View source for Crete

{{Short description|Largest Greek island}}
{{About|the Greek island}}
{{Redirect|Creta|the car|Hyundai Creta}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox islands
| name               = Crete (Kriti)
| native_name        = {{nobold|Κρήτη}}
| native_name_link   = Greek language
| native_name_lang   = el
| sobriquet          = <!-- or |nickname= -->
| image_name         = Island of Crete, Greece.JPG
| image_size         = 
| image_caption      = [[NASA]] photograph of Crete
| image_alt          = Island of Crete, Greece
| map_image          = Kriti in Greece.svg
| map_alt            = 
| map_size           = 
| map_caption        = 
| coordinates        = {{Coord|35|12.6|N|24|54.6|E|region:GR-M_scale:5000000|display=inline,title}}
| etymology          = 
| location           = [[Eastern Mediterranean]]
| archipelago        = 
| waterbody          = 
| total_islands      = 
| major_islands      = 
| area_km2           = 8450
| area_footnotes     = 
| rank               = 88
| length_km          = <!-- or |length_m= -->
| length_footnotes   = 
| width_km           = <!-- or |width_m= -->
| width_footnotes    = 
| coastline_km       = <!-- or |coastline_m= -->
| coastline_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 2456
| elevation_footnotes = 
| highest_mount      = [[Mount Ida (Crete)|Mount Ida]] (Psiloritis)
| country            = {{Flag|Greece}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[Administrative regions of Greece|Region]]
| country_admin_divisions = [[#Administration|Crete]]
| country_capital    = [[Heraklion]]
| country_largest_city = Heraklion
| country_largest_city_population = 144,442<ref>{{Cite web|title=CensusHub2|url=https://ec.europa.eu/CensusHub2/intermediate.do|access-date=2021-03-22|website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref>
| demonym            = [[wikt:Cretan|Cretan]], archaic ''[[wikt:Cretian|Cretian]]''
| population         = 624,408
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2021census">{{cite press release |title=Census 2021 GR|url=https://elstat-outsourcers.statistics.gr/Census2022_GR.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719155252/https://elstat-outsourcers.statistics.gr/Census2022_GR.pdf |archive-date=2022-07-19 |url-status=live|publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority]]|date=2022-07-19|access-date=2022-09-12}}</ref>
| population_rank    = 73
| population_rank_max = 
| density_km2        = 74.9
| density_rank       = 
| density_footnotes  = 
| ethnic_groups      = [[Greeks]];<br/>historically, [[Minoan civilisation|Minoans]],<br/>[[Eteocretan language|Eteocretans]],<br/> Cydonians and [[Pelasgians]]
| timezone1          = GMT +2
| utc_offset1        = 
| timezone1_DST      = 
| utc_offset1_DST    = 
| additional_info    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022) '''0.882'''<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2021-07-20}}</ref><br/>{{color|#090|very high}} · [[List of Greek regions by Human Development Index|3rd of 13]]
| website            = 
| iso_code           = GR-M
}}

'''Crete''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɹ|iː|t}} {{respell|KREET}}; {{langx|el|Κρήτη|translit=}}, <small>[[Modern Greek|Modern]]:</small> {{Lang|el-Latn|Kríti}} {{IPA|el|ˈkriti|}}, <small>[[Ancient Greek|Ancient]]:</small> {{Lang|grc-Latn|Krḗtē}} {{IPA|grc|krɛ̌ːtεː|}}) is the largest and most populous of the [[Greek islands]], the [[List of islands by area|88th]] largest island in the world and the [[List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area|fifth largest island]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], after [[Sicily]], [[Sardinia]], [[Cyprus]], and [[Corsica]]. Crete is located about {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the [[Peloponnese]], and about {{convert|300|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Anatolia]]. Crete has an area of {{convert|8450|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} and a coastline of 1,046&nbsp;km (650&nbsp;mi). It bounds the southern border of the [[Aegean Sea]], with the [[Sea of Crete]] (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the [[Libyan Sea]] (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete covers 260&nbsp;km from west to east but is narrow from north to south, spanning three longitudes but only half a latitude.

Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete ({{langx|el|Περιφέρεια Κρήτης|links=no}}), which is the southernmost of the 13 [[Modern regions of Greece|top-level administrative units of Greece]], and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is [[Heraklion]], on the north shore of the island. {{As of|2021}}, the region had a population of 624,408.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Population on 1 January by NUTS 2 region|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00096/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live|website=Statistics Eurostat|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121060511/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00096/default/table?lang=en |archive-date=21 January 2021 }}</ref> The [[Dodecanese]] are located to the northeast of Crete, while the [[Cyclades]] are situated to the north, separated by the [[Sea of Crete]]. The [[Peloponnese]] is to the region's northwest.

Crete was the center of [[Europe]]'s first advanced civilization, the [[Minoan civilization|Minoans]], from 2700 to 1420 BC. The Minoan civilization was overrun by the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean civilization]] from mainland Greece. Crete was later ruled by Rome, then successively by the [[Byzantine Empire]], [[Al-Andalus|Andalusian]] Arabs, the [[Byzantine Empire]] again, the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian Republic]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. In 1898 Crete, whose people had for some time wanted to join the Greek state, achieved independence from the Ottomans, formally becoming the [[Cretan State]]. Crete became part of Greece in December 1913.

The island is mostly mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east. It includes Crete's highest point, [[Mount Ida (Crete)|Mount Ida]], and the range of the [[Lefka Ori|White Mountains]] (Lefka Ori) with 30 summits above {{Convert|2000|m|ft}} in altitude and the [[Samaria Gorge]], a [[World Biosphere Reserve]]. Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own [[Mantinada|poetry]] and [[Cretan music|music]]). The [[Heraklion International Airport, "Nikos Kazantzakis"|Nikos Kazantzakis]] airport at Heraklion and the [[Chania International Airport|Daskalogiannis]] airport at [[Chania]] serve international travelers. The [[Minoan palace]] at [[Knossos]] is also located in Heraklion.<ref name="Ancient Crete">[http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/display/id/obo-9780195389661-0071 Ancient Crete] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530225110/http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/display/id/obo-9780195389661-0071 |date=30 May 2020 }} Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics</ref>

==Name==
{{Hiero|''Keftiu''|<hiero>kA:Z1-I9-U33-Z7-N25</hiero>Crete|era=egypt|align=left}}
The earliest references to the island of Crete come from texts from the [[Syria]]n city of [[Mari, Syria|Mari]] dating from the [[18th century BC|18th century]] BC, where the island is referred to as ''Kaptara''.<ref>Stephanie Lynn Budin, ''The Ancient Greeks: An Introduction'' (New York: Oxford UP, 2004), 42.</ref> This is repeated later in [[Neo-Assyrian]] records and the [[Bible]] (''[[Caphtor]]''). It was known in ancient [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] as {{lang|egy-Latn|Keftiu}} or {{lang|egy-Latn|kftı͗w}}, strongly suggesting a similar [[Minoan language|Minoan]] name for the island.<ref>O. Dickinson, ''The Aegean Bronze Age'' (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1994), 241–244.</ref>

The current name ''Crete'' is first attested in the 15th century BC in [[Mycenaean Greek]] texts, written in [[Linear B]], through the words ''ke-re-te'' {{Script|Linb|𐀐𐀩𐀳}}, *''Krētes''; later Greek: {{lang|grc|Κρῆτες}} {{IPA|grc|krɛː.tes|}}, plural of {{lang|grc|Κρής}} {{IPA|grc|krɛːs|}})<ref>Found on the [[Pylos|PY]] An 128 tablet.</ref> and ''ke-re-si-jo'' {{Script|Linb|𐀐𐀩𐀯𐀍}}, *''Krēsijos''; later Greek: {{lang|grc|Κρήσιος}} {{IPA|grc|krέːsios|}},<ref>Found on the [[PY Ta 641]] and PY Ta 709 tablets.</ref> 'Cretian').<ref>{{cite web |title=The Linear B word ''ke-re-si-ji'' |website=Palaeolexicon |url=http://www.palaeolexicon.com/ShowWord.aspx?Id=16779 }}</ref><ref>{{LSJ|*krh/s|Κρής}}, {{LSJ|krhsi/ai|Κρήσιος s.v. κρησίαι|ref}}.</ref> In [[Ancient Greek]], the name Crete ({{lang|grc|Κρήτη}}) first appears in [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]''.<ref>Book 14, line 199; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek–English Lexicon''</ref> Its etymology is unknown. One proposal derives it from a hypothetical [[Luwian language|Luwian]] word {{lang|xlu-Latn|*kursatta}} (compare {{lang|xlu-Latn|kursawar}} 'island', {{lang|xlu-Latn|kursattar}} 'cutting, sliver').<ref>Edwin L. Brown, "Linear A on Trojan Spindlewhorls, Luvian-Based ϜΑΝΑΞ at Cnossus", in ''Qui miscuit utile dulci: Festschrift Essays for Paul Lachlan MacKendrick'', eds. Gareth Schmeling & Jon D. Mikalson (Wauconda, Ill.: Bolchazy-Carducci, 1998), 62.</ref> Another proposal suggests that it derives from the [[ancient Greek]] word ''"κραταιή" (krataie̅)'', meaning strong or powerful, the reasoning being that Crete was the strongest [[thalassocracy]] during ancient times.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|date=2018-12-08|title=Τι σημαίνει το όνομα "Κρήτη" τελικά και γιατί ονομάστηκε έτσι το νησί μας;|url=https://www.daynight.gr/kriti/krhth-etymologia-onomatos/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Daynight.gr|language=el|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714201715/https://www.daynight.gr/kriti/krhth-etymologia-onomatos/ |archive-date=14 July 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Λελάκης|first=Γεώργιος|title=Αιγαίο-ετυμολογίες νήσων|year=2008|language=Greek}}</ref>

In [[Classical Latin|Latin]], the name of the island became {{Lang|la|Creta}}. The original Arabic name of Crete was {{Lang|ar-Latn|Iqrīṭiš}} ({{langx|ar|اقريطش}} < {{lang|grc|(τῆς) Κρήτης)}}, but after the [[Emirate of Crete]]'s establishment of its new capital at {{lang|ar|ربض الخندق}} {{Lang|ar-Latn|Rabḍ al-Ḫandaq}} (modern [[Heraklion]]; {{langx|el|Ηράκλειο}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Irákleio}}), both the city and the island became known as {{lang|grc-x-medieval|Χάνδαξ}} ({{Lang|el-Latn|Chandax}}) or {{lang|grc-x-medieval|Χάνδακας}} ({{Lang|el-Latn|Chandakas}}), which gave Latin, Italian, and Venetian {{lang|vec|Candia}}, from which were derived French {{lang|fr|Candie}} and English ''Candy'' or ''Candia''. Under [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman rule]], in [[Ottoman Turkish]], Crete was called {{lang|ota-Latn|Girit}} ({{lang|ota|كريد}}). In the Hebrew Bible, Crete is referred to as ({{lang|he|כְּרֵתִים}}) "kretim".

==Physical geography and climate==
{{Main|Geography of Greece}}
[[File:Mount Ida chain Messara plain from Phaistos Crete Greece.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Messara Plain]]]]
[[File:Vai R02.jpg|thumb|250px|The palm beach of [[Vai (Crete)|Vai]]]]

[[File:Lefka Ori.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Lefka Ori]]]]
[[File:Psiloritis3(js).jpg|thumb|250px|View of [[Psiloritis]]]]

Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest island in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. It is located south of almost the rest of the country, in the southern part of the [[Aegean Sea]] separating the Aegean from the [[Libyan Sea]].

===Island morphology===

The island has an elongated shape: it spans {{convert|260|km|mi|abbr=on}} from east to west, is {{convert|60|km|mi|abbr=on}} at its widest point, and narrows to as little as {{convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} (close to [[Ierapetra]]). Crete covers an area of {{convert|8336|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}, with a coastline of {{convert|1046|km|mi|abbr=on}}; to the north, it broaches the [[Sea of Crete]] ({{langx|el|Κρητικό Πέλαγος|links=no}}); to the south, the [[Libyan Sea]] ({{langx|el|links=no|Λιβυκό Πέλαγος}}); in the west, the [[Myrtoan Sea]], and toward the east the Carpathian Sea. It lies approximately {{convert|160|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the Greek mainland.

There are a number of peninsulas and gulfs on the north side of Crete, from west to east these include: [[Gramvousa Peninsula|Gramvousa]] peninsula, gulf of Kissamos, Rodopos peninsula, [[gulf of Chania]], [[Akrotiri, Crete|Akrotiri]] peninsula, [[Souda Bay]], Apokoronas cape, gulf of [[Almyros|Almiros]], gulf of [[Heraklion]], Aforesmenos cape, gulf of [[Mirabello Bay|Mirabello]], gulf of [[Sitia]] and the [[Cape Sideros|Sideros]] peninsula. On the south side of Crete is the gulf of [[Messara Plain|Messaras]] and [[Cape Lithinon]].

