histoire des Mussulmans d'Espagne: jusqu'à la conquéte de l'Andalousie par les Almoravides'' (French) pg. 711-1110, Leiden, 1861 & 1881, 2nd edition</ref> who established an emirate on the island. In 960 [[Nicephorus Phocas]] reconquered the island and held it under Byzantine control till 1204, when it fell into the hands of the [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]] at the time of the [[Fourth Crusade]]. During Venice's rule, - more than four centuries long - [[Renaissance]] swept through the island as is evident from the plethora of artistic works dating to that period. The most notable fruits of the Cretan renaissance were [[El Greco]] and [[Vitsentzos Kornaros]]. In 1669 after a 21-year siege [[siege of Candia|Candia fell]] to the [[Ottoman empire]]. Cretan participation in the [[Greek War of Independence]] was extensive. Uprising by Christians were met with fierce response from the Ottoman authorities who several times executed bishops, regarded as ringleaders. Between 1821 and 1828, the island was the scene of repeated hostilities. Crete eventually was left out of the modern Greek state by the [[London Protocol]] of 1830, and soon it was yielded to [[History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty|Egyptian Khedivate]] by the Ottoman sultan. Egyptian rule was short-lived and sovereignty was returned to the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of London on [[July 3]] [[1840]]. [[Image:Crete location map.png|thumb|right|Greece and Crete]] Several more Christian uprisings between 1833 and 1897 took place, granting eventually in 1898, Crete a complex autonomous [[Cretan State]] under Ottoman [[suzerainty]], nevertheless garrisoned by an international military force, and with a High Commissioner (''Armostis'') chosen by Greece. During these years Cretan volunteers played an important role in the [[Greek struggle for Macedonia]] and in Balkan wars, forming highly acclaimed army bands. Finally, in the aftermath of [[Balkan wars]] Crete joined Greece on [[1 December]] [[1913]]. Muslim presence in the island started with the Arab occupation but was cemented by the Ottoman conquest. Many natives albeit sharing a Greek language, culture and ancestry as the Christians, converted either voluntarily or forcefully to Islam, thus regarded by the rest as Turks. It must be noted that many [[Cretan Muslims]] did not speak the Ottoman Turkish language, something evident especially to those who fled to Syria during the turmoil in the island. Contemporary estimates vary, but on the eve of the Greek War of Independence a minority of not more than 40% may have been Muslim. Many among them were [[crypto-Christians]] who converted back to Christianity in the years to come while many others fled Crete because of the unrest, settling in Turkey, Rhodes, Syria and elsewhere. By 1900, 11% of the population was Muslim. Those remaining were forced to leave in 1924 as part of the [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey]]. During [[World War II]], the island of Crete was the scene of the famous [[Battle of Crete]] where in May 1941, German paratroopers, meeting fierce resistance by the locals and the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] force -commanded by General Sir [[Bernard Freyberg]]- sustained almost 7,000 casualties, subsequently forcing [[Adolf Hitler]] to forbid further large scale airborne operations during the war. ==Geography== {{Infobox Greek Isles |name = Crete |native_name = Κρήτη |skyline = CRETE.GIF |sky_caption = Cretan ports of entry for yachts |map = GreeceCrete.png |coordinates = {{coor d|35|N|24|E|}} |archipelago = Cretean |isles = 25 |area = 8336 |highest_mount = Mt. Psiloreitis |elevation = 2456 |periph = Crete |prefect = [[Chania Prefecture|Chania]]<br>[[Heraklion Prefecture|Heraklion]]<br>[[Lasithi]]<br>[[Rethymno Prefecture|Rethymno]] |capital = [[Heraklion]] |population = 623666 |pop_as_of = 2005 |postal = 72x xx, 70x xx, 71x xx, 73x xx, 740 55, 74x xx |telephone = 284 x0, 2810, 289x0, 282x0, 28310, 283x0 |license = AN, HK, HP, XN, PE |website = [http://www.crete-region.gr/ www.crete-region.gr] }} Crete is one of the 13 regions into which [[Greece]] is divided. It forms the largest island in Greece and the second largest (after [[Cyprus]]) in the East Mediterranean, with a population of 650,000 (2005). The island has an elongated shape : it spans 260 km from east to west and 60 km at its widest, although the island is narrower at certain points, such as in the region close to Ierapetra , where it reaches a width of only 12 km. Crete covers an area of 8,336 km², with a coastline of 1046 km ; to the north it broaches the [[Sea of Crete]] (Greek: Κρητικό Πέλαγος) ; to the south the [[Libyan Sea]] (Greek: Λιβυκό Πέλαγος) ; in the west the [[Myrtoan Sea]], and toward the east the [[Karpathion Sea]]. It lies approximately 160 km south of the Greek mainland. Crete is extremely mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from West to East, formed by three different groups of mountains. These are: *the White Mountains or [[Lefka Ori]] (2,452 m); *the Idi range ([[Psiloritis]] ({{coor d|35.18|N|24.82|E|}}) 2,456 m); *the Dikti mountains (2,148 m); *Kedros (1,777 m); *Thripti (1,489 m) These mountains gifted Crete with fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi, Omalos and Nidha ; caves, such as Diktaion and Idaion ; and gorges such as the famous Gorge of Samaria. The protected area of the [[Samaria Gorge]] is the home of [[kri-kri]], while Cretan mountains and gorges are refuges for the endangered vulture [[Lammergeier]] (Gypaetus barbatus). There are a number of rivers on Crete including the [[Ieropotamos River]] on the southern part of the island. ===Climate=== Crete straddles two climatic zones, the [[Mediterranean]] and the [[North Africa]]n, mainly falling within the former ; as such, the climate in Crete is primarily [[temperate]]. The atmosphere can be quite humid, depending on the proximity to the sea, while winter is fairly mild. Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May, but rare at the low lying areas - especially near the coast when it only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours. However, a truly exceptional cold snap swept the island in February 2004, during which period the whole island was blanketed with snow. During the Cretan summer, average temperatures reach the high 20s-low 30s Celsius (mid 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit), with maxima touching the upper 30s to mid 40s (above 110 Fahrenheit). The south coast, including the Messara plain and Asterousia mountains, falls in the North African climatic zone, and thus enjoys significantly more sunny days and high temperatures throughout the year. In southern Crete [[Date Palm|date palms]] bear fruit and [[Swallow (bird)|swallows]] remain year-long, without migrating to [[Africa]]. ==Cretan Culture== For centuries Crete has held intact its own distinctive rich and proud culture. [[Cretan Greek]] has been maintained as the spoken language, and [[Cretan wine]] is a traditional drink. The island is known for its [[Music of Crete|music]], and it has many indigenous dances, the most noted of which is probably the [[Pentozali]]. ==Economy== The economy of Crete, which was mainly based on farming, began to change visibly during the 1970s. While an emphasis remains on farming and stock breeding, due to the climate and terrain of the island, there has been a drop in manufacturing and an observable expansion in its service industries (mainly tourism-related). All three sectors of the Cretan economy (agriculture, processing-packaging, services), are directly connected and interdependent. The island has a per capita income close to 100% of the Greek average, while unemployment is at approximately 4%, half of that of the country overall. As in other regions of Greece, [[olive]] growing is also a significant industry; a small amount of [[Greek citron|citrons]] are still cultivated on the island. The island has three significant airports, [[Heraklion International Airport, "Nikos Kazantzakis"|Nikos Kazantzakis]] at [[Heraklion]], the [[Chania International Airport|Daskalogiannis]] airport at [[Chania]] and a smaller in [[Sitia]]. The first two serve international routes, as the main gateways to the island for travellers. ===Tourism=== [[Image:Spinalonga wiki.jpg|thumb|[[Spinalonga]] Island [[Leper colony|Leper Colony]]]] Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece; fifteen percent