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Creta

Crete
Native name: Κρήτη
Island of Crete, Greece.JPG
NASA photograph of Crete
Kriti in Greece.svg
Geography
Location Eastern Mediterranean
Coordinates 35°12.6′N 24°54.6′E / 35.2100°N 24.9100°E / 35.2100; 24.9100Coordinates: 35°12.6′N 24°54.6′E / 35.2100°N 24.9100°E / 35.2100; 24.9100
Area 8,303 km2 (3,206 sq mi)
Area rank 89
Highest elevation 2,456 m (8,058 ft)
Highest point Mount Ida (Psiloritis)
Administration
Region Crete
Capital city Heraklion
Largest settlement Heraklion (pop. 173,993)
Demographics
Demonym Cretans (Greeks)
Population c. 620,000 (2011)
Population rank 73
Crete
Περιφέρεια Κρήτης
Region of Greece
Location of Crete
Coordinates: 35°13′N 24°55′E / 35.21°N 24.91°E / 35.21; 24.91
Country  Greece
Capital Heraklion
Regional units
Government
 • Regional governor Stavros Arnaoutakis (PASOK)
Area
 • Total 8,335.88 km2 (3,218.50 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 623,065
 • Density 75/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
ISO 3166 code GR-M
Website www.crete.gov.gr

Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Kríti ['kriti]; Ancient Greek: Κρήτη, Krḗtē) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, 88th-largest island in the world and the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete and a number of surrounding islands and islets constitute the region of Crete (Greek: Περιφέρεια Κρήτης), one of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece. The capital and the largest city is Heraklion. As of 2011, the region had a population of 623,065.

Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own poetry and music). It was once the centre of the Minoan civilization (c. 2700–1420 BC), which is currently regarded as the earliest recorded civilization in Europe.

The island is first referred to as Kaptara in texts from the Syrian city of Mari dating from the 18th century BC, repeated later in Neo-Assyrian records and the Bible (Caphtor). It was also known in ancient Egyptian as Keftiu, strongly suggesting a similar Minoan name for the island.


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