===Mountains and valleys===
<!--Linked from [[:Category:Mountains of Crete]]-->

Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by six different groups of mountains:
*The Idi Range ([[Psiloritis]]) {{convert|2456|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*The White Mountains or [[Lefka Ori]] {{convert|2453|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*The [[Dikti|Dikti Mountains]] {{convert|2148|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Mount Kedros|Kedros]] {{convert|1777|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Thrypti]] {{convert|1489|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Asterousia Mountains]] {{convert|1231|m|ft|abbr=on}}

These mountains lavish Crete with valleys, such as [[Amari Valley|Amari valley]], fertile plateaus, such as [[Lasithi Plateau|Lasithi plateau]], [[Omalos]] and [[Nidha]]; caves, such as [[Gourgouthakas]], [[Diktaion]], and [[Idaion]] (the birthplace of the ancient Greek god [[Zeus]]); and a number of gorges.

The mountains have been seen as a key feature of the island's distinctiveness, especially since the time of Romantic travellers' writing. Contemporary Cretans distinguish between highlanders and lowlanders; the former often claim to reside in places affording a higher/better climatic and moral environment. In keeping with the legacy of Romantic authors, the mountains are seen as having determined their residents' 'resistance' to past invaders which relates to the oft-encountered idea that highlanders are 'purer' in terms of less intermarriages with occupiers. For residents of mountainous areas, such as [[Sfakians|Sfakia]] in western Crete, the aridness and rockiness of the mountains is emphasised as an element of pride and is often compared to the alleged soft-soiled mountains of others parts of Greece or the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kalantzis |first1=Konstantinos |title=Tradition in the Frame: Photography, Power, and Imagination in Sfakia, Crete |date=2019 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-03713-8 |pages=23–58 |url=http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=809810 |access-date=2 October 2019 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216181203/http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=809810 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Gorges, rivers and lakes===
The island has a number of gorges, such as the [[Samariá Gorge]], [[Imbros Gorge]], [[Kourtaliotiko Gorge]], [[Ha Gorge]], [[Platania Gorge]], the Gorge of the Dead (at [[Kato Zakros]], [[Sitia]]) and [[Richtis Gorge]] and (Richtis) waterfall at Exo Mouliana in [[Sitia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cretanbeaches.com/Gorges/Lassithi-gorges/kato-zakros-gorge-deads-gorge/ |title=Gorge of the Dead |publisher=Cretanbeaches.com |access-date=13 September 2012 |archive-date=25 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425235509/http://www.cretanbeaches.com/Gorges/Lassithi-gorges/kato-zakros-gorge-deads-gorge/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/gorges-of-crete/gorges-in-lassithi-prefecture/641-richtis-gorge.html |title=Richtis gorge |publisher=Cretanbeaches.com |access-date=13 September 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731062158/http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/gorges-of-crete/gorges-in-lassithi-prefecture/641-richtis-gorge.html |archive-date=31 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://candia.wordpress.com/photos/photo-2010/richtis-gorge-april-2010/ |title=Richtis beach and gorge |publisher=Candia.wordpress.com |date=20 April 2010 |access-date=13 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldreviewer.com/travel-guides/canyon/richtis-gorge-and-waterfall/61078/ |title=Richtis gorge and waterfall |publisher=Worldreviewer.com |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=13 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012185413/http://www.worldreviewer.com/travel-guides/canyon/richtis-gorge-and-waterfall/61078/ |archive-date=12 October 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The rivers of Crete include the [[Ieropotamos River|Geropotamos River]], the Koiliaris, the Anapodiaris, the Almiros, the Giofyros, the Keritis, and Megas Potamos. There are only two freshwater lakes in Crete: [[Lake Kournas]] and [[Lake Agia]], which are both in [[Chania (regional unit)|Chania regional unit]].<ref>[http://www.crete.tournet.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1155&lang=en Photos of Agia Lake] Crete TOURnet.</ref> [[Lake Voulismeni]] at the coast, at Aghios Nikolaos, was formerly a freshwater lake but is now connected to the sea, in [[Lasithi]].<ref>[http://www.aghiosnikolaos.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=35 Lake Voulismeni] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720152021/http://www.aghiosnikolaos.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=35 |date=20 July 2011 }} aghiosnikolaos.eu</ref> Three artificial lakes created by dams also exist in Crete: the lake of [[Aposelemis Dam]], the lake of Potamos Dam, and the lake of Mpramiana Dam.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:HaGorgeExit.jpg|[[Ha Gorge]]
File:Samaria Gorge 09.jpg|[[Samariá Gorge]]
File:Crete Aradaina3 tango7174.jpg|Aradaina Gorge
File:Venetian Bridge over Megalopótamos River, Préveli, Crete.jpg|[[Kingdom of Candia|Venetian]] Bridge over Megalopotamos River
</gallery>

===Surrounding islands===
{{Main|List of Greek islands#Cretan islands}}
{{GeoGroup|article=List of islands of Greece|section=Cretan islands of the Aegean Sea}}
{{GeoGroup|article=List of islands of Greece|section=Cretan islands of the Libyan Sea}}
[[File:Crete2022OSM.png|thumb|Detailed map of Crete and outlying islands]]
A large number of islands, [[islet]]s, and rocks hug the coast of Crete. Many are visited by tourists, some are only visited by [[Archaeology|archaeologists]] and [[biologist]]s. Some are [[Environmental protection|environmentally protected]]. A small sample of the islands includes:
*[[Gramvousa]] ([[Kissamos]], Chania) the pirate island opposite the Balo lagoon
*[[Elafonisi]] (Chania), which commemorates a shipwreck and an Ottoman massacre
*[[Chrysi (island)|Chrysi]] island ([[Ierapetra]], [[Lasithi]]), which hosts the largest natural ''[[Juniperus macrocarpa]]'' forest in Europe
*[[Paximadia]] island (Agia Galini, [[Rethymno]]) where the god Apollo and the goddess Artemis were traditionally believed to be born
*The Venetian fort and leper colony at [[Spinalonga]] opposite the beach and shallow waters of [[Elounda]] ([[Agios Nikolaos, Crete|Agios Nikolaos]], Lasithi)
*[[Dionysades]] islands which are in an environmentally protected region together with the Palm Beach Forest of [[Vai (Crete)|Vai]] in the municipality of [[Sitia]], Lasithi

Off the south coast, the island of [[Gavdos]] is located {{convert|26|nmi|km|0}} south of [[Hora Sfakion]] and is the [[Extreme points of Europe|southernmost]] point of [[Europe]].

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Greece}}
Crete straddles two climatic zones, the [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] and the [[semi-arid climate]], mainly falling within the former. As such, the climate in Crete is primarily a [[hot-summer mediterranean|hot-summer Mediterranean]] (''Csa'') climate while some areas in the south and east have a [[hot semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''BSh''). The higher elevations fall into the cold-summer [[Mediterranean climate]] category (''Csc''),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Latest Conditions in Xyloskalo, Chania, Crete Island |url=https://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/samaria/ |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=penteli.meteo.gr}}</ref> while some of the mountain peaks (>2,000 meters) may feature a [[continental climate]] (''Dfb'' or ''Dfc''). 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 April, but rare in most low-lying areas.

[[File:Flag harbour Chania Crete Greece.jpg|thumb|250px|Flag harbour Chania, Crete, Greece]]
The south coast, including the [[Mesara Plain]] and [[Asterousia Mountains]] enjoy significantly more sunny days and, on average, higher temperatures throughout the year. There, [[date palm]]s bear fruit, and [[Swallow (bird)|swallows]] remain year-round. The fertile region around [[Ierapetra]], on the southeastern corner of the island, has year-round agricultural production, with summer vegetable and fruit produced in [[greenhouse]]s throughout the year.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rackham |first1=O |last2=Moody |first2=J |year=1996 |title=The Making of the Cretan Landscape |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=9780719036477 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k4dHmA9jq4wC}}</ref> Western Crete (Chania province) receives more rain and the soil there suffers more erosion compared to the Eastern part of Crete.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Panagos|first1=Panagos|last2=Christos|first2=Karydas|last3=Cristiano|first3=Ballabio|last4=Ioannis|first4=Gitas|title=Seasonal monitoring of soil erosion at regional scale: An application of the G2 model in Crete focusing on agricultural land uses|journal=International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation|volume=27|pages=147–155|doi=10.1016/j.jag.2013.09.012|year=2014|bibcode=2014IJAEO..27..147P}}</ref>

Average annual temperatures reach up to 21.6&nbsp;°C in [[Psari Forada]] which is located in South Crete. Crete holds the record for the highest temperatures ever recorded in [[Europe]] during October, November, January and February among most European weather stations.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://meteo.gr/article_view.cfm?entryID=2999 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105083816/https://meteo.gr/article_view.cfm?entryID=2999 | archive-date=5 November 2023 | title=Meteo.gr: Πανευρωπαϊκό ρεκόρ θερμοκρασιών οι 35 βαθμοί στην Κρήτη το Σάββατο 04/11 - Μεγάλο πλήθος και διασπορά φαινομένων στη χώρα }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://e-kairos.gr/records | title=Greece and Cyprus weather records - Temperature and precipitation records in Greece }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.meteo.gr/article_view.cfm?entryID=1591|title = Meteo.gr: Τα δύο ακραία πρόσωπα του καιρού στην Ευρώπη το Σ/Κ 9-10 Ιανουαρίου 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/vrysses/NOAAYR.TXT | title=32.1C February record Vryses NOA | publisher=[[National Observatory of Athens]] | access-date=14 February 2024 | archive-date=23 February 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223061409/http://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/vrysses/NOAAYR.TXT | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://stratus.meteo.noa.gr/data/bulletins/deltio_noa022010.pdf | title=NOA February 2010 climate bulletins | publisher=[[National Observatory of Athens]] | access-date=14 February 2024}}</ref> According to the [[Hellenic National Meteorological Service]], South Crete receives the most sunshine in [[Greece]] with more than 3,257 hours of sunshine per year.<ref name="Climatic Atlas of Greece">{{cite web | url=http://climatlas.hnms.gr/sdi/ | title=Climatic Atlas of Greece | publisher=[[Hellenic National Meteorological Service]] | access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| location = Heraklion 1955–2010 ([[HNMS]])
| metric first = yes
|width = 70%
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 29.9
| Feb record high C = 28.8
| Mar record high C = 34.0
| Apr record high C = 37.5
| May record high C = 38.0
| Jun record high C = 41.3
| Jul record high C = 43.6
| Aug record high C = 44.5
| Sep record high C = 39.5
| Oct record high C = 37.0
| Nov record high C = 32.8
| Dec record high C = 28.5
| Jan high C = 15.3
| Feb high C = 15.5
| Mar high C = 17.0
| Apr high C = 20.1
| May high C = 23.6
| Jun high C = 27.3
| Jul high C = 28.9
| Aug high C = 28.8
| Sep high C = 26.6
| Oct high C = 23.6
| Nov high C = 20.2
| Dec high C = 17.1
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 12.1
| Feb mean C = 12.2
| Mar mean C = 13.6
| Apr mean C = 16.6
| May mean C = 20.4
| Jun mean C = 24.5
| Jul mean C = 26.4
| Aug mean C = 26.3
| Sep mean C = 23.7
| Oct mean C = 20.3
| Nov mean C = 16.8
| Dec mean C = 13.8
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 9.1
| Feb low C = 8.9
| Mar low C = 9.8
| Apr low C = 12.0
| May low C = 15.1
| Jun low C = 19.2
| Jul low C = 21.9
| Aug low C = 22.0
| Sep low C = 19.5
| Oct low C = 16.7
| Nov low C = 13.5
| Dec low C = 10.9
| year low C = 
| Jan record low C = 0.0
| Feb record low C = -0.8
| Mar record low C = 0.3
| Apr record low C = 4.2
| May record low C = 6.0
| Jun record low C = 12.2
| Jul record low C = 14.5
| Aug record low C = 16.6
| Sep record low C = 12.0
| Oct record low C = 8.7
| Nov record low C = 4.2
| Dec record low C = 2.4
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 91.0
| Feb rain mm = 69.0
| Mar rain mm = 53.4
| Apr rain mm = 28.2
| May rain mm = 13.4
| Jun rain mm = 2.9
| Jul rain mm = 0.8
| Aug rain mm = 0.9
| Sep rain mm = 16.7
| Oct rain mm = 59.4
| Nov rain mm = 59.6
| Dec rain mm = 85.6
| Jan rain days = 16.0
| Feb rain days = 13.6
| Mar rain days = 11.4
| Apr rain days = 7.6
| May rain days = 4.6
| Jun rain days = 1.3
| Jul rain days = 0.3
| Aug rain days = 0.5
| Sep rain days = 2.8
| Oct rain days = 7.5
| Nov rain days = 10.6
| Dec rain days = 15.2
| year rain days = 
| Jan humidity = 68.4
| Feb humidity = 66.4
| Mar humidity = 65.9
| Apr humidity = 62.3
| May humidity = 61.2
| Jun humidity = 57.0
| Jul humidity = 57.1
| Aug humidity = 59.1
| Sep humidity = 61.9
| Oct humidity = 65.7
| Nov humidity = 67.9
| Dec humidity = 68.3
| year humidity = 
| Jan sun = 119.9
| Feb sun = 132.3
| Mar sun = 181.5
| Apr sun = 234.8
| May sun = 298.5
| Jun sun = 356.2
| Jul sun = 368.3
| Aug sun = 343.5
| Sep sun = 275.8
| Oct sun = 206.9
| Nov sun = 145.5
| Dec sun = 115.4
| source 1 = [[HNMS]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.hnms.gr/emy/en/climatology/climatology_city?perifereia=Crete&poli=Heraklion
|title = Climatic Data for selected stations in Greece: Heraklion (Crete)
|access-date = 17 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Climate Atlas of Greece (for sunshine 1977-2002) |url=http://climatlas.hnms.gr/sdi/?lang=EN |publisher=[[HNMS]] |access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref>
| source 2 = meteo-climat (extremes)<ref name= meteo-climat>{{cite web
  |url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/station-530-Heraklion.php
  |title= STATION HERAKLION
  |publisher = meteo-climat
  |access-date = December 2, 2018}}</ref>
| date = December 2018
| source = 
}}