of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of [[Heraklion]] (port and airport), while charter journeys to Iraklion last year made up 20% of all charter flights in Greece. Overall, more than two million tourists visited Crete last year, and this increase in tourism is reflected on the number of hotel beds, rising by 53% in the period between 1986 to 1991, when the rest of Greece saw increases of only 25%. Today, the island's tourism infrastructure caters to all tastes, including a very wide range of accommodation; the island's facilities take in large luxury hotels with their complete facilities swimming pools, sports and recreation, smaller family-owned apartments, camping facilities and others. Visitors reach the island via two international airports in Heraklion and [[Chania]], or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion, Chania, [[Rethimno]], and [[Agios Nikolaos]]. ===Plans for a container port=== [[Image:Crete topo.png|thumb|[[Topography|Topographic]] [[map]] of Crete]] Newspapers have reported that the Ministry of Mercantile Marine is ready to support the agreement between Greece, [[South Korea]], [[Dubai Ports World]] and [[China]] for the construction of a large international [[container (cargo)|container]] port and [[free trade zone]] in southern Crete near [[Tympaki]]; the plan is to expropriate 850 ha of land. The port would handle 2 million containers per year, while as of 2007, there has been no official announcement of a project not universally welcomed due to its environmental, economic and cultural impact.<ref>"[http://www.no-container-port-in-timbaki.net/facts_en.php No Container Transshipment Hub in Timbaki]", retrieved 25 May 2007.</ref> ==Famous Cretans== [[Image:Crete Nasa.jpg|thumb|[[Satellite]] [[Photography|photo]] of Crete ([[NASA]])]] [[Image:Candia map.jpg|thumb|[[Giorgio Sideri]]'s map of Crete (1562).]] *[[Minos]], an ancient, legendary King of Crete *[[Idomeneus]], an ancient, legendary King of Crete *[[Epimenides]] 6th century BC seer, philosopher and poet *[[Nearchus]] (4th century BC) officer in the army of Alexander the Great *[[Aenesidemus]] 1st century BC philosopher *[[Saint Eumenes]] 7th century bishop of Gortyna *[[Pope Alexander V]] (1339-1410) *[[Marcus Musurus]] (1470-1517) scholar and philosopher *[[Francesco Barozzi]] (1537-1604) mathematician and astronomer *[[El Greco]] (1541-1614) Greek-Spanish painter *[[Vitsentzos Kornaros]] (1553-1613) poet of the Greek Renaissance *[[Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi]] 18th century author, diplomat *[[Daskalogiannis]] (?-1771) rebel against Ottoman rule *[[Dimitri Kalergis]] (1803-1867) statesman *[[Giritli Sırrı Pasha]] (1844-1895) author, statesman *[[Eleftherios Venizelos]] (1864-1936) politician, Prime Minister of Greece *[[Evangelos Sarris]] (1881-1917) army officer *[[Emmanouil Tsouderos]] (1882-1956) economist and politician *[[Nikos Kazantzakis]] (1885-1957) poet and author *[[Alexis Minotis]] (1898-1990) actor *[[Sapfo Notara]] (1907-1985) actress *[[Manos Katrakis]] (1909-1984) actor *[[Odysseas Elitis]] (1911-1996) poet *[[Stylianos Pattakos]] (1912) member of Greek military junta *[[Konstantinos Mitsotakis]] (1918) politician, Prime Minister of Greece *[[Rena Kyriakou]] (1918-1994) pianist *[[George Psychoundakis]] (1920-2006) World War II resistance fighter, poet and translator *[[Thanassis Skordalos|Thanasis Skordalos]] (1920-1998) singer and musician *[[Kostas Mountakis]] (1926) singer and musician *[[Terpsichori Chryssoulaki-Vlachou]] (1926-1944) member of the Greek resistance *[[Michalis Kounelis]] (1928-1999) musician *[[John Aniston]] (1933) actor, father of actress Jennifer Aniston *[[Rika Diallina]] (1934) actress *[[Nana Mouskouri]] (1934) singer and politician *[[Nikos Xilouris]] (1936-1980) composer and singer *[[Konstantinos Volanakis]] (1937) painter *[[Giannis Markopoulos]] 1939 composer *[[Yoryis Yatromanolakis]] (1940) author *[[Manolis Mavrommatis]] (1941) sports journalist and politician *[[Psarantonis]] (1942) musician and singer *[[Christoforos Liontakis]] (1945) poet *[[Yannis Smaragdis]] (1946) film director *[[Maro Douka]] (1947) author *[[Giannis Dragasakis]] (1947) politician *[[Fotis Kafatos]] biologist *[[Joseph Sifakis]] (1946) computer scientist *[[Nikolaos Sifounakis]] (1949) politician *[[Mimis Androulakis]] (1951) author and politician *[[Maria Damanaki]] (1952) politician *[[Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki]] (1955) business woman *[[Manolis Kefalogiannis]] (1959) politician *[[Kostas Hatzidakis]] (1965) politician *[[Nikos Machlas]] (1973) footballer *[[Andreas Glyniadakis]] (1981) basketball player *[[Eleni Daniilidou]] (1982) tennis player *[[Maria Spiridaki]] (1984) fashion model and TV presenter *[[Georgios Samaras]] (1985) footballer ==Cities== Crete's principal cities are: *[[Heraklion]] (''Iraklion'' or ''Candia'') (137,711 inhabitants) *[[Chania]] (''Haniá'') (53,373 inhabitants) *[[Rethymno]] (31,687 inhabitants) *[[Ierapetra]] (23,707 inhabitants) *[[Agios Nikolaos, Crete|Agios Nikolaos]] (19,462 inhabitants) *[[Sitia]] (14,338 inhabitants) ==Political organization== The island of Crete is a [[peripheries of Greece|periphery]] of Greece, consisting of four [[Prefectures of Greece|prefectures]] ([[Greek language|Greek]]: νομοί): *[[Chania Prefecture|Chania]] *[[Heraklion Prefecture|Heraklion]] *[[Lasithi]] *[[Rethymno Prefecture|Rethymno]] For [[amateur radio]] purposes it is considered to be a separate "entity," [[ITU prefix]] SV9. ==Expatriate E.U. Communities== Crete's mild climate is attracting growing interest from Northern Europeans to have a holiday home or residence on the island. [[E.U.]] citizens have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality.<ref>''On the Rights of Citizens of the Union'', EC Directive 2004/58 EC publisher=eur-lex.europa {2004} [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:229:0035:0048:EN:PDF] </ref> A growing number of real estate companies cater to mainly British expatriates, followed by [[Germany|German]], [[Netherlands|Dutch]], [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] and other European nationalities wishing to own a home in Crete. The [[United Kingdom|British]] expatriates are concentrated in the western prefectures of [[Chania Prefecture|Chania]] and [[Rethymno Prefecture|Rethymno]] and to a lesser extent in [[Heraklion Prefecture|Heraklion]] and [[Lassithi]]. Some 40% of Britons in late 2006 said they were planning to live outside the [[United Kingdom]] or retire abroad due to socio-economic changes in the country. One in ten Britons do so already.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Tenth of Britons Live Abroad |first=Jason |last=Beattie |work=Evening Standard |date=2006-12-11 |accessdate=2007-05-25 |url=http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/mortgages/homesabroad/article.html?in_article_id=415525&in_page_id=505 |publisher=www.thisismoney.co.uk}}</ref> ==See also== {{sisterlinks|Crete}} *[[Cretan Greek]] *[[Cretan Turks]] *[[Cretan wine]] *[[Former countries in Europe after 1815]] *[[History of Crete]] *[[List of Greek islands]] *[[Minoan civilization]] *[[Minoan eruption]] *[[Music of Crete]] *[[OFI Crete]] *[[Technical University of Crete]] *[[TEI of Crete]] *[[University of Crete]] *[[Ottoman Navy]] *[[List of novels set in Crete]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{wikitravel}} *[http://www.crete-region.gr Region of Crete] {{geolinks-start|35.21|24.91}} {{Crete}} {{Peripheries of Greece}} {{Regions of Greece}} {{Aegean Sea}} [[Category:Crete|*]] [[Category:Islands of Greece]] [[Category:Mediterranean islands]] [[Category:Aegean islands]] [[Category:Peripheries of Greece]] [[Category:Tourism in Greece]] [[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]] [[ar:إقريطش]] [[ast:Creta]] [[bs:Kreta]] [[br:Kreta]] [[bg:Крит]] [[ca:Creta]] [[cv:Крит]] [[cs:Kréta]] [[cy:Creta]] [[da:Kreta]] [[de:Kreta]] [[et:Kreeta]] [[el:Κρήτη]] [[es:Creta]] [[eo:Kreto]] [[eu:Kreta]] [[fa:کرت]] [[fr:Crète]] [[ko:크리티 지역]] [[hr:Kreta]] [[id:Kreta]] [[ia:Creta]] [[is:Krít (eyja)]] [[it:Creta]] [[he:כרתים]] [[jv:Kreta]] [[ku:Kreta]] [[la:Creta]] [[lv:Krēta]] [[lb:Kreta]] [[lt:Kreta]] [[hu:Kréta]] [[mk:Крит]] [[nl:Kreta]] [[ja:クレタ島]] [[no:Kreta]] [[nn:Kreta]] [[nds:Kreta]] [[pl:Kreta]] [[pt:Creta]] [[ro:Creta (insulă)]] [[qu:Kriti]] [[ru:Крит]] [[simple:Crete]] [[sk:Kréta]] [[sl:Kreta]] [[sr:Крит]] [[fi:Kreeta]] [[sv:Kreta]] [[vi:Crete]] [[tr:Girit]] [[uk:Крит]] [[ur:کریٹ]] [[vec:Candia]] [[zh:克里特]]