==Human geography==
Crete is the most populous island in Greece with a population of more than 600,000 people. Approximately 42% live in Crete's main cities and towns whilst 45% live in rural areas.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=KVYFI9NzLz0C&pg=PA43 Crete, p.44], by Victoria Kyriakopoulos.</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Chania harbour.jpg|Venetian harbour in [[Chania]]
File:Ενετικό λιμάνι Ρεθύμνου 0301-HDR.jpg|Dusk airview of the Old Harbour of [[Rethymno]]
File:Venetian Arsenals in Heraklion Crete.jpg|View of the harbour in [[Heraklion]]
File:Agios Nikolaos R02.jpg|The old harbour in [[Agios Nikolaos, Crete|Agios Nikolaos]]
</gallery>

===Administration===
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Crete Region
| type               = [[Administrative regions of Greece|Administrative region of Greece]]
| native_name        = {{native name|el|Περιφέρεια Κρήτης|italics=off}}<br />{{small|{{transliteration|el|Periféria Krítis}}}}
| image_skyline      = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of the Crete Region.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo flag
| image_map          = Prefecture map of Crete (Greece).svg
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = 1912
| coordinates        = {{coord|35.21|24.91|format=dms|display=inline}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Greece}}
| leader_title       = Regional governor
| leader_name        = [[Stavros Arnaoutakis]]
| leader_party       = {{nowrap|[[PASOK – Movement for Change]]}}
| parts_type         = [[Regional units of Greece|Regional units]]
| parts_style        = list
| p1                 = [[Chania (regional unit)|Chania]]
| p2                 = [[Heraklion (regional unit)|Heraklion]]
| p3                 = [[Rethymno (regional unit)|Rethymno]]
| p4                 = [[Lasithi]]
| seat_type          = Capital
| seat               = [[Heraklion]]
| area_total_km2     = 8335.88
| elevation_max_m    = 
| population_total   = 624408
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name=2011census>{{cite web|publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority]] |title=Demographic and social characteristics of the Resident Population of Greece according to the 2011 Population – Housing Census revision of 20/3/2014 |date=12 September 2014 |url=http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A1602/PressReleases/A1602_SAM01_DT_DC_00_2011_03_F_EN.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908142240/http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A1602/PressReleases/A1602_SAM01_DT_DC_00_2011_03_F_EN.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2015 }}</ref>
| population_demonym = 
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type2       = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes  = <ref>{{citation|title=Population on 1 January by age, sex and NUTS 2 region|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DEMO_R_D2JAN/default/table?lang=en|website=www.ec.europa.eu}}</ref>
|demographics2_title1     = Total
|demographics2_info1      = €8.913 billion (2021)
| timezone1          = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset1        = +2
| timezone1_DST      = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +3
| iso_code           = GR-M
| website            = {{URL|http://www.crete.gov.gr/}}
}}

Crete with its nearby islands form the '''Crete Region''' ({{langx|el|Περιφέρεια Κρήτης|translit=}}, {{Lang|el-Latn|Periféria Krítis}}, {{IPA|el|periˈferia ˈkritis|}}), one of the 13 [[Modern regions of Greece|regions of Greece]] which were established in the 1987 administrative reform.<ref>Π.Δ. 51/87 "Καθορισμός των Περιφερειών της Χώρας για το σχεδιασμό κ.λ.π. της Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης" (''Determination of the Regions of the Country for the planning etc. of the development of the Region''), [[Efimeris tis Kyverniseos|ΦΕΚ]] A 26/06.03.1987</ref> Under the 2010 [[Kallikratis plan]], the powers and authority of the regions were redefined and extended. The region is based at [[Heraklion]] and is divided into four [[regional units of Greece|regional units]] (pre-Kallikratis [[prefectures of Greece|prefectures]]). From west to east these are: [[Chania (regional unit)|Chania]], [[Rethymno (regional unit)|Rethymno]], [[Heraklion (regional unit)|Heraklion]], and [[Lasithi]]. These are further subdivided into 24 [[Municipalities of Greece|municipalities]].

Since 1 January 2011, the regional governor is [[Stavros Arnaoutakis]] of the [[PASOK|Panhellenic Socialist Movement]]. First elected in [[2010 Greek local elections|2010]], he was re-elected in [[2014 Greek local elections|2014]], [[2019 Greek local elections|2019]] and [[2023 Crete regional election|2023]].

===Cities===
{{Main|Cities of Greece}}

[[Heraklion]] is the largest city and capital of Crete, holding more than a fourth of the island's population. [[Chania]] was the capital until 1971. The principal cities are:

* [[Heraklion]] (''Iraklion'' or ''Candia'') (144,422 inhabitants)<ref name=census>2011 Census</ref>
* [[Chania]] (''Haniá'') (88,525 inhabitants)<ref name=census/>
* [[Rethymno]] (34,300 inhabitants)<ref name=census/>
* [[Ierapetra]] (23,707 inhabitants)
* [[Agios Nikolaos, Crete|Agios Nikolaos]] (20,679 inhabitants)
* [[Sitia]] (14,338 inhabitants)

<gallery widths="200" heights="160">
File:Venetian Fortress in Heraklion Crete NE side.jpg|Venetian fortress in [[Heraklion]]
File:Kreta - Chania - Kathedrale der drei Märtyrer.jpg|[[Chania]] cathedral
File:Rethymno Fortezza Mosque 02.JPG|[[Rethymno]] Fortezza Mosque
File:Sitia R01.jpg|[[Kazarma fortress]] at the top in [[Sitia]]
</gallery>

===Demographics===
According to official census data by the [[Hellenic Statistical Authority]], the region's population has increased by 1,343 people between 2011 and 2021, experiencing a rise of 0.22%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός - ELSTAT |url=https://www.statistics.gr/el/2021-census-res-pop-results |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=www.statistics.gr |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330170115/https://www.statistics.gr/el/2021-census-res-pop-results |url-status=dead }}</ref> The island is home to 308,608 men and 315,800 women, accounting for 49.4% and 50.6% of the population respectively.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of Crete according to [[Hellenic Statistical Authority|ELSTAT]]
!Crete
!1981
!1991
!2001
!2011
!2021
|-
|Population
|502,165
|540,054
|601,131
|623,065
|624,408
|-
|Change
| --- --- ---
| +7.27%
| +10.7%
| +3.58%
| +0.22%
|}
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{| class="wikitable"
|+Cretan regional units by population according to [[Hellenic Statistical Authority|ELSTAT]]
!Regional Unit
!Population (2021)
!Change between 2011 and 2021 (%)
|-
|Heraklion
|305,017
| -0.2%
|-
|Lasithi
|77,819
| +3.2%
|-
|Rethymno
|84,866
| -0.9%
|-
|Chania
|156,706
| +0.1%
|}

===Economy===
{{Further|Economy of Greece}}

The economy of Crete is predominantly based on services and tourism. However, agriculture also plays an important role and Crete is one of the few Greek islands that can support itself without a tourism industry.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=z3vxvYOZkj4C&pg=PR11 The rough guide to Crete, Introduction, p. ix] by J. Fisher and G. Garvey.</ref> The economy began to change visibly during the 1970s as tourism gained in importance. Although an emphasis remains on agriculture and stock breeding, because of 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/farming, processing-packaging, services), are directly connected and interdependent. The island has a per capita income much higher than the Greek average, whereas unemployment is at approximately 4%, one-sixth of that of the country overall.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}{{when|date=December 2021}}

As in many regions of Greece, [[viticulture]] and [[olive]] groves are significant; [[Orange (fruit)|oranges]], [[Greek citron|citrons]], [[avocado]]es and [[banana]]s<ref>{{Cite web |last=Τζιάλλα |first=Χριστίνα |date=2018-03-23 |title=Μπανάνες Κρήτης {{!}} |url=https://www.gastronomos.gr/agora/proionta/mpananes-kritis/54021/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Gastronomos.gr |language=el}}</ref> are also cultivated. Dairy products are important to the local economy and there are a number of specialty cheeses such as [[mizithra]], [[anthotyros]], and [[kefalotyri]].

20% of Greek wine is produced in Crete, mostly in the region of Peza.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crete.org.uk|title=Crete information|website=Crete}}</ref>

The [[Gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the region was €9.4 billion in 2018, accounting for 5.1% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €17,800 or 59% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 68% of the EU average. Crete is the region in Greece with the fifth highest GDP per capita.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat}}</ref>

===Transport infrastructure===
{{See also|Transportation in Crete}}

====Airports====
The island has three significant airports, [[Heraklion International Airport, "Nikos Kazantzakis"|Nikos Kazantzakis]] at Heraklion, the [[Chania International Airport|Daskalogiannis]] airport at Chania and the smaller [[Sitia Public Airport|Sitia]] airport. The first two serve international routes, acting as the main gateways to the island for travellers. Work has begun plan to replace Heraklion airport with a new airport at [[Kasteli Airport|Kasteli]], where there is presently an air force base, and the new Kasteli Airport is due to open by 2027.

====Ferries====
The island is well served by ferries, mostly from [[Port of Piraeus|Piraeus]], by ferry companies such as [[Minoan Lines]] and [[ANEK Lines]] with links to the [[Cyclades]] and [[Dodecanese]] islands. [[Seajets]] also operates routes to [[Cyclades]].

The main ports from west to east are at [[Kissamos]] (ferry link to Peloponnese), [[Souda]] (Chania), [[Rethymno]], [[Heraklion]] (links to Cyclades), [[Agios Nikolaos, Crete|Agios Nikolaos]] and [[Sitia]] (link to Dodecanese).

====Road network====
[[File:Kreta - Europastraße75 2.jpg|thumb|250px|[[A90 motorway (Greece)|A90 motorway]] near [[Malia, Crete|Malia]]]]

Most of Crete is served by the road network. A modern highway is currently being upgraded along the north coast connecting the four major cities ([[A90 motorway (Greece)|A90 motorway]]), the sections bypassing the main cities (Heraklion to Malia, Rethymno, Chania to Kolymvari) are at motorway standard, while the sections in between, and west to Kissamos and east to Sitia, should be completed by 2028. A link will also connect to the new [[Kasteli Airport|Kasteli international airport]] .<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/projects/greece/new-road-in-crete-set-to-improve-journey-times-and-safety|title=New road in Crete set to improve journey times and safety-Projects|website=ec.europa.eu|language=en|access-date=18 January 2018}}</ref>

In addition, a [[European Union]] study has been devised to promote a modern highway to connect the northern and southern parts of the island via a [[tunnel]]. The study proposal includes a {{Convert|15.7|km|mi|abbr=on}} section of road between the villages of Agia Varvara and Agia Deka in central Crete. The new road section forms part of the route between [[Messara Plain|Messara]] in the south and Crete's largest city [[Heraklion]], which houses the island's biggest airport and ferry links with mainland [[Greece]].

====Railway====
Also, during the 1930s there was a narrow-gauge industrial railway in Heraklion, from Giofyros in the west side of the city to the port. There are now no railway lines on Crete. The government is planning the construction of a line from Chania to Heraklion via Rethymno.<ref name="books.google.gr">Rackham, O. & Moody, J., 1996. [https://books.google.com/books?id=k4dHmA9jq4wC The Making of the Cretan Landscape], Manchester University Press,</ref><ref>ΤΟΠΙΟ: Αγνωστα Βιομηχανικά Μνημεία Ι: υπολείμματα του βιομηχανικού σιδηροδρόμου Ηρακλείου http://to-pio.blogspot.gr/2011/11/blog-post_17.html</ref>

===Development===
The construction sector in Crete responded well during the pandemic and has come out strong in the post-recession recovery period. Total construction spending recovered and is expected to peak a record high (approximately 8% higher than 2019 average levels) signalling consistent expansion in construction projects and real estate investments in Crete.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Stavros |date=2022-01-20 |title=Construction Activity in Crete - Key Trends And Prospects to 2022 |url=https://arencos.com/construction-activity-in-crete-key-trends-and-prospects-to-2022/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=ARENCOS}}</ref> The evolution of the private sector in Crete is tightly linked with the demand for tourism-related investments. Moreover, the recovery of the tourism sector is expected to lead to further growth in housing prices and rental demand.

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 {{Convert|850|ha|acre|abbr=on}} of land. The port would handle two&nbsp;million containers per year, but the project has not been universally welcomed because of its environmental, economic and cultural impact.<ref name=ncp>[http://www.no-container-port-in-timbaki.net/facts_en.php No Container Transshipment Hub in Timbaki] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070123131440/http://www.no-container-port-in-timbaki.net/facts_en.php |date=23 January 2007 }}. Retrieved 27 May 2007.</ref> As of January 2013, the project has still not been confirmed, although there is mounting pressure to approve it, arising from Greece's difficult economic situation.

There are plans for underwater cables going from mainland Greece to Israel and Egypt passing by Crete and Cyprus: [[EuroAfrica Interconnector]] and [[EuroAsia Interconnector]].<ref name="EA">{{Cite web |url=http://www.euroasia-interconnector.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EuroAsia_Interconnector_Project_and_Progress_English.pdf |title=EuroAsia Interconnector Project and Progress |access-date=16 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216204614/http://www.euroasia-interconnector.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EuroAsia_Interconnector_Project_and_Progress_English.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="EAF">{{Cite web|url=https://www.euroafrica-interconnector.com/|title=EuroAfrica Interconnector|language=en-GB|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> They would connect Crete electrically with mainland Greece, ending energy isolation of Crete. At present Greece covers electricity cost differences for Crete of around €300&nbsp;million per year.<ref name="CRE">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cretalive.gr/crete/hmerida-gia-thn-hlektrikh-diasyndesh-euroasia-interconnector-meso-ths-krhths|title=Η ηλεκτρική διασύνδεση EuroAsia Interconnector θα εξασφαλίσει ενεργειακά την Κρήτη|website=Cretalive|date=7 February 2018 |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Crete}}
[[File:AMI - Stierrhyton.jpg|thumb|250px|Minoan [[rhyton]] in the form of a bull, [[Heraklion Archaeological Museum]]]]
[[File:Minoan fresco depicting a bull leaping scene, found in Knossos, 1600-1400 BC, Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete (30547636456).jpg|alt=|thumb|250px|Minoan fresco from [[Knossos]], [[Heraklion Archaeological Museum]]]]
[[File:Knossos Westbastion 05.jpg|250px|alt=|thumb|[[Minoan palace]] of [[Knossos]]]]

In the later Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, under the Minoans, Crete had a highly developed, literate civilization. It has been ruled by various ancient Greek entities, the [[Roman Empire]], the [[Byzantine Empire]], the [[Emirate of Crete]], the [[Republic of Venice]] and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. After a brief period of independence (1897–1913) under a provisional Cretan government, it joined the Kingdom of Greece. It was occupied by [[Nazi Germany]] during the [[Second World War]].

===Prehistory===
{{Main|Prehistoric Crete}}
Stone tools suggest that [[archaic humans]] may have visited Crete as early as 130,000 years ago, but there is no evidence of permanent settlement of the island until the [[Neolithic]], around 7,000 BCE.<ref>{{Citation |last=Day |first=Jo |title=Crete, Archaeology of |date=2018 |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_1434-2 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology |pages=1–18 |access-date=2023-05-08 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_1434-2 |isbn=978-3-319-51726-1|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Settlements dating to the [[aceramic]] Neolithic in the 7th millennium BC, 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>C. Michael Hogan. 2007 [http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/10854/knossos.html#fieldnotes Knossos fieldnotes] The Modern Antiquarian</ref> Other neolithic settlements include those at [[Kephala]], [[Magasa, Crete|Magasa]], and [[Trapeza, Crete|Trapeza]].

===Minoan civilization===
{{Main|Minoan civilization}}

During the [[Bronze Age]], Crete was the centre of the [[Minoan culture|Minoan civilization]], notable for its [[Minoan art|art]], its writing systems such as [[Linear A]], and for its massive building complexes including the palace at [[Knossos]]. Its economy benefited from a network of trade around much of the [[Mediterranean]], and Minoan cultural influence extended to [[Cyprus]], [[Canaan]], and [[Egypt]]. Some scholars have speculated that [[Greek mythology|legends]] such as that of the [[minotaur]] have a historical basis in Minoan times.

===Mycenaean civilization===
{{Main|Mycenaean Greece}}
In 1420&nbsp;BC, the Minoan civilization was subsumed by the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean civilization]] from mainland Greece. The oldest samples of writing in the Greek language, as identified by [[Michael Ventris]], is the Linear B archive from Knossos, dated approximately to 1425–1375&nbsp;BC.<ref>{{cite web|first=Cynthia|last=Shelmerdine|title=Where Do We Go From Here? And How Can the Linear B Tablets Help Us Get There?|url=http://www2.ulg.ac.be/archgrec/IMG/aegeum/aegaeum18(pdf)/34%20Shelmerdine.pdf|access-date=27 March 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003195005/http://www2.ulg.ac.be/archgrec/IMG/aegeum/aegaeum18%28pdf%29/34%20Shelmerdine.pdf|archive-date=3 October 2011}}</ref>

=== Archaic and Classical period ===

After the [[Bronze Age collapse]], Crete was settled by new waves of Greeks from the mainland. A number of city states developed in the [[Archaic Greece|Archaic period]]. There was limited contact with mainland Greece, and [[Greek historiography]] shows little interest in Crete, so there are few literary references about the island or its people.

During the 6th to 4th centuries BC, Crete was comparatively free from warfare. The [[Gortyn code]] (5th century BC) is evidence for how codified [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] established a balance between aristocratic power and civil rights.

In the late 4th century BC, the aristocratic order began to collapse due to endemic infighting among the elite, and Crete's economy was weakened by prolonged wars between city states. During the 3rd century BC, [[Gortyn]], Kydonia ([[Chania]]), [[Lyctus|Lyttos]] and [[Polyrrhenia]] challenged the primacy of ancient Knossos.

While the cities continued to prey upon one another, they invited into their feuds mainland powers like [[Macedon]] and its rivals [[Rhodes]] and [[Ptolemaic Egypt]]. In 220 BC the island was tormented by a [[Lyttian War|war between two opposing coalitions of cities]]. As a result, the Macedonian king [[Philip V of Macedon|Philip V]] gained [[hegemony]] over Crete which lasted to the end of the [[Cretan War (205–200 BC)]], when the [[Rhodes|Rhodians]] opposed the rise of Macedon and the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] started to interfere in Cretan affairs.

In the 2nd century BC Ierapytna ([[Ierapetra]]) gained supremacy on eastern Crete.

===Roman rule===
{{Main|Crete and Cyrenaica}}
Crete was involved in the [[Mithridatic Wars]], initially repelling an attack by Roman general [[Marcus Antonius Creticus]] in 71&nbsp;BC. Nevertheless, a ferocious three-year campaign soon followed under [[Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus (died 55&nbsp;BC)|Quintus Caecilius Metellus]], equipped with three legions. Crete was conquered by Rome in 69&nbsp;BC, earning for Metellus the title "''Creticus''". [[Gortyn]] was made capital of the island, and Crete became a Roman province, along with [[Cyrenaica]] that was called [[Creta et Cyrenaica]]. Archaeological remains suggest that Crete under Roman rule witnessed prosperity and increased connectivity with other parts of the Empire.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jane Francis and Anna Kouremenos |title=Roman Crete: New Perspectives |date=2016 |publisher=Oxbow |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1785700958}}</ref> In the 2nd century AD, at least three cities in Crete (Lyttos, Gortyn, Hierapytna) joined the [[Panhellenion]], a league of Greek cities founded by the emperor [[Hadrian]]. When [[Diocletian]] redivided the Empire, Crete was placed, along with Cyrene, under the [[diocese of Moesia]], and later by [[Constantine I]] to the [[diocese of Macedonia]].

===Byzantine Empire – first period===
{{Main|Byzantine Crete}}

[[File:Crete MoniArkadiou1 tango7174.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Arkadi Monastery]]]]

Crete was separated from Cyrenaica {{circa|297}}. It remained a province within the eastern half of the Roman Empire, usually referred to as the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire after the establishment of a second capital in Constantinople by Constantine in 330. Crete was subjected to an attack by [[Vandals]] in 467, the great earthquakes of [[365 Crete earthquake|365]] and 415, a raid by [[Slavs]] in 623, Arab raids in 654 and the 670s, and again in the 8th century. In {{circa|732}}, the Emperor [[Leo III the Isaurian]] transferred the island from the jurisdiction of the [[Pope]] to that of the [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]].{{sfn|Gregory|Kazhdan|1991|p=546}}

===Arab rule===

{{Main|Emirate of Crete}}

[[File:The Cretan Saracens defeat the Byzantines under Damianos.jpg|thumb|250px|The Byzantines, under the general Damian, attacked Crete but were defeated by the Saracens, {{circa|828}}, as depicted by [[John Skylitzes|Ioannes Scylitzes]] (see [[Skylitzes Chronicle]]).]]

In the 820s, after 900 years as a Roman island, Crete was captured by Andalusian [[Muwallad]]s led by [[Abu Hafs (pirate)|Abu Hafs]],<ref name="Iberia">Reinhart Dozy, ''Histoire des Musulmans d'Espagne: jusqu'à la conquête de l'Andalousie par les Almoravides'' (French) pg. 711–1110, Leiden, 1861 & 1881, 2nd edition</ref> who established the [[Emirate of Crete]]. The Byzantines launched a campaign that took most of the island back in 842 and 843 under [[Theoktistos]]. Further Byzantine campaigns in 911 and 949 failed. In 960–61, [[Nikephoros II|Nikephoros Phokas]]' [[Siege of Chandax|campaign]] restored Crete to the Byzantine Empire, after a century and a half of Arab control.

===Byzantine Empire – second period===
{{Main|Byzantine Crete}}

In 961, [[Nikephoros II Phokas|Nikephoros Phokas]] returned the island to Byzantine rule after expelling the Arabs.{{sfn|Panagiotakis|1987|p=XVI}} Extensive efforts at conversion of the populace were undertaken, led by [[John Xenos]] and [[Nikon the Metanoeite|Nikon "the Metanoeite"]].{{sfn|Gregory|Kazhdan|1991|pp=545–546}}{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=495}} The reconquest of Crete was a major achievement for the Byzantines, as it restored Byzantine control over the Aegean littoral and diminished the threat of [[Saracen]] pirates, for which Crete had provided a base of operations.

In 1204, the [[Fourth Crusade]] seized and sacked the imperial capital of [[Constantinople]]. Crete was initially granted to leading Crusader [[Boniface I, Marquis of Montferrat|Boniface of Montferrat]]{{sfn|Panagiotakis|1987|p=XVI}} in the partition of spoils that followed. However, Boniface sold his claim to the [[Republic of Venice]],{{sfn|Panagiotakis|1987|p=XVI}} whose forces made up the majority of the Crusade. Venice's rival the [[Republic of Genoa]] immediately seized the island and it was not until 1212 that Venice secured Crete as a colony.

===Venetian rule===
{{Main|Kingdom of Candia}}

[[File:I Creta - Buondelmonti Cristoforo - 1420.jpg|thumb|250px|right|upright|Fifteenth century map by [[Cristoforo Buondelmonti|Buondelmonti]].]]

From 1212, during [[Republic of Venice|Venice]]'s rule, which lasted more than four centuries, a [[Renaissance]] swept through the island as is evident from the artistic works dating to that period. Known as [[The Cretan School]] or [[Post-Byzantine Art]], it is among the last flowerings of the artistic traditions of the fallen empire. This included the painter [[El Greco]] and the writers [[Nicholas Kalliakis]] (1645–1707), [[Georgios Kalafatis (professor)]] ({{circa|1652}}–1720), [[Andreas Musalus]] ({{circa|1665}}–1721) and [[Vitsentzos Kornaros]].<ref>{{Cite book|author1=Tiepolo, Maria Francesca |author2=Tonetti, Eurigio |title=I greci a Venezia| publisher=Istituto veneto di scienze|year=2002|page=201|isbn=978-88-88143-07-1 |quote= Cretese Nikolaos Kalliakis}}</ref><ref name=" Boehm, Eric H. 1995 755 ">{{cite book | author= Boehm, Eric H. |title= Historical abstracts: Modern history abstracts, 1450–1914, Volume 46, Issues 3–4 |publisher= American Bibliographical Center of ABC-Clio |year= 1995 |page=755 |oclc= 701679973 |quote= Between the 15th and 19th centuries the University of Padua attracted a great number of Greek students who wanted to study medicine. They came not only from Venetian dominions (where the percentage reaches 97% of the students of Italian universities) but also from Turkish-occupied territories of Greece. Several professors of the School of Medicine and Philosophy were Greeks, including Giovanni Cottunio, Niccolò Calliachi, Giorgio Calafatti... }}</ref><ref name=" Accademia nazionale dei Lincei 1977 429 ">{{cite book |title=Convegno internazionale nuove idee e nuova arte nell '700 italiano, Roma, 19–23 maggio 1975 |publisher=Accademia nazionale dei Lincei |year=1977 |page=429 |oclc= 4666566 |quote= Nicolò Duodo riuniva alcuni pensatori ai quali Andrea Musalo, oriundo greco, professore di matematica e dilettante di architettura chiariva le nuove idée nella storia dell’arte.}}</ref>

[[File:Bell tower of church Megali Panagia -2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|View of the Old Venetian Town of [[Rethymno]].]]

[[File:Kreta - Iraklion - Venezianische Loggia.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Venetian Loggia, [[Heraklion]].]]

Under the rule of the Catholic [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]], the city of [[Heraklion|Candia]] was reputed to be the best fortified city of the [[Eastern Mediterranean]].<ref name="Greene">M. Greene. 2001. Ruling an island without a navy: A comparative view of Venetian and Ottoman Crete. ''Oriente moderno'', 20(81), 193–207</ref> The three main forts were located at [[Gramvousa]], [[Spinalonga]], and [[Fortezza Castle|Fortezza]] at Rethymnon. Other fortifications include the [[Kazarma fortress]] at Sitia and [[Frangokastello]] in Sfakia.

[[File:Aerial view of the Old Venetian Harbour in Chania, Greece.jpg|thumb|right|250px|View of the Old Venetian Harbour of [[Chania]].]]

In 1492, Jews expelled from Spain settled on the island.<ref>A.J. Schoenfeld. 2007. Immigration and Assimilation in the Jewish Community of Late Venetian Crete (15th–17th centuries). ''Journal of Modern Greek Studies'', 25(1), 1–15</ref> In 1574–77, Crete was under the rule of [[Giacomo Foscarini]] as Proveditor General, Sindace and [[Inquisitor]]. According to Starr's 1942 article, the rule of Giacomo Foscarini was a Dark Age for Jews and Greeks. Under his rule, non-Catholics had to pay high taxes with no allowances. In 1627, there were 800 Jews in the city of Candia, about seven percent of the city's population.<ref>Starr, J. (1942), Jewish Life in Crete Under the Rule of Venice, ''Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research'', Vol. 12, pp. 59–114.</ref> [[Marco Foscarini]] was the Doge of Venice during this time.

===Ottoman rule===
{{Main|Ottoman Crete|Cretan Turks|Cretan Revolt (1866–1869)}}

[[File:Vue du siege de Candie en 1669.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Siege of Candia]], regarded as one of the longest sieges in history, lasted from 1648 to 1669.]]
[[File:A-3-37-68-Crete.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Nicolas Sanson]]. Crete in 1651]]
[[File:Crete - ethnic map, 1861.jpg|thumb|250px|Ethnic makeup of the island in 1861 {{legend|#4b8ab2|[[Greek Orthodox]]}} {{legend|#b43a3e|[[Cretan Muslim]]/[[Turkish people|Turkish]]}}]]
[[File:Mosquée Kara Musa Pasha.JPG|thumb|250px|[[Kara Musa Pasha]] mosque, [[Rethymno]]]]

The Ottomans [[Cretan War (1645–1669)|conquered Crete]] (Girit Eyâleti) in 1669, after the [[siege of Candia]] with the last Venetian strongholds off Crete falling in the last [[Ottoman–Venetian War (1714–1718)|Ottoman–Venetian War]] in 1715. Many Greek Cretans fled to other regions of the [[Republic of Venice]] after the [[Ottoman–Venetian Wars]], some even prospering such as the family of [[Simone Stratigo]] (c. 1733 – c. 1824) who migrated to [[Dalmatia]] from Crete in 1669.<ref name="Carlo Capra, Franco Della Peruta, Fernando Mazzocca 2002 pp.200">{{cite book |last1=Capra |first1=Carlo |title=Napoleone e la repubblica italiana: 1802–1805 |last2=Peruta |first2=Franco Della |last3=Mazzocca |first3=Fernando |publisher=Skira |year=2002 |isbn=978-88-8491-415-6 |location=Milan |page=200 |language=it |trans-title=Napoleon and the Italian Republic: 1802–1805 |quote=Simone Stratico, nato a Zara nel 1733 da famiglia originaria di Creta (abbandonata a seguito della conquista turca del 1669)}}</ref>

[[Islamic]] presence on the island, aside from the interlude of the [[Emirate of Crete|Arab occupation]], was cemented by the [[Ottoman wars in Europe|Ottoman conquest]]. Most [[Cretan Muslims]] were local Greek converts who spoke Cretan [[Greek language|Greek]], but in the island's 19th-century political context they came to be viewed by the Christian population as Turks.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Tziovas |first=Dimitris |title=Greece and the Balkans: Identities, Perceptions and Cultural Encounters Since the Enlightenment |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7546-0998-8 |location=London }}</ref>{{pages needed|date=November 2024}} Contemporary estimates vary, but in 1830, as much as 45% of the population of the island may have been Muslim.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Yale |first=William |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.537153 |title=The Near East: A Modern History |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=1958 |location=Ann Arbor |pages=129–145 |chapter=IX: Trouble in Crete and the Balkans |lccn=58-62524 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> A number of [[Sufi]] orders were widespread throughout the island, the [[Bektashi]] order being the most prevalent,<ref name="Morrow2019–28">{{Cite book |last=Morrow |first=John Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LTWEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 |title=Finding W. D. Fard: Unveiling the Identity of the Founder of the Nation of Islam |date=2019 |publisher=[[Cambridge Scholars Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-5275-2489-7 |page=28 |language=en |quote=...Cretan Muslims used Greek to express their Bektashi Islamic sentiment. After all, Islam in Crete was profoundly influenced by the Bektahi Sufi Order.}}</ref> possessing at least five [[tekkes]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} Many Cretan Muslims fled Crete because of sectarian violence, settling in Turkey, Rhodes, Syria, Libya and elsewhere.<ref name="Ionian">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Michael Llewellyn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E4OuoSFztt8C&pg=RA1-PA86 |title=Ionian Vision: Greece in Asia Minor, 1919–1922 |date=1998 |publisher=Hurst |isbn=978-1-85065-368-4 |pages=87–88}}</ref> By 1900, 11% of the population was Muslim. Those remaining were relocated in the 1924 [[population exchange between Greece and Turkey]].<ref name=":0" />{{pages needed|date=November 2024}}

During the [[Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)]], a revolt against Ottoman rule in Crete was started by [[Daskalogiannis]], a shipowner from [[Sfakia]] who was promised support by the Russian navy which never arrived. Daskalogiannis eventually surrendered to the Ottoman authorities.<ref>{{cite book |last=Detorakis |first=Theocharis |title=Κρήτη: Ιστορία καί Πολιτισμός |publisher=Vikelea Municipial Library |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-00-797002-5 |editor-last=Panagiotakis |editor-first=Nikolaos M. |volume=II |location=Heraklion |pages=333–436 |language=Greek |trans-title=Crete: History and Culture |chapter=Η Τουρκοκρατία στην Κρήτη |trans-chapter=Turkish Rule in Crete}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.scribd.com/doc/31933094/Dictionary-of-Wars |title=Dictionary of Wars |publisher=Infobase |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-4381-2916-7 |editor-last=Kohn |editor-first=George C. |edition=3rd |location=New York |pages=155 |access-date=2024-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109192640/http://www.scribd.com/doc/31933094/Dictionary-of-Wars |archive-date=2013-11-09 |via=Scribd}}</ref> On 17 June 1771 Daskalogiannis was, in the full daylight of publicity, tortured, skinned alive and then beaten to death, an ordeal that he endured in complete silence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Papoutsakis |first=Niko |date=2001-05-22 |title=Daskalogiannis: Skinned Alive by the Turks |url=http://stigmes.gr/br/brpages/articles/daskalogiannis.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010522034644/http://stigmes.gr/br/brpages/articles/daskalogiannis.htm |archive-date=2001-05-22 |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=Stigmes Online}}</ref> Today, [[Chania International Airport]] is named after him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hatzipanagos |first=George |title=Ioannis Daskalogiannis International Airport |url=http://www.hcaa-eleng.gr/hania.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217165602/http://hcaa-eleng.gr/hania.htm |archive-date=17 December 2010 |access-date=28 December 2010 |website=Greek Airports |publisher=[[Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority]]}}</ref>

During the [[Greek War of Independence]], Sultan [[Mahmud II]] granted rule over Crete to Egypt's ''de facto'' ruler [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali Pasha]] in exchange for his military support. Crete was subsequently left out of the new Greek state established under the [[London Protocol of 1830]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dodwell |first=Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/founderofmoderne0000dodw |title=The Founder of Modern Egypt: A Study of Muhammad Ali |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1967 |edition=2nd |pages=242–258 |chapter=VIII: Muhammad Ali's Government in Crete and Syria |isbn=978-0-404-12036-8 |lccn=31-22265 |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Its administration by Muhammad Ali was confirmed in the [[Convention of Kütahya]] of 1833, but direct Ottoman rule was re-established by the [[Convention of London (1840)|Convention of London]] of 3 July 1840.<ref name=":1" />

Heraklion was surrounded by high walls and bastions and extended westward and southward by the 17th century. The most opulent area of the city was the northeastern quadrant where the elite were gathered. The city had received another name under the rule of the Ottomans, "the deserted city" following its destruction after the [[Siege of Candia]]. The urban policy that the Ottoman applied to Candia was a two-pronged approach.<ref name="Greene"/> The first was the religious endowments. It made the Ottoman elite contribute to building and rehabilitating the ruined city. The other method was to boost the population and the urban revenue by selling off urban properties. According to Molly Greene (2001) there were numerous records of [[real-estate]] transactions during the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule. In the deserted city, minorities received equal rights in purchasing property. Christians and Jews were also able to buy and sell in the real-estate market.

The [[Cretan Revolt (1866–69)|Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869]] or Great Cretan Revolution ({{langx|el|links=no|Κρητική Επανάσταση του 1866}}) was a three-year uprising against Ottoman rule, the third and largest in a series of revolts between the end of the Greek War of Independence in 1830 and the establishment of the independent Cretan State in 1898. A particular event which caused strong reactions among the liberal circles of western Europe was the ''Holocaust of Arkadi''. The event occurred in November 1866, as a large Ottoman force besieged the [[Arkadi Monastery]], which served as the headquarters of the rebellion. In addition to its 259 defenders, over 700 women and children had taken refuge in the monastery. After a few days of hard fighting, the Ottomans broke into the monastery. At that point, under orders from the [[hegumen]] (abbot) of the monastery, the Cretans blew up barrels of gunpowder, choosing to sacrifice themselves rather than surrender. The subsequent explosion resulted the death of most of the rebels and the women and children sheltered there.<ref name="Provatakis75">{{harvp|Provatakis|1980|p=75}}</ref> Thirty-six insurgents had found refuge in the refectory, near the ammunitions. Discovered by the Ottomans, who forced the door, they were massacred.<ref name="Provatakis75"/>

===Cretan State and union with Greece===
{{Main|Cretan State|Theriso revolt|Candia massacre|International Squadron (Cretan intervention, 1897–1898)}}
[[File:Revolutionnaires therissos.jpg|thumb|250px|Revolutionaries at [[Theriso]]]]

Following the repeated uprisings in 1841, 1858, 1889, 1895 and 1897 by the Cretan people, who wanted to join Greece, the [[Great powers#History|Great Powers]] decided to restore order and in February 1897 sent in troops. The island was subsequently garrisoned by troops from Great Britain, France, Italy and Russia; Germany and Austro-Hungary withdrawing from the occupation in early 1898. During this period Crete was governed through a committee of admirals from the remaining four Powers. In March 1898 the Powers decreed, with the reluctant consent of the Sultan, that the island would be granted autonomy under Ottoman [[suzerainty]] in the near future.<ref>Pinar Senisik, ''The Transformation of Ottoman Crete, Revolts, Politics and Identity in the Late Nineteenth century'' p. 165. I. B. Tauris, 2011.</ref>

In September 1898 the [[Candia massacre]] in Candia, modern Heraklion, left over 500 Cretan Christians and 14 British servicemen dead at the hands of Muslim irregulars. As a result, the Admirals ordered the expulsion of all Ottoman troops and administrators from the island, a move that was ultimately completed by early November. The decision to grant autonomy to the island was enforced and a High Commissioner, [[Prince George of Greece]], appointed, arriving to take up his post in December 1898.<ref name=Holland>Robert Holland and Diane Markides, ''The British and the Hellenes: Struggles for Mastery in the Eastern Mediterranean 1850–1960''. p. 81. Oxford University Press, 2005.</ref> The flag of the [[Cretan State]] was chosen by the Powers, with the white star representing the Ottoman suzerainty over the island.

[[File:Flag of Cretan State.svg|thumb|250px|Flag of Cretan State]]

In 1905, disagreements between Prince George and minister Eleftherios Venizelos over the question of the ''[[enosis]]'' (union with Greece), such as the Prince's autocratic style of government, resulted in the [[Theriso revolt]], one of the leaders being [[Eleftherios Venizelos]].

Prince George resigned as High Commissioner and was replaced by [[Alexandros Zaimis]], a former Greek prime minister, in 1906. In 1908, taking advantage of domestic turmoil in Turkey as well as the timing of Zaimis's vacation away from the island, the Cretan deputies unilaterally declared union with Greece.

With the outbreak of the [[First Balkan War]], the Greek government declared that Crete was now Greek territory. This was not recognised internationally until 1 December 1913.<ref name=Holland/>

===Second World War===

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 141-0864, Kreta, Landung von Fallschirmjägern.jpg|thumb|250px|German paratroopers landing on Crete during the [[Battle of Crete]]]]
[[File:Kandanos Mahnmal.jpg|thumb|250px|War memorial in [[Kandanos]]]]
{{Main|Battle of Crete|Cretan resistance}}

During World War II, the island was the scene of the [[Battle of Crete]] in May 1941. The initial 11-day battle was bloody and left more than 11,000 soldiers and civilians killed or wounded. As a result of the fierce resistance from both Allied forces and civilian Cretan locals, the invasion force suffered heavy casualties, and [[Adolf Hitler]] forbade further large-scale [[paratroop]] operations for the rest of the war.

During the initial and subsequent occupation, German firing squads routinely executed male civilians in reprisal for the death of German soldiers; civilians were rounded up randomly in local villages for the mass killings, such as at the [[Massacre of Kondomari]] and the [[Viannos massacres]]. Two German generals were later tried and executed for their roles in the killing of 3,000 of the island's inhabitants.<ref>[http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/WCC/warcrimgenrls.htm "Some Noteworthy War Criminals"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401143013/http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/WCC/warcrimgenrls.htm |date=1 April 2012 }}, Source: ''History of the United Nations War Crimes Commission and the Development of the Laws of War'', United Nations War Crimes Commission. London: HMSO, 1948, p. 526, updated 29 January 2007 by Stuart Stein (University of the West of England), accessed 22 January 2010</ref>

Following the collapse of fronts elsewhere in Europe, German forces evacuated most of Crete in October 1944 leaving an area including Chania under occupation. The following year the day after [[VE Day]] the remaining Germans under Generalmajor [[Hans-Georg Benthack]] surrendered at [[Knossos]] to British Major-General [[Colin Callander]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Crete: The Battle and the Resistance |first=Antony |last=Beevor |author-link=Antony Beevor |page=176 |publisher=John Murray |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7195-6831-2}}</ref>

===Civil War===
In the aftermath of the [[Dekemvriana]] in Athens, Cretan leftists were targeted by the right-wing paramilitary organization National Organization of Rethymno (EOR), which engaged in attacks in the villages of Koxare and Melampes, as well as Rethymno in January 1945. Those attacks did not escalate into a full-scale insurgency as they did in the Greek mainland and the Cretan [[ELAS]] did not surrender its weapons after the [[Treaty of Varkiza]]. An uneasy truce was maintained until 1947, with a series of arrests of notable communists in Chania and Heraklion. Encouraged by orders from the central organization in Athens, KKE launched an insurgency in Crete; marking the beginning of the [[Greek Civil War]] on the island. In eastern Crete the [[Democratic Army of Greece]] (DSE) struggled to establish its presence in [[Dikti]] and [[Psilorites]]. On 1 July 1947, the surviving 55 fighters of DSE were ambushed south of Psilorites, the few surviving members of the unit managed to join the rest of DSE in [[Lefka Ori]].{{sfn|Margaritis|2006|pp=441–447}}

The [[Lefka Ori]] region in the west offered more favourable conditions for DSE's insurgency. In the summer of 1947 DSE raided and looted the [[Maleme Airport]] and motor depot at Chrysopigi. Its numbers swelled to approximately 300 fighters. The rise of DSE numbers compounded with crop failure on the island created serious logistical issues for the insurgents. The communists resorted to [[Cattle raiding|cattle rustling]] and crop confiscations which solved the problem only temporarily. In the autumn of 1947, the Greek government offered generous amnesty terms to Cretan DSE fighters and mountain bandits, many of whom opted to abandon armed struggle or defect to the nationalists. On 4 July 1948, government troops launched a large scale offensive on [[Samariá Gorge]]. Many DSE soldiers were killed in the fighting while the survivors broke into small armed bands. In October 1948, the secretary of the Cretan KKE Giorgos Tsitilos was killed in an ambush. By the following month only 34 DSE fighters remained active in Lefka Ori. The insurgency in Crete gradually withered away, with the last two hold outs surrendering in 1974, 25 years after the conclusion of the war in mainland Greece.{{sfn|Margaritis|2006|pp=447–452}}

==Tourism==
{{Main|Tourism in Greece}}
[[File:Kreta-Matala07.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Matala, Crete|Matala]] beach]]
Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece. 15% of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of Heraklion (port and airport), while charter journeys to Heraklion make up about [https://greece4u.com.gr/destination/crete/ 20% of all charter flights in Greece] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729001912/https://greece4u.com.gr/destination/crete/ |date=29 July 2020 }}. The number of hotel beds on the island increased by 53% in the period between 1986 and 1991.

Today, the island's tourism infrastructure includes a wide range of accommodation; including 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]] and a smaller airport in [[Sitia]] (international charter and domestic flights started in May 2012)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sitia.gr/information-services/news/aerchart.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001191455/http://www.sitia.gr/information-services/news/aerchart.html|url-status=dead|title=14/06/2011. ΞΕΚΙΝΟΥΝ ΟΙ ΠΤΗΣΕΙΣ CHARTER ΣΤΟ ΑΕΡΟΔΡΟΜΙΟ ΣΗΤΕΙΑΣ. &#124; Νέα - Ανακοινώσεις &#124; Ενημέρωση &#124; Δήμος Σητείας|archive-date=1 October 2011|website=www.sitia.gr}}</ref> or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion, Chania, [[Rethimno]], [[Agios Nikolaos, Crete|Agios Nikolaos]] and [[Sitia]].

Popular tourist attractions include the archaeological sites of the Minoan civilisation, the Venetian old city and port of [[Chania]], the Venetian castle at [[Rethymno]], the gorge of [[Samariá Gorge|Samaria]], the islands of [[Chrysi (island)|Chrysi]], [[Elafonisi]], [[Gramvousa]], [[Spinalonga]] and the Palm Beach of [[Vai (Crete)|Vai]], which is the largest natural palm forest in Europe.

===Transportation===
Crete has an extensive bus system with regular services across the north of the island and from north to south. There are two regional bus stations in Heraklion. Bus routes and timetables can be found on KTEL website.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.e-ktel.com/en/| title = KTEL bus services}}</ref>

=== Holiday homes and immigration ===
Crete's mild climate attracts [[northern Europe]]ans who want a holiday home or residence on the island. [[European Union|EU]] citizens have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality.<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:229:0035:0048:EN:PDF ''On the Rights of Citizens of the Union'', EC Directive 2004/58 EC (2004)] EUR-Lex</ref> In the cities of Heraklion and Chania, the average price per square metre of apartments ranges from €1,670 to €1,700.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 29, 2020|title=Buying a Property in Crete as a Foreigner|url=https://www.arencores.com/buying-property-in-crete-as-a-foreigner/|url-status=live|access-date=March 22, 2021|website=ARENCORES|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305233118/https://www.arencores.com/buying-property-in-crete-as-a-foreigner/ |archive-date=5 March 2021 }}</ref> A growing number of real estate companies cater mainly to British immigrants, followed by [[Netherlands|Dutch]], [[Germany|German]], [[Scandinavia]]n and other European nationalities wishing to own a home in Crete. The [[United Kingdom|British]] immigrants are concentrated in the western regional units of [[Chania (regional unit)|Chania]] and [[Rethymno (regional unit)|Rethymno]] and to a lesser extent in [[Heraklion (regional unit)|Heraklion]] and [[Lasithi]].<ref name="books.google.gr"/>

===Archaeological sites and museums===

{{Main|List of museums in Greece#Crete}}

The area has a large number of archaeological sites, including the Minoan sites of [[Knossos]], [[Malia (archaeological site)|Malia]] (not to be confused with the town of the same name), Zakros, [[Petras]] and [[Phaistos]], the classical site of [[Gortys]], and the diverse archaeology of the island of [[Koufonisi]], which includes Minoan, Roman, and World War II era ruins (nb. due to conservation concerns, access to Koufonisi has been restricted for the last few years).

There are museums throughout Crete, most notably the [[Heraklion Archaeological Museum]] which displays most of the archaeological finds from the Minoan era.<ref>[http://www.explorecrete.com/archaeology/antiquities-crete.html Archaeological sites and Museums in Crete] ExploreCrete.com</ref> Other notable museums include the [[Maritime Museum of Crete]], the [[Archaeological Museum of Chania]],  and the WW2 museum in Platinias.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AllinCrete |date=2018-11-10 |title=World War 2 Shelter of Platanias in Chania |url=https://www.allincrete.com/war-shelter-of-platanias-chania/ |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=AllinCrete Travel Guide for Crete |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Harmful effects ===
Helen Briassoulis, in a qualitative analysis, proposed in the ''[[Journal of Sustainable Tourism]]'' that Crete is affected by tourism applying pressure to it to develop at an unhealthy rate, and that informal, internal systems within the country are forced to adapt. According to her, these forces have strengthened in three stages: from the period from 1960 to 1970, 1970–1990, and 1990 to the present. During this first period, tourism was a largely positive force, pushing modern developments like running water and electricity onto the largely rural countryside. However, beginning in the second period and especially in the third period leading up to the present day, tourist companies became more pushy with deforestation and pollution of Crete's natural resources. The country is then pulled into an interesting parity, where these companies only upkeep those natural resources that are directly essential to their industry.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Briassoulis|first=Helen|date=1 September 2003|title=Crete: Endowed by Nature, Privileged by Geography, Threatened by Tourism?|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580308667198|journal=Journal of Sustainable Tourism|volume=11|issue=2–3|pages=97–115|doi=10.1080/09669580308667198|bibcode=2003JSusT..11...97B |s2cid=28002287|issn=0966-9582|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed>
File:Gortys R02.jpg|View of [[Gortyn]]
File:Festos1(js).jpg|Archaeological site of [[Phaistos]]
File:Knossos south propylaeum.jpg|Ruins of the [[Knossos|Palace of Knossos]]
File:Archaeological Museum of Chania.jpg|[[Archaeological Museum of Chania]]
File:AMC Intern of Museum of Chania (Crete) 2.jpg|Archaeological Museum of Chania
File:Chania naval museum.jpg|[[Maritime Museum of Crete]]
File:Pluto Serapis and Persephone Isis Heraklion museum.jpg|[[Pluto (mythology)|Pluto]] and [[Persephone]] in [[Heraklion]] Museum
File:Jars in Malia Crete the two.jpg|Jars in [[Malia, Crete|Malia]], Crete
</gallery>

== Fauna and flora ==
{{main|Crete Mediterranean forests}}

===Fauna===

Crete is isolated from mainland Europe, Asia, and Africa, and this is reflected in the diversity of the fauna and flora. As a result, the fauna and flora of Crete have many clues to the evolution of species. There are no animals that are dangerous to humans on the island of Crete in contrast to other parts of Greece. Indeed, the ancient Greeks attributed the lack of large mammals such as bears, wolves, jackals, and venomous snakes, to the labour of [[Hercules]] (who took a live Cretan bull to the [[Peloponnese]]). Hercules wanted to honor the birthplace of Zeus by removing all "harmful" and "venomous" animals from Crete. Later, Cretans believed that the island was cleared of dangerous creatures by the [[Apostle Paul]], who lived on the island of Crete for two years, with his exorcisms and blessings.

The [[Natural History Museum of Crete]], operates under the direction of the [[University of Crete]] and two aquariums – [[Aquaworld Aquarium|Aquaworld]] in [[Hersonissos]] and [[Cretaquarium]] in Gournes, display sea creatures common in Cretan waters.

====Prehistoric fauna====
[[Dwarf elephant]]s, [[Hippopotamus creutzburgi|dwarf hippopotamus]], [[dwarf mammoths]], [[Candiacervus|dwarf deer]], and [[Cretan owl|giant flightless owls]] were native to [[Pleistocene]] Crete.<ref>Van der Geer, A.A.E., Dermitzakis, M., De Vos, J., 2006. Crete before the Cretans: the reign of dwarfs. Pharos 13, 121–132. Athens: Netherlands Institute.[http://users.uoa.gr/~geeraae/publications/2006-Pharos-Crete.pdf PDF]</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://singleparentsonholiday.co.uk/crete-10-fun-facts-and-interesting-insights/| title = Crete: 10 Fun Facts and Interesting Insights| date = 7 April 2019}}</ref> Their ancestors could have reached the island in the time of the [[Messinian salinity crisis]].

====Mammals====
{{Main|Mammals of Greece}}

Mammals of Crete include the vulnerable [[kri-kri]], ''Capra aegagrus cretica'' that can be seen in the national park of the [[Samaria Gorge]] and on [[Thodorou]],<ref>{{cite web|author=Αναρτήθηκε από admin |url=http://to-pio.blogspot.gr/2011/11/blog-post_22.html |title=ΤΟΠΙΟ: Θοδωρού, η άγνωστη νησίδα του Βενετικού ναυτικού οχυρού, των κρι-κρι και η απαγόρευση προσέγγισης |publisher=To-pio.blogspot.gr |access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref> [[Dia (island)|Dia]] and [[Agioi Pantes]] (islets off the north coast), the [[Cretan wildcat]] and the [[Cretan spiny mouse]].<ref name=tho>[http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-west/EN-Thodorou.html Thodorou Islands off Platanias] ExploreCrete.com</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20130120041646/http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/mammals-of-crete/624-cretan-ibex-capra-aegagrus-creticus.html Cretan Ibex, by Alexandros Roniotis] CretanBeaches.com</ref><ref>[http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/mammals-of-crete/929-cretan-wildcat-felis-silvestris-cretensis.html Cretan wildcat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211151554/http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/mammals-of-crete/929-cretan-wildcat-felis-silvestris-cretensis.html |date=11 February 2011 }} CretanBeaches.com</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120908021709/http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/mammals-of-crete/932-crete-spiny-mouse-acomys-minous.html Cretan spiny mouse] CretanBeaches.com</ref> Other terrestrial mammals include subspecies of the Cretan marten, the Cretan weasel, the Cretan badger, the Cretan wildcat,<ref>{{cite web |date=13 February 2023 |title=Fauna and Flora of Crete |url=https://www.crete.org.uk/animals-fauna.html}}</ref> the [[long-eared hedgehog]], and the [[edible dormouse]].<ref>[http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/mammals-of-crete.html Terrestrial mammals of Crete] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207014141/http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/mammals-of-crete.html |date=7 February 2011 }} CretanBeaches.com</ref>

The [[Cretan shrew]], a type of [[white-toothed shrew]] is considered [[endemic species|endemic]] to the island of Crete because this species of shrew is unknown elsewhere. It is a [[relic species]] of the ''Crocidura'' shrews of which [[fossil]]s have been found that can be dated to the [[Pleistocene]] era. Today it can only be found in the highlands of Crete.<ref>{{cite book |title=Atlas of terrestrial mammals of the Ionian and Aegean islands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4J0Hzo0o4gC&pg=PA43 |publisher=De Gruyter |page=43|isbn = 9783110254587|date = 30 October 2012}}</ref> It is considered to be the only surviving remnant of the endemic species of the Pleistocene Mediterranean islands.<ref>{{cite book |title=Evolution of Island Mammals |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JmSsNuwMAxgC&pg=PT35 |publisher=Wiley |page=35|isbn = 9781444391282|date = 14 February 2011}}</ref>

Bat species include: [[Blasius's horseshoe bat]], the [[lesser horseshoe bat]], the [[greater horseshoe bat]], the [[lesser mouse-eared bat]], [[Geoffroy's bat]], the [[whiskered bat]], [[Kuhl's pipistrelle]], the [[common pipistrelle]], [[Savi's pipistrelle]], the [[serotine bat]], the [[long-eared bat]], [[Schreibers' bat]] and the [[European free-tailed bat]].<ref name=icw>[http://www.intocrete.net/features/wildlife.asp Wildlife on Crete] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003150811/https://www.intocrete.net/features/wildlife.asp |date=3 October 2023 }} IntoCrete.com</ref>

<gallery mode=packed>
File:Kri-kri 1.jpg|The [[kri-kri]] (the Cretan ibex) lives in protected natural parks at the gorge of Samaria and the island of Agios Theodoros.
File:Male Cretan ibex.jpg|Male Cretan ibex
File:Kritikos Lagonikos 02.jpg|[[Cretan Hound]] or ''Kritikos Lagonikos'', one of Europe's oldest hunting dog breeds
</gallery>

====Birds====
Varieties of birds include eagles (can be seen in [[Lasithi]]), swallows (throughout Crete in the summer and year-round in the south of the island), [[pelican]]s (along the coast), and [[common crane]]s (including [[Gavdos]] and [[Gavdopoula]]). The Cretan mountains and gorges are refuges for the endangered [[lammergeier]] vulture. Bird species include: the [[golden eagle]], [[Bonelli's eagle]], the [[bearded vulture]] or lammergeier, the [[griffon vulture]], [[Eleonora's falcon]], [[peregrine falcon]], [[lanner falcon]], [[European kestrel]], [[tawny owl]], [[little owl]], [[hooded crow]], [[alpine chough]], [[red-billed chough]], and the [[Eurasian hoopoe]].<ref>[http://www.we-love-crete.com/birds-of-crete.html Birds of Crete] We-love-crete.com</ref><ref>[http://www.cretewww.com/birds/list.htm Checklist and Guide to the Birds of Crete] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529010744/http://www.cretewww.com/birds/list.htm |date=29 May 2013 }}</ref> The population of griffon vultures in Crete is the largest insular one of the species in the world and consists of the majority of the griffon vulture population in Greece.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xirouchakis |first1=Stavros M. |last2=Mylonas |first2=Moysis |title=Status and structure of the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) population in Crete |journal=European Journal of Wildlife Research |date=December 2005 |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=223–231 |doi=10.1007/s10344-005-0101-4|bibcode=2005EJWR...51..223X |s2cid=24900498 }}</ref>

====Reptiles and amphibians====
Tortoises can be seen throughout the island. Snakes can be found hiding under rocks. Toads and frogs reveal themselves when it rains.

Reptiles include the [[Aegean wall lizard]], [[Balkan green lizard]], [[common chameleon]], [[Chalcides ocellatus|ocellated skink]], [[snake-eyed skink]], [[Moorish gecko]], [[Turkish gecko]], [[Kotschy's gecko]], [[spur-thighed tortoise]], and the [[Caspian turtle]].<ref name=icw/><ref name=natrep>[http://www.aquaworld-crete.com/rep1.html Native Reptiles of Crete at Aquaworld] Aquaworld Aquarium.</ref>

There are four species of snake on the island and these are not dangerous to humans. The four species include the [[leopard snake]] (locally known as ''ochendra''), the [[Balkan whip snake]] (locally called ''dendrogallia''), the [[dice snake]] (called ''nerofido'' in Greek), and the only venomous snake is the nocturnal [[European cat snake|cat snake]] which has evolved to deliver a weak venom at the back of its mouth to paralyse geckos and small lizards, and is not dangerous to humans.<ref name=icw/><ref name=snakes>[http://www.cretegazette.com/archive/2005-11-snakes.php The Snakes of Crete by John McClaren] CreteGazette.com</ref>

Sea turtles include the [[green turtle]] and the [[loggerhead turtle]] which are both threatened species.<ref name=natrep/> The loggerhead turtle nests and hatches on north-coast beaches around Rethymno and Chania, and south-coast beaches along the gulf of Mesara.<ref name=turtle>[https://books.google.com/books?id=KVYFI9NzLz0C&pg=PA68 Crete p. 69], by Victoria Kyriakopoulos</ref>

Amphibians include the [[European green toad]], [[American bullfrog]] (introduced)<!-- not American toad (not introduced anywhere in Europe) -->, [[European tree frog]], and the [[Cretan marsh frog]] ([[Endemism|endemic]]).<ref name=icw/><ref name=natrep/><ref>{{cite book | author=Dufresnes, C. | year=2019 | title=Amphibians of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East: A Photographic Guide | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | isbn=978-1-4729-4137-4 }}</ref>

====Arthropods====
[[Cicada]]s, known locally as ''tzitzikia'', make a distinctive repetitive ''tzi tzi'' [http://www.cicadasong.eu sound] that becomes louder and more frequent on hot summer days. Butterfly species include the [[swallowtail butterfly]].<ref name=icw/> Moth species include the [[hummingbird moth]].<ref>[http://www.picturenation.co.uk/view/info/77283/hummingbird-moth-flower?s=hummingbird&page=1 Feeding time for a hummingbird moth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314022813/http://www.picturenation.co.uk/view/info/77283/hummingbird-moth-flower?s=hummingbird&page=1 |date=14 March 2012 }} PictureNation.co.uk</ref> There are several species of scorpion such as ''[[Euscorpius carpathicus]]'' whose venom is generally no more potent than a mosquito bite.

====Crustaceans and molluscs====
River crabs include the semi-terrestrial ''[[Potamon potamios]]'' crab.<ref name=icw/> Edible snails are widespread and can cluster in the hundreds waiting for rainfall to reinvigorate them.

====Sealife====
[[File:Loggerhead sea turtle.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[loggerhead sea turtle]] nests and hatches along the beaches of [[Rethymno]] and [[Chania]] and the gulf of Messara.]]

Apart from terrestrial mammals, the seas around Crete are rich in large marine mammals. The endangered [[Mediterranean monk seal]] lives in almost all the coasts of the country. The area south of Crete, known as the Greek Abyss, hosts  [[whale]]s, [[sperm whale]]s, [[dolphin]]s and [[porpoise]]s.<ref>[http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/marine-mammals.html Marine mammals of Crete] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207014311/http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/fauna-of-crete/marine-mammals.html |date=7 February 2011 }} CretanBeaches.com</ref> The Minoan frescoes depicting dolphins in Queen's Megaron at Knossos indicate that Minoans were well aware of and celebrated these creatures. [[Squid]], [[octopus]], [[sea turtle]]s and [[hammerhead shark]]s live or traverse along the coast.

Some of the fish of the waters around Crete include: [[scorpion fish]], [[dusky grouper]], east Atlantic peacock [[wrasse]], five-spotted wrasse, [[weever fish]], [[common stingray]], [[brown ray]], [[Mediterranean black goby]], [[pearly razorfish]], [[star-gazer]], [[painted comber]], [[damselfish]], and the [[flying gurnard]].<ref>[http://www.aquaworld-crete.com/fish.html Fish from Crete at Aquaworld] Aquaworld Aquarium</ref>

The [[Cretaquarium]] and the [[Aquaworld Aquarium]], are two of the three aquariums in Greece. They are located in [[Gournes]] and [[Hersonissos]] respectively.<ref>[http://www.cretaquarium.gr/indexen.php Cretaquarium] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626193821/http://www.cretaquarium.gr/indexen.php|date=26 June 2011}} Cretaquarium.gr</ref><ref name="scot">[http://www.britsincrete.net/john_mclaren_aquaworld.html Great Britons in Crete, John Bryce McLaren] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319012949/http://www.britsincrete.net/john_mclaren_aquaworld.html|date=19 March 2011}} BritsinCrete.net</ref>

===Flora===
The Minoans contributed to the deforestation of Crete. Further deforestation occurred in the 1600s "so that no more local supplies of firewood were available".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sands |first1=Roger |title=Forestry in a Global Context |date=2005 |page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UO1DAI60IQEC&q=crete+deforestation&pg=PA27 |access-date=24 September 2019|isbn=9780851990897 }}</ref>

Common wildflowers include: camomile, daisy, gladiolus, hyacinth, [[Iris flower|iris]], poppy, cyclamen and tulip, among others.<ref name=Fielding>Fielding, J. and Turland, N. "Flowers of Crete", Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, {{ISBN|978-1842460795}}, 2008</ref> There are more than 200 species of wild [[orchid]] on the island and this includes 14 varieties of ''[[Ophrys cretica]]''.<ref name=flora>[https://books.google.com/books?id=KVYFI9NzLz0C&pg=PA68 Crete p.68] by Victoria Kyriakopoulos</ref> Crete has a rich variety of indigenous herbs including common [[Salvia officinalis|sage]], [[rosemary]], [[thyme]], and [[oregano]].<ref name=flora/><ref name=expcrete>[http://www.explorecrete.com/nature/flora.html The Flora of Crete] ExploreCrete.com</ref> Rare herbs include the endemic [[Origanum dictamus|Cretan dittany]]<ref name=flora/><ref name=expcrete/> and [[ironwort]], ''[[Sideritis syriaca]]'', known as [[malotira]] (μαλοτήρα). Varieties of cactus include the edible [[Opuntia|prickly pear]]. Common trees on the island include the [[Castanea sativa|chestnut]], [[Cupressus sempervirens|cypress]], [[oak tree|oak]], [[Olea europaea|olive tree]], [[Pinus brutia|pine]], [[Platanus orientalis|plane]], and [[tamarisk tree|tamarisk]].<ref name=expcrete/> Trees tend to be taller to the west of the island where water is more abundant.

{{see also|List of endemic plants of Crete}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:044 Dracunculus vulgaris at Akrotiri peninsula, Crete, Greece.jpg|Snake lily (''[[Dracunculus vulgaris]]'')
File:Ophrys cretica-001.jpg|The ''[[Ophrys cretica]]'' orchid
</gallery>

===Environmentally protected areas===
Environmentally protected areas include the island of [[Elafonisi]] on the coast of southwestern Crete, the palm forest of [[Vai (Crete)|Vai]] in eastern Crete and the [[Dionysades]] (both in the municipality of [[Sitia]], [[Lasithi]]). [[Vai (Crete)|Vai]] has a palm beach and is the largest natural palm forest in Europe. The island of [[Chrysi (island)|Chrysi]], {{convert|15|km|0|abbr=off}} south of [[Ierapetra]], has the largest naturally-grown ''[[Juniperus macrocarpa]]'' forest in Europe. [[Samaria Gorge]] is a [[Man and the Biosphere Programme|World Biosphere Reserve]] and [[Richtis Gorge]] is protected for its landscape diversity. Also, Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark, added in 2015 in UNESCO Geoparks, is located on the easternmost edge of Crete.

==Mythology==
{{Main|Greek mythology}}
[[File:Zeushoehle.jpg|thumb|250px|upright=0.9|[[Psychro Cave|Diktaean Cave]]]]

Crete has a strong association with ancient [[Greek gods]] but is also connected with the [[Minoan civilization]].

According to [[Greek mythology]], the [[Psychro Cave|Diktaean Cave]] at Mount [[Dikti]] was the birthplace of the god [[Zeus]]. The [[Paximadia]] islands were the birthplace of the goddess [[Artemis]] and the god [[Apollo]] {{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}. Their mother, the goddess [[Leto]], was worshipped at [[Phaistos]]. The goddess [[Athena]] bathed in Lake Voulismeni. Zeus launched a lightning bolt at a giant lizard that was threatening Crete. The lizard immediately turned to stone and became the lizard-shaped island of [[Dia (island)|Dia]], which can be seen from Knossos. The islets of [[Souda (island)|Lefkai]] were the result of a musical contest between the [[Siren (mythology)|Siren]]s and the [[Muses]]. The Muses were so anguished to have lost that they plucked the feathers from the wings of their rivals; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at [[Aptera, Greece|Aptera]] ("featherless"), where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai (the islands of [[Souda (island)|Souda]] and [[Leon (Souda Bay)|Leon]]).<ref>Caroline M. Galt, "A marble fragment at Mount Holyoke College from the Cretan city of Aptera", ''Art and Archaeology'' '''6''' (1920:150).</ref> [[Heracles]], in one of his labors, took the [[Cretan bull]] to the Peloponnese. [[Europa (consort of Zeus)|Europa]] and Zeus made love at [[Gortys]] and conceived the kings of Crete: [[Rhadamanthys]], [[Sarpedon (brother of Minos)|Sarpedon]], and Minos.

The [[labyrinth]] of the [[Palace of Knossos]] was the setting for the myth of [[Theseus#Minotaur|Theseus and the Minotaur]] in which the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. [[Icarus]] and [[Daedalus]] were captives of King Minos and crafted wings to escape. After his death, King Minos became a judge of the dead in [[Hades]], while [[Rhadamanthys]] became the ruler of the [[Elysium|Elysian fields]].

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Greece}}
{{See also|Cretan School|Cretan literature|Music of Crete|Cretan cuisine}}

Crete has its own distinctive [[Mantinada|Mantinades]] poetry. The island is known for its Mantinades-based [[Music of Crete|music]] (typically performed with the [[Lyra (Cretan)|Cretan lyra]] and the [[laouto]]) and has many indigenous dances, the most noted of which is the [[Pentozali]]. Since the 1980s and certainly in the 1990s onwards there has been a proliferation of cultural associations that teach dancing (in Western Crete where many focus on [[Rizitika|rizitiko]] singing). These associations often perform in official events but also become stages for people to meet and engage in traditional practices. The topic of tradition and the role of cultural associations in reviving it is often debated throughout Crete.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kalantzis |first1=Konstantinos |title=Tradition in the Frame Photography, Power, and Imagination in Sfakia, Crete |date=2019 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-03713-8 |pages=153–178}}</ref>

Cretan authors have made important contributions to [[Greek literature]] throughout the modern period; major names include [[Vikentios Kornaros]], creator of the 17th-century epic romance ''[[Erotokritos]]'' (Greek Ερωτόκριτος), and, in the 20th century, [[Nikos Kazantzakis]]. In the Renaissance, Crete was the home of the [[Cretan School]] of icon painting, which influenced [[El Greco]] and through him subsequent European painting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Island's Culture |url=https://activecrete.gr/islands-culture/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=Active Crete |language=en-US}}</ref>

Cretans are proud of their island and customs, and men often don elements of traditional dress in everyday life: knee-high black riding boots (''stivania''), [[Breeches#Types of breeches|''vráka'' breeches]] tucked into the boots at the knee, black shirt and black headdress consisting of a fishnet-weave kerchief worn wrapped around the head or draped on the shoulders (''mantili'' / ''kefalomantilo''). Men often grow large mustaches as a mark of pride, manhood and valiance.

Cretan society is known in Greece and internationally for family and clan [[feud|vendettas]] which persist on the island to date.<ref name="feud">Brian Murphy: [https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19990114/2938763/vendetta-victims-people-a-village----cretes-cycle-of-blood-survives-the-centuries Vendetta Victims: People, A Village – Crete's 'Cycle Of Blood' Survives The Centuries]  at ''[[The Seattle Times]]'', 14 January 1999.</ref><ref>Aris Tsantiropoulos: {{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.plymouth.ac.uk/solon/journal/issue%202.1/Tsantiropoulos_Article_final%5B1%5D%5B1%5D.pdf |title= Collective Memory and Blood Feud: The Case of Mountainous Crete |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120331102316/http://www.pbs.plymouth.ac.uk/solon/journal/issue%202.1/Tsantiropoulos_Article_final%5B1%5D%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-date= 31 March 2012 |df= dmy-all }}&nbsp;{{small|(254&nbsp;KB)}}, ''Crimes and Misdemeanours'' 2/1 (2008), [[University of Crete]].</ref> Cretans also have a tradition of keeping firearms at home, stemming from the era of resistance against the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Nearly every rural household on Crete has at least one unregistered gun.<ref name="feud"/> Guns are subject to strict regulation from the Greek government, and in recent years an effort to control firearms in Crete has been undertaken by the Greek police, but with limited success.

<gallery class="center" widths="200" heights="180">
File:Sfakia-dance.jpg|Dancers from [[Sfakia]]
File:Koukouvagia.jpg|[[Dakos]], traditional Cretan appetizer. Paximadi (hard bread) topped with fresh tomato, [[feta]] cheese, [[oregano]], and [[olives]] drizzled with olive oil.
</gallery>

===Sports===
Crete has many football clubs playing in the local leagues. During the 2011–12 season, [[OFI Crete]], which plays at [[Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium]] (Iraklion), and [[Ergotelis F.C.]], which plays at the [[Pankritio Stadium]] (Iraklion) were both members of the [[Superleague Greece|Greek Superleague]]. During the 2012–13 season, OFI Crete, which plays at [[Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium]] (Iraklion), and [[Platanias F.C.]], which plays at the Perivolia Municipal Stadium, near Chania, are both members of the [[Superleague Greece|Greek Superleague]].

==Notable people==
{{Main|:Category:People from Crete}}
[[File:El Greco - Portrait of a Man - WGA10554.jpg|thumb|250px|upright|[[El Greco|Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco)]]]]
[[File:Venizelos--lifeofvenizelosw00chesuoft.png|thumb|250px|upright|[[Eleftherios Venizelos]]]]
[[File:20070427 Psarantonis All Tomorrow s Parties festival Butlins Minehead UK 2007.png|250px|thumb|upright|[[Psarantonis]]]]

Notable people from Crete include:

*[[Vitsentzos Kornaros]], Renaissance author from Sitia, who lived in Heraklion (then Candia)
*[[Domenikos Theotokopoulos]] (El Greco), Renaissance artist, born in [[Heraklion]]
*[[Nikos Xilouris]], famous composer and singer.
*[[Psarantonis]], Cretan folk singer and [[Cretan lyra]] player and brother of [[Nikos Xilouris]].
*[[Nikos Kazantzakis]], author, born in Heraklion, 7 times suggested for the Nobel Prize
*[[Odysseas Elytis]], poet, awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1979, born in [[Heraklion]]<ref>[http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/home/577-elytis.html Odysseas Elytis]{{Dead link|date=September 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} by Alexandros Roniotis, CretanBeaches.com.</ref>
*[[Eleftherios Venizelos]], former Greek Prime Minister, born in [[Chania Prefecture]]
*[[Konstantinos Mitsotakis]], nephew of [[Eleftherios Venizelos]] and father to [[Kyriakos Mitsotakis]], the [[Prime Minister]] of [[Greece]].
*[[Daskalogiannis]], leader of the [[Orlov Revolt]] in Crete in 1770
*[[John Aniston]] (Giannis Anastasakis), Greek-American actor, father of [[Jennifer Aniston]]
*[[Zach Galifianakis]] paternal grandparents, Mike Galifianakis and Sophia Kastrinakis, were from Crete
*[[Georgios Chortatzis]], Renaissance author
*[[Nana Mouskouri]], singer, born in Chania
*[[Michalis Kourmoulis]], leader of the [[Greek War of Independence]] from [[Messara Plain|Messara]].
*[[Eleni Daniilidou]], tennis player, born in Chania
*[[Louis Tikas]], Greek-American labor union leader
*[[Tess Fragoulis]], Greek-Canadian writer, born in Heraklion
*[[Nick Dandolos]], a.k.a. Nick the Greek, professional gambler and high roller
*[[Joseph Sifakis]], a computer scientist, laureate of the 2007 [[Turing Award]], born in [[Heraklion]] in 1946
*[[Constantinos Daskalakis]], Associate Professor at MIT's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department
*[[George Karniadakis]], Professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University; and Research Scientist at MIT
*[[George Psychoundakis]], a shepherd, a war hero and an author
*[[Georgios Kalaitzakis|Georgos Kalaitzakis]], [[Greeks|Greek]] professional basketball player for the [[Tigers Tübingen]] of the German [[Basketball Bundesliga]] is from [[Heraklion]], Crete

== See also ==
* [[Cretan Greek]]
* [[Cretan lyra]]
* [[Cretan wine]]
* [[List of novels set in Crete]]
* [[List of rulers of Crete]]
* [[Mantinada|Mantinades]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== General and cited sources ==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Crete |volume= 7 | pages = 418&ndash;430 |short= 1}}
* Francis, Jane and Anna Kouremenos (eds.) 2016. ''Roman Crete: New Perspectives''. Oxford: Oxbow.
* {{ODB|last1=Gregory|first1=T. E.|last2=Kazhdan|first2=A.|title=Crete}}
* {{cite book |last=Margaritis|first=Giorgos|title=Ιστορία του ελληνικού εμφυλίου πολέμου 1946-1949|trans-title=History of the Greek Civil War 1946-1949|volume=II|publisher=Vivliorama|language=el|location=Athens|year=2006|isbn=9608087139}}
* {{cite book | chapter= Εισαγωγικό Σημείωμα ("Introduction") | pages=XI–XX |editor-first=Nikolaos M. |editor-last=Panagiotakis | title=Crete, History and Civilization| volume=I | publisher=Vikelea Library, Association of Regional Associations of Regional Municipalities |year=1987|language=el}}
* {{cite book |last=Provatakis |first=Theocharis |year=1980 |title=Monastery of Arkadi |publisher=Toubi's |place=Athens }}
* {{A History of the Byzantine State and Society}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Crete|Crete}}

* {{official website|https://gavalochorigreece.org|name=Official Website of Gavalochori Village, Crete}} {{in lang|en}}
* [https://cretelocals.com Crete Locals] comprehensive guide of Crete Island (in English)
* [http://www.nhmc.uoc.gr/en Natural History Museum of Crete] at the [[University of Crete]].
* [http://www.cretaquarium.gr/ Cretaquarium Thalassocosmos] in Heraklion.
* [http://www.aquaworld-crete.com Aquaworld Aquarium] in Hersonissos.
* [http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/display/id/obo-9780195389661-0071 Ancient Crete] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530225110/http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/display/id/obo-9780195389661-0071 |date=30 May 2020 }} at Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics.
* [http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/greek_islands/crete Official Greek National Tourism Organisation website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121123155346/http://www.360travelguide.com/travelpack/resort.asp?Resort=Crete&Code=780spl04 Interactive Virtual Tour of Crete]

{{Crete (island)}}
{{Cretan islands}}
{{History of Crete}}
{{Crete Region}}
{{Administrative regions of Greece}}
{{Geographic departments of Greece}}
{{Aegean Sea}}
{{Ancient Greece topics |HG}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Crete| ]]
[[Category:Aegean islands]]
[[Category:Crete and Cyrenaica]]
[[Category:Islands of Greece]]
[[Category:Mediterranean islands]]
[[Category:Minoan geography]]
[[Category:Territories of the Republic of Venice]]